Life or Death

Rating: 7/10 (8 July 2016)

Tom Cruise may very well be the one man left in Hollywood who commands the top spot in the box office opening weekend. Unfortunately, Jack Reacher didn't reach that feat, nor did it probably deserve to. But it's far from a weak spot in Cruise' long history of brilliant action fun.
Jack Reacher stars several Oscar caliber actors including Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Robert Duvall, and Werner Herzog. All of which provide fine performances. But if we are being honest, Cruise is having by far the most fun here. Reacher is a slightly more brutal and definitely cockier version of his now classic, Ethan Hunt character from M:I. Now over 50-years old, I'm glad he still loves delivering those cheesy punch lines as much as he is doing insane stunts.
The film itself definitely takes itself a little bit more serious, however, which is where it runs into a few problems. Although I think Christopher McQuarrie's directorial effort for M:I 5 was impeccable, he has trouble balancing the tone and pace of this particular film. At times, it claims itself to be a serious and even tragic espionage thriller. But the final 30 minutes completely forget about the grounded tone and let Cruise loose on one of his bone-crushing Mission Impossible action sprees. I just would have liked a bit more of a happy medium between the two.
With that said, the brilliance of the film lies within all of its espionage and mysterious elements. Way before Cruise throws a single punch or shoots any bullets, I was sucked into the mystery the opening presents. The opening segment, along with two other extended sequences, are impressively done with absolutely no dialogue, yet you understand exactly what's going on. McQuarrie's directing talent really shines there.
Much of the rest of the film's fun comes from some expectedly great supporting performances from Duvall and Herzog. Both have minimal screen time but they nonetheless steal every scene they are in. There's without question fun to be had with their roles and the film itself, but I can't help but think some more time in the writer's room could have helped polish the film a little. There weren't any particular moments in the film I disliked, but the cohesiveness just wasn't present.
+Cruise at his best
+Fun supporting performances
+Eerie tone in the first half
-Too action heavy towards the end
-Tonal issues
7.6/10