REVIEW: Jack Reacher

MOVIE
Jack Reacher

CAST
Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
December 21, 2012

DIRECTOR
Christopher McQuarrie

STUDIO
Paramount Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 11 minutes






STARS
***1/4








REVIEW:

Whether you're a fan of his personal life or not, there's no denying that Tom Cruise is a Hollywood superstar. That didn't stop a lot of fans of the 'Jack Reacher' series written by Lee Child to go bazerk when the 50 year old, 5' 7" star was attached to play the ruthless, 6' 5" soldier turned drifter in a movie called 'Jack Reacher,' based off the 9th book in the series entitled 'One Shot.' Not only did the height thing tick people off, but fans of the books believed that Cruise is too big of a star to play this iconic character, which they aren't wrong about. The thing that saves 'Jack Reacher' however is actually the charm and wit that Cruise brings to the character and to the film.  What could have been a standard action flick was actually a smart, witty, and intriguing mystery-thriller with a great performance from Tom Cruise.

PLOT (From RottenTomatoes.com)
Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me. And sure enough, ex-military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. He knows this shooter-a trained military sniper who never should have missed a shot. Reacher is certain something is not right-and soon the slam-dunk case explodes. Now Reacher is teamed with a beautiful young defense lawyer, moving closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. Reacher knows that no two opponents are created equal. This one has come to the heartland from his own kind of hell. And Reacher knows that the only way to take him down is to match his ruthlessness and cunning-and then beat him shot for shot.

This movie would not have been as enjoyable as it was without Tom Cruise.  He uses his sarcastic charm to entertain and engage the audiences in a fun ride.  This film is an example of just how awesome Cruise is as an actor.  There's a mystery element that's used in the film which actually makes it stand out from other generic action films out there.  The villains of the movie and the fact that a lot of the outcomes are predictable are the weakest points of the movie since they don't give a lot of substance and just deliver on the same old, same old.  Other than that though, 'Jack Reacher' is a fun and intelligent action-thriller with some laughs thrown in and a great performance from Tom Cruise.  Definitely worth seeing in a theater, but a home theater experience on a Blu-Ray player could work just as well for this movie.  Plus, it might make you want to look into the book series for which this movie is based on.



PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Iron Man 3


Oblivion


Zero Dark Thirty


Pain & Gain


Broken City


G.I. Joe: Retaliation