JACK REACHER
PG-13
130 Minutes
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Writers: Lee Child, Christopher McQuarrie
Tom Cruise, Richard Jenkins, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog
Cast
Tom Cruise--Reacher
Rosamund Pike--Helen
Werner Herzog--The Zec
Robert Duvall--Cash
Homer: Wait, I'm confused about the movie... so the cops knew internal affairs were setting them up?
Man: What are you talking about theres nothing like that in there
Homer: Well y'see when I get bored I make up my own movie. I have a very short attention span.
THE SIMPSONS, 5F23
You Don't Know Jack
Take a close look at the opening credits. You'll see it's produced by Tom Cruise. In all fairness, this is mainly because people are weirded out by him. Just like John Travolta, the only way he can get work, is by being in his own movie.
Our story begins when a sniper kills four people. But this isn't the work of some crazed lunatic. Well it is, but it's not the one you're thinking of. The main suspect is in a coma. Jack is trying to prove this man's innocence. Powerful people framed the suspect, and Mr. Reacher has to untangle this complex web of deceit, lies, and corruption.
Hit The Road Jack
Jack Reacher is a bad-ass: a quick-witted dude, with the ingenuity of MacGyver. He is a drifter, but not just any drifter, one who plays by his own rules. He's like that guy on PRISON BREAK.
Helen is the lawyer representing the suspect. Tom Cruise plays one of her temporary employees, a 'paralegal' of sorts. There's a sexual tension between these two that's impossible to ignore. While in a hotel room, very casually, Jack offs the shirt he's wearing. She tells him to put his shirt back on, but it's not very convincing. You think something will happen, but unfortunately, things have to stay PG-13.
Soon as you think you got everything figured out: Bam! It was the black guy. I knew it; he was just too gung-ho about this investigation. Filmmakers don't want to look racist. Interestingly enough, this racial bias, brings about a mammoth plot twist.
If you think Robert Duvall has played far too many old cowboys, you're in for a welcome surprise. In this movie, he plays a shooting range owner... that wears a cowboy hat.
Werner Herzog plays a brutish, criminal overlord. As a documentary filmmaker, this is the part he was born to play: a maniacal sociopath. In this role, he's absolutely splendid.
My Criticism
Overall, this film ended too smoothly. The cop chase scene was a little too 'BLUES BROTHERS'. And with the villains, they're cunning criminals, in one moment, yet, in the next scene, they're literally like 'The 3 Stooges'. I find it difficult to suspend disbelief when people are acting so cartoonishly stupid.
JACK REACHER is just good enough to not be labeled as a bad movie. If you want to see this type of movie, except better, watch MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007).
Final Verdict: 74 out of 100
