Edward Zwicks sequel does not understand what made the first Jack Reacher a success.
Christopher McQuarries Jack Reacher is one of the better action films of the last five years. It adapts a character that Tom Cruise is completely unsuited for physically in the books Reacher is built more like Dwayne Johnson and taps into a stone cold resolve many of us did not think Cruise was capable of. We knew he could be an action star because of the Mission Impossible movies but its one thing to be a gadget wielding super spy and its another to be a cold steely eyed drifter who has tough as nails. McQuarrie adapted Lee Childs One Shot into a terrific action vehicle for Cruise that ran on bravado and lo-fi thrills. It was a tonic for the modern CGI packed blockbuster.
Four years later and Jack Reacher has returned with Jack Reacher: Never Go Back but new director Edward Zwick doesnot understand what makes Reacher tick. He saddles the character with a surrogate family when one is not called for and the attempt to soften Reacher takes away the characters edginess and unpredictability. The script drowns in a convoluted plot there are unnecessary flourishes like Reacher vision and while Cruise still has a handle on the character, his adventure this time around is far less interesting despite a strong supporting performance from Cobie Smulders.
The story picks up with Reacher Cruise headed to Washington D.C. to meet up with Major Susan Turner (Smulders) an officer who commands his old unit and a trusted friend despite the two never having met in person before. However, when Reacher comes to Turner’s office, he discovers that she’s been arrested for espionage. To make matters worse, Reacher’s also being hit with a paternity suit that claims he’s the father of 15-year-old foster kid, Samantha Dayton (Danika Yarosh). Realizing that both Turner and Samantha are in danger from shadowy forces, Reacher springs to the rescue and takes them both along as they try to figure out who framed Turner and who’s out to kill them.
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