Movie Review: Jack Reacher
Knee Jerk Reaction: Not bad. Entertaining but still mediocre.
Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher, a former investigator in the Army's Military Police officer, who has been adrift since his discharge. When a sniper is accused of firing on a crowd and killing five random people, Jack Reacher is brought in to assist the defense attorney, played by Rosamund Pike. Reacher uncovers a web of deception and conspiracy.
We often hear of scripts that were a bit lacking and then the actors manage to pull out brilliant performances from it. This unfortunately was not the case here. The dialogue is nothing new and I'm not sure if there was real effort to make more out of what was there. This definitely does not help the utter cliche of the lead character, a mysterious drifter/anti-hero who helps to bring out the truth and take down the big bad. We've seen it done.
Despite the script and 90% of the dialogue, there are some good things about this movie. The fight sequences are cool and you definitely get the sense that Tom Cruise must have been having fun while working. The father-daughter tension comes through in the scenes with Richard Jenkins and Rosamund Pike. Alexia Fast has a secondary role, but her heart and charisma definitely leave an impression.
Gripes:
-Cruise's Reacher comes off as invincible. A hero that rises above the odds is nothing new, but he does not have a hard time with anything. Fairly generic.
-The score was not as complimentary to scenes as much as it was blatantly trying to manipulate emotions.
-While there are a few moments which add some humor, there are more instances when you're not sure if the actors and director meant for you to laugh.
Overall: C+
Like I said before, its not bad and it is entertaining, but you just expect more.
