Pretty decent for what it is

Rating: 7/10 (9 June 2014)

JACK REACHER has been praised by many as a particularly strong example of the Hollywood action film done right, and I can see why such comments were made. It's a breath of fresh air to see a taut and in some ways mature thriller free of overblown CGI action, although this pales in comparison to classics of the genre. The novel is adapted from a popular book by Lee Child, but there are major issues with the script.
One of the first problems is that the running time is way too long, and there's loads of padding which makes for some excruciatingly slow and talky dialogue scenes. The initial sniper scene is certainly one of the most arresting ways of opening a film I've seen in a while, but I can't believe it takes the main characters a full hour to figure out the truth behind it when I realised immediately while it was actually taking place.
The villainous plot seems to be part of some sinister conspiracy but it all feels rather lightweight and superficial. Certainly when things end up in a quarry at night it doesn't feel very wide-reaching or indeed connected to many things. Instead it smacks of low budget, a set-piece you'd expect from a Steve Austin-starring direct-to-DVD flick instead of a mainstream Hollywood outing. I wonder if it was because most of the budget went on Cruise's paycheque.
Cast-wise, much was made of Cruise's miscasting, but I haven't read any of the Jack Reacher novels so it's difficult to comment. However, I did find this one of his colder leading roles and his cockiness was a little wearying; certainly I preferred his roles in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE films and THE LAST SAMURAI. Rosamund Pike is a pretty face but a pretty poor actress, it has to be said, although Jai Courtney acquits himself well after a poor showing in the crashingly disappointing A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD. Werner Herzog's casting as the villain is just bizarre, but Robert Duvall bags a nice supporting role this late in his career.
JACK REACHER is an entertaining little movie at the same time it's simplistic and straightforward. The action sequences are well handled, particularly the mid-section car chase which doesn't disappoint. A good effort, then, but one which is too lacking to be considered anything more than an above average popcorn movie.