Not Bad

Rating: 7/10 (17 March 2014)

I would give it a 6.5. Action sequences were above average. A car scene was very well done. Cruise was convincing as a man who could do the things Reacher did in the film, on both intellectual and physical levels. He carried the movie on his back, in my opinion. Once past these achievements, the film suffered. Dialogue outside the action was unconvincing. People talked at each other to fill in the plot, or for no identifiable reason. Human connections were not genuine. The major failing was Ms. Pike. She did not look, act, or sound like an attorney at any point. After years of Law and Orders we all have an idea what a lawyer representing a client should be, even one as stunning as Ms. Pike. Whether it was direction or her own interpretation she came across as unreal in nearly every scene and that spoiled any chance the movie had to be truly good. That said, if you like action movies you could do worse. A lot worse.