Title: Jack Reacher
Basic Plot Summary:
When a former military sniper is accused of killing five people, he requests the assistance of Jack Reacher, a former military investigator with a reputation for getting results. As Reacher digs into the case, he uncovers a web of conspiracy and corruption that goes far deeper than he initially anticipated.
Analysis/Evaluation:
"Jack Reacher" is a thrilling ride from start to finish, embracing its genre with a kinetic energy that propels the narrative forward. Christopher McQuarrie's direction skillfully balances the tension and action, creating a film that holds the viewer's attention throughout. The film has a consistent and engaging pace, with every scene either pushing the plot forward or delving deeper into the complex characters.
Characters:
Tom Cruise shines as the titular character, Jack Reacher. His performance embodies the tough-as-nails, no-nonsense approach of the character, making him both likable and intimidating. Rosamund Pike gives a strong performance as Helen Rodin, a defense attorney caught up in the storm of the case. The antagonist played by Werner Herzog, known as "The Zec", is chilling and memorable.
Acting:
Tom Cruise is in top form in "Jack Reacher". Cruise brings a captivating mix of rugged determination and charisma to the role. Rosamund Pike and Werner Herzog, among others, deliver commendable performances that enhance the overall quality of the film.
Design, Writing, Production Values:
The film is well-shot, with dynamic cinematography that emphasizes the action and tension in each scene. The screenplay, penned by McQuarrie, is engaging and clever, never deviating from its purpose. The production values of the film are high, resulting in a polished, visually impressive final product.
Overall Entertainment Value:
"Jack Reacher" is a gripping action thriller that offers ample entertainment. It's a film that revels in its genre, delivering high-octane action, suspense, and an intriguing mystery to solve.
Music and Special Effects:
The music in the film adds to the tension and atmosphere, while the special effects are well-executed, especially during the action sequences.
Praise and Critique:
The film excels in its presentation of action and suspense, anchored by a solid performance from Cruise. However, the film's narrative could have benefited from further exploration of its supporting characters.
Evaluation:
"Jack Reacher" is a thrilling action film that keeps viewers engaged from beginning to end. While it may not revolutionize the genre, it stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of a well-crafted action movie.
Comparison:
While some may draw comparisons to other action films or thrillers, "Jack Reacher" differentiates itself with its unique protagonist and conspiracy-driven plot. It's more reminiscent of a classic detective story than a standard action film, but with modern thrills and a high-octane pace.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, "Jack Reacher" is a robust and engaging action thriller. It offers a blend of intrigue, action, and drama that keeps viewers engaged throughout. Tom Cruise's charismatic performance, coupled with Christopher McQuarrie's adept direction, makes for an entertaining and memorable film. In the words of Jack Reacher himself, "Remember, you wanted this."
I want to hate Tom Cruise but every time I see one of his movies I end up enjoying it. "Oblivion", the "Mission Impossible" series, "War of the Worlds", it doesn't matter. In almost every case, I'll enjoy what I'm watching. And once again, I find that Cruise satisfies as "Jack Reacher". A saavy, smart, deadly drifter that lives entirely "off the grid", until a sniper attack in Washington DC draws his attention and involves him in new events associated with his military past.
Cruise isn't particularly convincing as the super-sleuth, assassin, etc., that is Reacher, it's just that he's so damned personable as an actor. He's always Tom Cruise to me no matter what movie he's in, but it doesn't matter because I'm always entertained by him.
"Jack Reacher" doesn't have the strongest cast, other than the always awesome Robert Duvall, but it doesn't matter because Cruise carries the whole works. Actually, Werner Herzog is snicker-inducing as the bad guy, which added a bit to my enjoyment.
I was impressed by the car chase that occurs about halfway through. Cruise hammers a Chevy Chevelle hard and it's a visceral chase. If cars felt pain, that Chevelle would be in the ICU.
Just as last time, I feel Jack Reacher falls a bit short when compared to the books. I have realized that comparing movies and TV to books is kind of hopeless in most cases, so I tried to keep an open mind.
It kinda worked. Tom Cruise is still very far from how I envision Jack Reacher, but since the story capture some of what Jack Reacher is all about, he gets a pass. So does the rest of the cast for that matter.
So...I have come to the conclusion that Jack Reacher is an ok way to waste a couple of hours.
Jack Reacher...yeah...well...Is Tom Cruise really tall enough to play a character that is described as 6 feet 5 inches tall in the book? Well...It worked...to a degree.
I'm a huge fan of Lee Childs Jack Reacher series of books. They are quite fun and it was with great fear I watched this for the first time right after it got out. I had a certain picture of what Jack Reacher looked like and how he behaved. Tom Cruise was so far from this image that I thought this would probably be total shit. To my total surprise...it wasn't all that bad.
The movie, as a whole, was a bit slow, the pacing was off, and a few things were left unexplained. And here comes the point...How can a movie that feels slow and sluggish manage to leave so many plotholes?
Anyway...Tom Cruise wasn't bad, the rest of the cast wasn't bad, and there were both excitement and laughs. If I hadn't read, and liked, the books I think I would have felt this one was a bit better.
The reason my better half and I rewatched this was to prepare for a viewing of the sequel. I'm not sure I would have done that otherwise.
If you haven't seen it, it's worth a look...especially if you haven't read the books.
