Better Than Advertised

Rating: 8/10 (29 December 2012)

I just read a review from a Tom Cruise hater. I got to admit, I think Mr. Cruise personally has an ideology, which is difficult to understand. Perhaps, that makes him misunderstood. However, as an actor, I find him first rate. In Jack Reacher, Mr. Cruise sells us early on on who he is in this movie and why the character Jack Reacher which was created is believable. Tom Cruise has been selling us on his athletic ability and hand to hand fighting skills for years now. This hater calls him a "munchkin" no doubt because of Cruise's height of 5' 7". But we know there's men in the world smaller than Mr. Cruise who could kick almost anyone's keister.
Like the MI series, this action movie has it's contrived moments. No doubt our hater probably laughed through Cruise's last fight scene, not because of the action, but a decision Jack Reacher makes right before the fight scene, which is unbelievable. Then again, we have to remember "suspend disbelief" some otherwise we don't go see a lot of these movies.
It was good to see Rosamund Pike on screen again. She has a good screen presence albeit a stiffness no doubt coming from her stoic English roots. I couldn't tell whether that stiffness was a result of her lines (screenwriting), the directing or her acting. She did seem to loosen a little at the end of the movie, and was part of a expertly written, directed and acted scene which will move you ... if you have a heart.
Another disturbing part of the haters message was the response from the IMDb audience. Over 70% responding to the review thought it was helpful. Good grief. What does that say about what is going on in our country. Do we really have so much hate? The movie is getting okay reviews 7.3 at this time. However, the movie is somewhat poor attendance, which is also indicated by the number of IMDb users who have rated the movie. I wonder if, from a marketing standpoint, using generic names like Jack Reacher and John Carter make it more difficult to sell to the public. Weren't we all asking, "Who is Jack Reacher," when we first heard the title? Don't listen to haters. If you like Cruise or action films, go see this one. You'll be glad you did.