Top class entertainment.

Rating: 10/10 (29 December 2012)

The fans of Lee Child's books came out in force when it was announced to the world that Tom Cruise was going to fill the shoes of his much loved Character, Jack Reacher. Everyone focused on the physical size of Cruise being no match for the 6 foot 5" character. What people forgot is that this is a movie adaptation of the book (One Shot), a retelling of the story for the visual medium of film. So it is fair to say the success or failure of Reacher lies with the main character and Cruise deliveries on every front as the drifter who has dropped off the grid, someone who has a healthy disrespect for authority but believes in right and wrong. In many ways the character feels like it would not be out of place in a western, as Reacher lives life his way, an anti-hero, a loose cannon that is as dangerous as he is unpredictable. Which makes the character perfect for a movie. Ironically larger than life in many ways, and the physicality has nothing to do with it.
The rest of this review does contain some spoilers, so readers beware.
The story opens with a random shooting that clearly shows the audience that the shooter is not the man who is arrested and asks for only one thing, Jack Reacher. It is clear he is a patsy but the film never really pretends he is involved (or even an innocent victim), as the mystery deals with not just who was the real killer, but also who was the intended target(s). The script is tight and well crafted by the very talented McQuarrie (Usual Suspects, Way of the Gun) and there are some real dialog gems in there that writers of the screen can learn a lot from. The story is a gamble in many ways (and not just the backlash over casting) as there is no real character arc for Reacher and no love interest, but the story is all the better (and refreshing) for it. It contains very little action, but what is used is cleverly placed in the plot that builds towards the climax.
As we left the theater myself and my wife had a conversation about Tom Cruise's more recent films. Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol, Knight and Day and now Jack Reacher and how he delivers pure entertainment to the audience. Movies with the re-watch factor. His films contain the right amount of character, action, plot, laughs and thrills to engage the audience from the first to the final frame. Giving the audience what they expect without phoning in a performance and collecting a pay-check. As an (indie) film maker myself I think his trick is simple, he's a lover of films doing what he loves, making films and it shows in the end product(s). For some reason (and I'm not sure why) Cruise is starting to remind me a little of Paul Newman as he grows older (not a bad thing).
The cast is very strong with Cruise carrying the film easily on his shoulders with strong support from Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall and Richard Jenkins, with Jai Courtney being a name to look out for. I must admit I always feel a little at ease when I see Richard Jenkins is in a film as he is an exceptional character actor. The only issue I really had was to do more with character development of the man behind the man, The Zec, played by Werner Herzog. There has been a tendency since the Dark Knight to ramp up the villains and make them a little too larger than life (see Skyfall), to make them almost a parody of movie villains. Almost comic book in nature and here is doesn't really work, which could be as much to do with too little back story for the villain as much as too little overall screen time. But if a "boss" will someday make you chew off a finger to survive if you fail a task, he would surely become a victim to a stray bullet (or two) from his disgruntled employees/henchmen. (just saying).
Overall a entertaining and intelligent thriller to close the year that has restored my faith in "bigger" movies, as too many films have disappointed of late. Not that Reacher is a really big budget movie by today's standards, as you could make four Jack Reachers for one Total Recall (remake) and there is simply no comparison in terms of film- making. It is rare to leave a film interested to know more about the character and his other cases/adventures, but Jack Reacher will leave you wanting more and give you an interest in checking out the Lee Child books. I have never read any... yet.