Director: Christopher McQuarrie
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Film Pulse Score: 7/10
Before delving into the review of Jack Reacher, I must first preface that I have not read any of the novels by Lee Child, so this is solely based on the film itself, and not a comparison with the books in any way. That being said, Jack Reacher is a surprisingly fun film, despite the generic looking trailers and marketing. There’s a unique personality at work here, and it’s easy to understand why Paramount is grooming Mr. Reacher for a franchise.
Tom Cruise plays the charismatic badass Jack Reacher, a former military investigator who gets pulled into a case involving the killing of five civilians by a former sniper. As Reacher helps the suspect’s defense attorney (Rosamund Pike), he slowly uncovers that there’s much more to this than a random act of killing.
The film starts off with an incredible scene involving the event in question. There is a lack of music and the sound is sparse. We see the gunman making bullets intercut with him preparing to commit the heinous act. When it comes time to do the shooting, the camera pulls into the rifle scope, something we’ve seen many times over, however it was the length that we stayed in this shot that made it unique. There was almost no sound, save for the controlled breathing of the sniper, and the camera panned back and forth for several minutes before the shooting took place.
It’s these little touches coupled with an excellent script that make Jack Reacher a joy to watch. The dialogue is quick and to the point with a sharp edge to it. It’s like an Aaron Sorkin script that’s not hopped up on cocaine. There were plenty of comebacks and witty retorts, but none of them felt cheesy or unnatural. Everything felt like normal conversation with the exception of every line Werner Herzog delivered.
Herzog plays the quintessential villain and he does it with honors. He’s got a creepy backstory, he lingers in the shadows for most of the film, and every line out of his mouth sounds like he’s narrating one of his films. The only issue with this is that there simply wasn’t enough of him. You can never have too much Herzog, and this movie could have definitely used more.
That character of Jack Reacher is interesting as well. Say what you like about Tom Cruise and his personal life, but as an actor he consistently brings his A game. This performance is no exception. He makes the character his own by mixing together some of his previous roles into one super-badass. He can fight five dudes at once, he can evade authorities in car chases, he can hit a bullseye from 700 yards out, and he’s got the brains to back all that up. Only time will tell if this character has what it takes to run beside the big boys like Bourne and Bond, but this isn’t a bad start.
Another great addition to the film is Robert Duvall in a small, but very satisfying role as an old shooting range owner. Duvall does what he does best by instantly making you wish he was your grandpa the second he comes on screen. Even in small parts like this, he always knows how to pull out a stellar performance, even when he doesn’t have that much to say or do.
It might not be on anyone’s best of 2012 list, but Jack Reacher is definitely a nice way to close down the year. It’s loaded with humor and tons of fun action, and it’s rated PG-13 so it’s safe for the older kids to see. Like it or not, we’re going to be getting a few more of these, so it’s best to settle in and just enjoy yourself.