Not my first time to watch this but watching it today was like seeing it for the first time. Excellent movie with plenty of action, suspense, intrigue, and even some lighthearted moments thrown in to keep it from being completely dark. It should be noted, for first-time viewers, that this is not an "action" movie; it's much more a suspense/thriller than your typical "action" flick with lots of exploding cars and shootouts. Don't expect Die Hard if you decide to watch this. There were numerous curve balls thrown in the mix to keep you guessing (at least, to me) without it becoming overly weird and/or disjointed with a lot of loose ends. Was it cheesy in some parts? Of course; it's a MOVIE; it's people play-acting. There will always be those roll-your-eyes moments unless you're watching The Food Network. While I've never been a Tom Cruise fan, he was excellent in this role. Robert Duvall, even though playing a fairly minor role, just added to the fun of this movie and Rosamund Pike was stunning in her role. I don't know if it's her facial features or just excellent cinematography but wow, she pulled off those suspense scenes like a champ. The lighting, musical score, cinematography all the way through this was excellent, making it not only a good story but very enjoyable to watch. Definitely worth seeing even more than once.
"I mean to beat you to death and drink your blood from a boot."
First, I want to say this. I was surprised by how similar this film felt to Dirty Harry. The story shared some similarities, and the score sounded comparable to Lalo Schifrin's score for that film. And some aspects of the filmmaking, like the pacing and camera work, mixed with the score, created an almost identical-feeling atmosphere that felt like Dirty Harry. Tom even reminded me of Clint Eastwood in that film; his voice and delivery of a line.
With that said, I want to say something else. Maybe it's because I watched the show before this, but that seems more appropriate. A TV show seems perfect for Jack Reacher. And there is one now, thanks to this film and Tom Cruise. I'm not too sure about it; the first season, anyway. I do think the budget/scale of films/this film would be better on top of a TV show format, although that'll never happen; the difference between films and shows is too significant: and Tom Cruise brings more to the screen than Alan Ritchson, but at least, to a certain extent, a TV show feels more appropriate/works better.
Now, while that may seem to imply not liking this film, it's the opposite. Well, not to the extent of love, but that's beside the point. It was immersive, which affected me that way, and surprisingly, the writing and direction were super solid, meaning I was along for the ride, unable to predict. I was more surprised to see how it was the opposite for many people and how there were loads of clichés/it was predictable. Some of that seemed to stem from/include Tom Cruise, giving me the impression that some people have a bone to pick with him, playing into their opinion of the film.
Yes, his height doesn't fit the character.
Yes, his overall size/physique is too small/doesn't fit the character.
Yes, Jack Reacher is super intimidating in the books (?), while in this film, Tom wasn't, necessarily.
Yes, Tom's portrayal, personality/acting-wise, may not have been Jack Reacher, in a sense.
Yes, Tom seems to play similar characters or act similarly in different roles, which DOESN'T make him a bad actor, and this sentiment seems taken too far sometimes.
Did I get all of them? All the common ones? Let me know.
So what?
My point is that, when it comes to Tom Cruise, too many people seem to get their panties in a bunch. If hating his films is more about his personal life, there's more merit. I still think it's too much to allow to affect how you perceive his movies.
Back to what I was talking about: being surprised that many people thought this film was predictable and cliché-ridden, having other problems with it, and not enjoying it as much as I did. The more I think about it, the story/antagonists were a bit bland, which didn't stand out while watching it. But not to the extent of negatively impacting the film, in my opinion.
Besides that, the dialogue was crisp and well-written. The direction by Christopher McQuarrie was good: specific moments regarding the camera work and certain shots. That's two for two by him. Well done, Chris. Josh Olson may deserve a little credit, too, depending on whether not all of what he wrote was re-written by Christopher.
The two things that stood out the most were the score by Joe Kraemer and the cinematography by Caleb Deschanel. The latter was at its best during the car chase sequence, which was also one of the film's best parts, if not the best.
And the action, what there was of it, as this was more story-driven and a thriller, was pretty good. The stand-outs (to no one's surprise, I'm sure) were the fight sequences, specifically the one against Jeb (and his friends) and the one in the bathroom; the latter being the best; the comedic element was golden.
All the performances were serviceable. Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike (and their general chemistry) were the highlights in that aspect, although her American accent sounded, at times, rough around the edges. Jai Courtney and Werner Herzog were underwhelming as antagonists. Richard Jenkins and David Oyelowo were alright. Robert Duvall subtly cashed in a decent performance. An honorable mention, and someone who probably went under the radar, whom I thought did good, was Joseph Sikora. His acting at the end shot him up to Tom and Rosamund, performance-wise. He should've had Jai's role or even Werner's as the main antagonist. And Alexia Fast/Michael Raymond-James delivered decent enough performances as well.
Ultimately, this film was held together by quite a few elements. Christopher McQuarrie's direction and screenplay, Tom Cruise, Joe Kraemer's score, Caleb Deschanel's cinematography, and while the story was slightly bland, especially compared to everything else, it still managed to hold its own. It was one of the better films of the previous few I've watched, although I wouldn't say it was better, as shown by my rating, which is my most common one. But it got the job done.
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2013-05-13T19:06:41Z
This is by all means a lame movie.
When a movie is named after its protagonist, you'd expect the character to be well formed. Jack Reacher wasn't. As an ex-army-cop anti-hero that doesn't play by the rules, Tom Cruise's character was a tame sheep who exerted his dominance using his mouth more than his fists. "You don't want to mess with me" was his catchphrase, but in a post-1980's-world, he certainly did not look more threatening than a teenager with mood problems. Cruise's performance did the character no service either, demonstrating a single stern line of emotion that felt copy and pasted for the film's duration.
The plot ran through tropes and was predictable in its twists (i.e. if you manage to stay one step ahead of the game, you'll be predicting the whole story dead-on). The camera emphasis on prop guns (and its PG-13 rating) suggests that this movie was geared towards a certain prepubescent demographic, and the complexity of the dialogue reflected such. Dollhouses have more personality than the cast and opting to have no soundtrack made the film dryer than a bad turkey sandwich.
While there's no serious complaint about the quality (yeah, it could've been worse), but there's really no positives that can be seen. 5.0/10