Surprisingly Excellent

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2013)

John Wayne always played characters from the persona of himself. Whether he was "Big Jake" or an African big game guide, Wayne was himself. Tom Cruise has been bruised for 30+ years for doing just that. One magnificent scene in "Cocktail," another short scene in "Valhalla," and his role in "Tropic Storm" demonstrate that the man can act. Not to mention his acting in "Magnolia." I think Cruise embodies the spirit of Jack Reacher in this movie. Translating print to celluloid is going to disappoint purists. I based my career as a language arts teacher, in large measure, upon using film clips to bounce my students' perceptions and critical opinions off the text. That strategy overcame immaturity, ADD, ADHD, chronic fatigue and other forms of resistance to pedagogy at the time. So, yes, I expect that a producer, director, screen writer and actors and actresses to interpret the literary work; in fact, I like to see different renditions of the same essential story. Isn't that what we continually have done with Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Chekhov and other master writers? There is certainly more to life and art than mere cloning.
I thought that Cruise brought a pensive intelligence to the character of Reacher. Richard Jenkins, Robert Duval and Rosamund Pike know how to let a moment simmer, not overplay it.
The fight scenes were realistic. Even though I expected them, saw them coming, they were creative, believable, explosive, emotionally- intriguing.
This is a movie I'd like to watch again after I've had time to assimilate it, process it, reflect upon it, but next time with the subtitles on, so I'll garner more that I missed when I was mostly privy to the ocular proof and not catching the auricular reassurance of nuances I missed or minimized.
I'd like to see Cruise do more of this series. I could not help wondering how much different the movie might have been with a Dolph Lundgren commandeering the title role. I'd love to see that interpretation, too. Different is often intriguing.
Tom Cruise is now 10 years younger than Paul Newman was when the two of them made "The Color of Money." There was a chemistry, a magic between the actor born in 1962 and the one born in 1925 then. They both loved racing cars. I couldn't help but notice some slippage in the driving sequences this time. Apparently, Reacher was a little rusty not only at the shooting but, moreover, at the driving.
I look forward to the manner in which Tom Cruise and every other actor and actress continues to challenge and stretch their talents and abilities in the future.
I got the strong sense from all of the artists on screen that they really meant every word, every gesture. They became the personages they were portraying on screen.
There is also a strong part of me that enjoys seeing miscreants, jerks, perverts, punks, and sadists get what they have coming to them.
This movie did a good job of achieving that goal.