Film Review: Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher   7/10
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins

Plot: a man shoots five people at random; an investigator delves into the case further.

Christopher McQuarrie became a hit screenwriter with the likes of The Usual Supects, however critical falures such as The Tourist within recent years have been disappointed. However, McQuarrie has turned it around with Jack Reacher, a surprisingly entertaining action thriller.
 
Tom Cruise, despite failing to draw in audiences for Rock of Ages returns to what he does best, total annihilation. The action sequences are slick, fast-paced and terribly cool, something lacking from recent action flicks. A particular car chase makes use of ambitious angles and techniques, which are pulled off terrifically in the film (a zoom-in to Tom Cruise’s face while driving is just one of them). The film's trailer does, however, seem to market it as a full-on action film, yet the plot is surprisingly complex, with the different layers unfolding as the minutes tick by.

Rosamund Pike is also very good here; whilst her recent roles have been a little dry, Pike returns to the likes of Pride and Prejudice and Surrogates within her acting abilities. Her role is edgy and serious, something the film needed to keep grounded.

The plot, whilst being disturbing at times, doesn’t seem to take itself very seriously as it progresses. The film does, however, seem to change its angle and within the final thirty minutes, the plot drifts off and you soon forget who is chasing who. Yet in these moments, it’s the ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ moments which keep you hoping for more.

In Conclusion: Reacher plummets full-throttle from the start, proving that giant robots and superheroes aren’t the crucial ingredient to a great action film. There’s nothing Oscar-worthy here, and it’s all the better for it - a sequel is likely and deserved.