Jack Reacher: Never go back
Have you ever heard of this film?
Here it is: Jack Reacher, another action thriller staring Tom Cruise as the popular rogue ex-Army vigilante from the book series of the same name.
What it is: another sequel, forgettable, mundane and mediocre.
The best part is Tom Cruise. Ageless Cruise is, as ever, a charismatic mystery and the throbbing heart of this movie. The next best part, coherent editing that kept it short. That movies in 2024 are that much worse than this pic, which is approaching eight years old now, is indicative of the great decline. Action sequences in this flick were really rote and frankly pretty poor for a Cruise-starrer. An early entry in the 'girl boss' genre, over the top feminism sucked a lot of whatever life it might have had from it. (Bad Reboot strikes again?) Overall, I was entertained. That's the best I can say and given the state of movies today, that almost approaches praise.
Further notes: Poor casting, probably by committee, weighs on it, amounting to limp performances by the cast overall outside of Cruise. It's always enjoyable to watch Cruise play himself. A stupid, predictable story, probably like the books, I think. How much do people really like this? Or is it mostly made for a quick buck? And to play in the background on cable (when it came out) or some streaming service (now)?
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Did it entertain? Mostly. The best part was Tom Cruise, charismatic core of every picture he's in... but even he didn't invest much in his signature run.
Memorable quote: "Dude, you jumped off a building." "I know." (Another poorly written mediocrity.)
Best Scene: Two: the opening scene where Reacher confronts the sheriff, and the montage with excessive amounts of rain because it was competent and gave me hope that the movie would be more than it proved to be.
Conclusion: 👎🏻
Details:
Title: JACK REACHER: Never Go Back
Genre: Action
Country: USA
Director: Edward Zwick
Year: 2016
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smothers