Drink from a Boot

Rating: 5/10 (22 December 2012)

Greetings again from the darkness. Lee Child has written 17 Jack Reacher books since 1997, and it's a bit surprising that it took Hollywood this long to latch on to this enigmatic lone wolf drifter who doesn't so much care about laws as he does right and wrong. Fans of the books were outraged when it was announced Tom Cruise would play the 6'5 hulking Reacher, as much of the character's appeal stems from his ability to physically dominate a situation while using very few words.
Unfortunately I can't ease the minds of those fans of the pulpy series, but rather to encourage them to give this a shot. Author Child was probably ecstatic when Mr. Cruise took an interest in the character, despite the obvious conflicts. Very few actors can command screen presence like Cruise, especially in action sequences. That's where this gets a bit dicey. This is not an action movie. It's an investigative mystery thriller that includes 3-4 action sequences.
The film has a real 1970's feel to it along the lines of Billy Jack or Walking Tall mixed with Dirty Harry or numerous westerns with strong, silent types. See, Reacher is a former military investigator with a mind that is always a step or two ahead of everyone else. He looks at the obvious evidence and immediately notes a list of doubts where none previously existed.
A seemingly random sniper attack is a bold way to begin a movie given recent real-life events, but the opening sequence is executed with methodical precision and daring so that we can quickly believe in Reacher's conspiracy theories. In the blink of an eye, Reacher has appeared out of nowhere (his usual address) and is in the middle of the investigation being conducted by the lawyer of the wrongly accused James Barr (Joseph Sikora). The defense lawyer is played by Rosamund Pike, whose character is the daughter of the District Attorney (Richard Jenkins). The police detective is played by David Oyelowo and it's easy to tell something isn't completely right with city hall.
Reacher roams the beautiful city of Pittsburgh asking questions and piecing together the puzzle left behind by creepy villain The Zec (Werner Herzog) and his henchman Charlie (Jai Courtney). We get three Reacher fistfights, a "Bullit" type car chase in a beautiful 1970 Chevelle, and some military sharp-shooting from the depths of a quarry. What we don't get is the Hollywood tradition of a Cruise sprint. Not once do we see his trademark all-out dash to or from something. In fact, he moves much like his Stacey Jaxx character from his recent musical Rock of Ages.
Director Christopher McQuarrie won an Oscar, and my ever-lasting respect, for his "The Usual Suspects" screenplay. This story is infinitely less-complicated, but it does offer some fun moments thanks to the Reacher character. Maybe things would be a little better if a guy like Reacher really existed. Totally off the grid and taking down the bad guys that the cops can't quite catch. Sounds a bit like "Dexter", only Reacher's code includes doling out physical pain and then moving on to the next town ... with a new set of Goodwill duds and a fresh toothbrush.
Caleb Deschanel (Director of Photography) provides a really sharp look to the film and, thankfully, doesn't cheat on the action scenes. Herzog (a highly respected director) has a great look for a bad guy, but is painfully under-utilized here. Rosamund Pike may simply be my least favorite actress working today. Her limited range is cringe-worthy on multiple occasions and I was thankful that Reacher had no "interest" in her. Robert DuVall makes a colorful appearance as the late-arriving character that breaks open the case, and he seems to relish the reunion with his "Days of Thunder" co-star. The most interesting character to me was Jai Courtney, who will be seen next as Bruce Willis' son in "A Good Day to Die Hard".
If you haven't read the Lee Child books, you will probably readily accept Cruise as Reacher. If you are a fan of the franchise, your eyes and brain will have massive conflicts for the first hour, but then acceptance creeps in, and you'll probably agree that it's a simple, effective piece of entertainment ... far superior to most Nicolas Cage movies these days! (www.MovieReviewsFromTheDark.wordpress.com)