good Tom Cruise action movie... not much more

Rating: 7/10 (16 June 2013)

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is an off the grid ex military cop, who of course is a crack shot, ace assassin and general all-round hard ass. Hollywood fodder then. So far so cliché. Tom actually plays it well, calmly and consistently, but a little too human - a person genuinely like that would have fewer "niceties" that Cruise brings to the role - he'd be less gentile, a little more volatile. So in this the character doesn't quite sit right but Tom is good in the role... underplayed cool collectedness. The plot is quite smart, more like an episode of NCIS than a feature length film, but with good twists and turns as evidence is deciphered. Predictable a bit. The end is silly and a little all over the shop - to be honest. The acting is fine and I loved the Direction of cinematography's style and use of reflection and different camera angles. The replay sequences are a little too over simplification of the story (we got it without the demo) but I liked the overall feel of the film. David Oyelowo was under utilised against Tom Cruise, he's a great actor but was dwarfed in a production that felt a little like an advert for Tom Cruise rather than a finished ensemble film. It was a little too "Hollywood" to be an excellent action film - although there were moments of greatness; some of the fight scenes were gritty and awesome.
I like Tom Cruise generally, but he does tend to be "Tom Cruise" all the time... he can't step into a role and immerse himself. Compare Tom Hardy who disappears in a role. This was slick and good, but not enough of anything to make it great and other characters should have been given space to shine. Good but not great.