Jack Reacher: Movie Review

Jack Reacher: Movie Review

Cast: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyolewo, Werner Herzog, Robert Duvall
Director: Christopher McQuarrie

So, here it is then, the Reacher movie that has fans of the Reacher novels so incensed with its casting.
Even though the writer of them, Lee Child, has given his approval to the lead, Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher.

In downtown Pittsburgh, a sniper kills five people, seemingly randomly. A series of clues lead the police easily to the criminal, named Barr, believed to be behind this attack. When questioned, the suspect writes only one thing to the police - "Get Jack Reacher"....Ex-military cop Reacher sees the case and joins the attorney Helen (Rosamund Pike) who's defending Barr.

But as Reacher begins to investigate further, a wider conspiracy opens up...

Based on the novel One Shot (the 9th of some 16 Reacher books), it's clear that Jack Reacher isn't going to satisfy the vocal masses who are unhappy with the casting of Cruise as the titular hero. I've not read the books, but I am acutely aware of the fact that Reacher's supposed to be 6'5", brawny and with blond hair. And yes, based on Cruise on screen, he's clearly not all that. But with a casting that's been approved by the author of the books himself, saying that "Cruise brings 100% to the character with only 90% of the height," I'm pretty sure that should be enough for the fans.

So, as a non-Reacher fan, I have to say Cruise brings a focussed, much pared down performance, with nary a sighting of his trademark megawatt smile and manic energy in the Jack Reacher movie. In fact, if anything, this is a darker and more opaque Cruise than we've come to expect - an outsider, a character (a drifter natch) who inhabits a morally grey area and is not above using a bit of violence and intimidation to get what he needs to. Reacher is an interesting character on screen and verges on anti hero as the action plays out. In some ways, a sinewy rough looking Cruise plays him as a traditional drifter and loner type, a guy who you want on your side for vengeance but wouldn't want to cross at other times.

But then there are the other moments in this film which border on the pantomime - Reacher curls up his hand into a fist when he's angry, Rosamund Pike spends an inordinate amount of time overacting, demonstrating with wide eyed horror the reality of what's going on as it hits her and there's some pretty borderline comical dialogue in places too - Barr describes Reacher as a man "who doesn't care about proof, doesn't care about the law, he only cares about the truth." (The kind of writing which works well on the page, but doesn't cut it on the big screen.) And also, the plot is a little muddled in terms of resolution / motivation of those involved - I wasn't quite 100% sure what the wider conspiracy was fully about - which is a bit of a surprise from the film.

The casting of whispering Werner Herzog as a survivor of a Russian gulag who had to chew off his own fingers before gangrene got them is an inspired one. The madcap director adds such menace to his hushed lines as the Zec that you really wish you'd seen more of him throughout - and certainly the denouement and ultimate showdown is a bit of a letdown. Likewise, Robert Duvall shows up late in the piece as a crucial character but nonetheless adds a certain spikiness to the proceedings.

McQuarrie's also brought some impressive touches to the directing of the action sequences. In some ways, they're very traditional - a bar brawl and a car chase - but they're exceptionally realistic, shot in duration rather than a gratuitous number of cuts and really impress in their lack of showiness and restraint. And a final showdown in a quarry, with rain dampening down the action is the least Hollywood fight sequence I've seen in a long time.

Be advised though, this Jack Reacher movie is not a Hollywood blockbuster by its usual standards - there's not gratuitous explosions and trite bon mots; it's a film of intensity and surprises - though if you're a Reacher fan, it may take a heck of a lot to get you in the cinema in the first place. My advice though, is to give it a (one) shot - you may well be pleasantly surprised.

Rating: