Tightly crafted

Rating: 8/10 (23 December 2012)

Don't believe the general tone of critics toward this movie. It is a tightly crafted, suspenseful movie that will hold your interest throughout.
No, Cruise isn't the six-and-a-half foot tall, hypo-pigmented Reacher of the book series, but he is a believable protagonist. To be honest, my vision of Reacher when reading Lee's books is closer to Cruise than Lee's description. Cruise is pushing the age limit for a believable Reacher, but he doesn't step over it, looking a very fit fifty. His portrayal of Reacher is actually a bit more palatable than the cocksure (and arguably obnoxious) Reacher of the books.
There is rapport between Cruise and defense attorney Rosamund Pike. A sexual tension was building between the two but it disappeared about two-thirds into the movie.
The set of villains in the movie is genuinely menacing. My skin crawled as they went about their dastardlyishness. Robert Duvall makes a brief but important appearance as a retired Marine.
Jack Reacher is a violent film. Don't you dare take your kids to see it. There is a cringe producing sniper scene at the beginning of the film and a bevy of bone-breaking fight scenes, a car chase, and a climactic gunfight. I was struck by the use of what looked like an M-14 rifle in several scenes. I think this rifle was retired from standard issue for the military in general and especially for snipers forty years ago. This isn't a major point but struck me as odd.
Jack Reacher is a good popcorn movie. It never fails to deliver action and has a pretty unpredictable mystery in the plot. I wouldn't mind seeing this as a cinematic series.