Jack Reacher Falls Short - 4 out of 10 Stars

Rating: 4/10 (1 January 2013)

I Love action/adventure and suspense movies. In fact, action/adventure is one of my top two genres. But, not Jack Reacher.
Here, Hollywood takes a good novel / author (Lee Child), enlists a popular cast and makes a movie. Throw in some action/suspense and good looking people and we should be off to the races. But this film falls short.
This movie couldn't keep my interest. Call me a sap, but I didn't feel anything for any of the characters. So it was difficult for me to engage.
The plot revolves around whether a former US soldier, a trained military sniper, randomly killed 5 people in an open square, in Pittsburgh, or was framed.
Cowboy Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) shows up to find the truth and deal out justice.
Lawyer Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike) represents the accused sniper. The dialog and scenes were contrived. Maybe the director intended us to laugh. At best there was only a glimmer of real connection between Reacher and Rodin. I was Disappointed that the film didn't utilize Pike's talent.
One of the suspects is Police Commissioner Rodin, Helen's Dad (Richard Jenkins). But, the movie also Fails to utilize Jenkins' talent (Indie film The Visitors, or comedy Step Brothers).
On the plus side, the clues are interesting along with Reacher's insight and keen observations regarding deciphering the clues. In addition, there is a halfway decent car chase, although most action film fans would probably prefer the car chases in Bullitt (Steve McQueen, 1968). Reacher does contain some amusing scenes with aging rifleman Cash (Robert Duvall). But...
In my opinion, in total, Nothing new here. Same old, same old.
On the other hand, my college roommate Jeff thought Reacher was entertaining. Though he admitted he had no expectations. Needless to say, it's difficult to undercut zero.
My son Michael, 14, liked the movie too. He thought it was interesting, cool and he liked the action/fighting scenes. Okay Mike, but we really need to see some more action/adventure movies.
Recommendation: Wait for cable.
Instead, take a good look at Director Christopher McQuarrie's The Usual Suspects (1995). Kevin Spacey and Gabriel Byrne deliver sterling performances, and the suspense boils through to the credits.
If you like action/adventure and Rosamund Pike, go with James Bond's Die Another Day (2002). Or if you like the classics, try Pride & Prejudice (2005).
If you're a Tom Cruise fan, then Risky Business (1983) is your ticket. Or perhaps the Mission Impossible movies.
If you like Richard Jenkins, go for The Visitor (2007). This great Indie film offers terrific insight into New York City culture and illegal immigration.
Jack Reacher Recommendation: wait for cable, or not.
Arthur VanDam, film critic and author