It's almost difficult to remember what a hard-boiled, stripped- old-fashioned action-thriller looks like. We've become so reliant on CG for our action and jump scares for our thrills that we forget solid action-thrillers don't need to rely on gigantic budgets or creepy mysteries to make an impact. Jack Reacher is that confident action thriller we've been missing. Writer director Christopher McQuarrie has created a film that almost feels like a throwback in its confident plotting and attitude. Furthermore, Tom Cruise once again reminds us that we can never underestimate his acting talent, and while he may not share the physicality of the character in the book, the attitude remains.
Retired military sniper James Barr (Joseph Sikora) stands accused of murdering five innocent people in broad daylight. The crime scene easily leads to his arrest, but during his interrogation, he writes down the statement, "Get Jack Reacher". Reacher (Cruise) is a former military investigator-turned-drifter who describes his wanderlust as an addiction. Barr's request piques Reacher's curiosity since he knows Barr committed cold-blooded murders during the war, but escaped on a technicality. With the help of Barr's lawyer Helen (Rosamund Pike), Reacher's hunt for answers puts him in the crosshairs of dangerous assassin Charlie (Jai Courtney) and his boss, the Zec (Werner Herzog).
Jack Reacher is a welcome surprise in many ways. McQuarrie doesn't make any overt attempts to echo previous films in the genre or highlight how his movie is refreshingly old-fashioned. Instead, he ties in the direction to the personality of his protagonist. Reacher is based on the book One Shot by Lee Child, and Child's series describes the character as 6'5" and able to bear-hug a man to death. Obviously, Tom Cruise doesn't have that physique, so it's up to McQuarrie and his star to convey that muscle without showing muscles. Instead, the filmmaker and star play to the toughness of Reacher's personality.
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