Great Story and Cast

Rating: Null/10 (6 January 2013)

Jack Reacher (2012)
*** (out of 4)
A former Army sniper enters a parking garage and picks off five innocent people in Pittsburgh. Before he's beaten in a coma he asks that Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) be called in. Soon the drifter Reacher comes to the scene to help the man's attorney (Rosamund Pike) figure out why he did it but soon he realizes that there's much more going on. I've never read any of the novels that this character is based on so I can't comment on anything in regards to that but overall I found this to be a pretty strong film with a great story, great performances and some of the best dry humor you're going to see. I thought the story itself is one that was so good that you can't help get caught up in every twist and turn that happens. I found the first few minutes with the sniper to be very effective and everything that follows is just as compelling. I also thought the performances were terrific with Cruise leading the way with another excellent character. I really loved the dry humor that Cruise brings to the role and especially during a hilarious sequence at a bar. There's no question that the actor can handle the action scenes but he also excels at being believable as the character. I thought Pike was great as his co-host to the events going on as was Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo and Robert Duvall. Legendary director Werner Herzog was the perfect choice to play his character as you believe everything he's saying he went through. The film also features one of the best car chases in recent memory and it might be the best since the golden age of the 70s chase picture. The only thing I'd say was lacking was the direction in spots because one wishes more drama was brought out of the material. It's such a great story that I think it could have been brought to even more life. With that said, JACK REACHER is certainly entertainment at its finest.