Jack Reacher
2012  PG-13 ACTION  2h 10min
CAST— Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo, Robert Duvall
MUSIC— Joe Kraemer  DIRECTOR— Christopher McQuarrie  BASED ON— One Shot (novel), by Lee Child

     A fairly accomplished action thriller featuring Tom Cruise as author Lee Child’s no holds barred character Jack Reacher. Reacher is a former Military Police inspector, honorably discharged, now a wandering drifter who rights the wrongs that come his way. In Pittsburgh a sniper attack leaves victims dead, families reeling and authorities searching. When a suspect is arrested he requests only one thing: Reacher, who can do what those behind a badge cannot. And do he does. Reacher teams with the attorney of the accused to dig deeper than anyone else dares, soon finding that things are not as they oh-so-obviously appear. The film never quite reaches the peak that it could, with Cruise an odd choice for Child’s broad, brusque, often brutal literary creation. Passable (though the third act is a standout), but Jack Reacher aficionados will be rolling their eyes throughout. Best left to character newcomers as opposed to die hards.
OUR RATING— ** ½
FOLLOWED BY— Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)