A decent two-hour thriller

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2013)

After seeing the negative reviews on IMDb I was worried. I'd never read any Jack Reacher books nor did I even know who the character was. It was Tom Cruise playing Tom Cruise, but he's an action star so as far as I was could tell mostly fitted the part. But I was however never really convinced he was a homeless drifter with nothing to lose. He was far too intelligent, eloquent and clean cut for that. I find it hard to believe he spends his life off-the-grid sleeping inside dumpsters.
It's a fairly decent thriller. It is far from the best thriller ever made, but it more than held my attention. Some reviewers would have preferred an unknown to play Reacher instead of Cruise, but I don't think the movie is that strong by itself enough to survive with a lesser known actor. And no, I don't think Liam Neeson would have done it either. He plays over the top characters: Arnie without the puns. Cruise is a better fit than Neeson.
It's not Bourne, and the truth is I'm relieved for that. There are far too many Bourne knock-offs out there these days. I feel like something a little different. It has action, but it's interspersed with some fairly clever plotting. There are some profound little speeches hidden in this film, like the one on what freedom really is. Reacher is an interesting character who I wish they spent more time exploring
Car chases are far too overused these days, but this one was well shot.
The acting was pretty much what you would expect. There are some lines that weren't well delivered: Perhaps what someone would write down, but not the sort of thing they would say out loud. Rosamond Pike was gorgeous to watch, and Werner Hertzog seriously creeped me out.
When the plot was revealed it was quite clever and entirely plausible, though it's unusual to find a movie that doesn't involve world domination. I guess that's a pleasant change.
It kept me entertained. The actors were good and the twists were well received. It could have been better, but it's also better than just watchable. 7 / 10.