Jack Reacher Review

Tom Cruise always delivers in his movies and Jack Reacher is certainly no exception. At the age of fifty when this movie came out, Cruise certainly shows no signs of slowing down in this riveting mystery thriller. The film of course opens up with the terrifying execution of five random citizens by a trained sniper and the police conclude that James Barr is their man. District Attorney Rodin (Richard Jenkins) and Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo) urge Barr to confess and they will let him take his pick between a life sentence in prison and death row. Barr’s response, three words written on a piece of paper, GET JACK REACHER. Who’s Jack Reacher? That’s exactly the question Rodin and Emerson find themselves with and Emerson being the excellent investigator who determined Barr was the sniper responsible for the killings is quick to learn that Jack Reacher was a seasoned army investigator who up and quit two years ago and has dropped off the grid ever since. Rodin wants to know how they find such a man and Emerson says there is no finding this man unless he wants to be found. Sure enough a secretary comes in and lets them know that a Jack Reacher is here to see them. Enter Tom Cruise known in this movie as Jack Reacher who has come for Barr. 

 

Everyone assumes that Barr and Reacher are friends which Reacher keeps insisting he isn’t. After Reacher sees Barr with Rodin and Emerson he finds Barr was hospitalized after a prison transfer and may not even retain the memory of performing the killings anymore. Reacher’s presence is questioned and his request to see the evidence is denied and as Reacher tries to leave Barr’s attorney Helen (Rosamund Pike) shows up and naturally is infuriated that a meeting with her client has taken place without her approval. Reacher learns she is the D.A.’s daughter which surprises him, and she finds it to be an inconvenience herself. Rodin and Emerson leave them, and Helen is insistent that Reacher testifies and help out Barr on the stand. Reacher again makes his case that he isn’t Barr’s friend and has no intention of helping him, rather he came to bury him. 

 

Reacher explains to Helen that he knows Barr is guilty because he made him a promise to make sure he would pay for his crimes. He recounts the story of Barr killing several men in Iraq and how his investigation was going to put Barr away until some important people decided that they wanted the whole thing to end quietly. Helen tries to recruit Reacher as her investigator, but he declines. He changes his mind though and makes her promise to look at Barr’s victims objectively too. After he looks over the evidence with Emerson the wheels start turning for him as he finds questions that need to be asked and holes in what has already been established such as trying to determine why Barr would pay for parking after rolling up for an execution. The events that follow find Reacher interacting with rough characters across town as he digs deeper into what is really going on in an effort to get to the truth.

 

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie this movie shines as a piece of cinema that is moody and intense in its stylish flavor. Tom Cruise’s embodiment of the famous book character is superb as he interprets him as a kick-butt no no-nonsense brilliant investigator. Nobody stands in his way and anybody that does better get prepared to be put down. The collaboration between Cruise and McQuarrie goes a long way here in crafting a suspenseful thriller. The tone not only stays intense and driven but allows for suspenseful build-up and great dramatic moments to be delivered well by the great cast of actors. Rosemond Pike as Helen is Reacher’s Watson, who is there to be in awe of his investigative abilities and aid him in the mission he undertakes. She is a very dynamic actress and is great at keeping the character of Reacher who on paper sounds like an unrelatable guy grounded and familiar. The sharply cast film looks like a well-defined film with its great cinematography.  

 

 The visuals are astounding and help to establish and maintain the tone throughout the mystery. These elements all are instrumental in making the action sequences exciting and count. The action that does occur from Reacher beating up a bunch of street thugs to a whirlwind car chase is well directed and performed. This is all placed well within the framework of the structure of the story as the plot evolves and many twists and turns are included to keep the events that unfold surprising and suspenseful. 

 

The villain no doubt is key to creating a lot of the sense of dread that unfolds onscreen. Jai Courtney’s character is the real killer as we see from the very beginning. His boss is a rich man who was formerly a prison of war named the Zek. He is scary and intimidating and brutally evil. The way he conducts his operations onscreen with his subordinates certainly cements the tone in its layered dramatic territory. Pitting Reacher up against such terrible characters creates an interesting dynamic as Reacher is played as the get justice no matter the cost type and the villains are portrayed as pure evil. The polarizing differences between them helps to build up to great spectacle and drama between the players as he comes for them and hunts them down. 

 

The excitement in the mystery is generated from the mystery itself and the driven dedication by all involved. Reacher is deeply invested due to his promise to Barr to see he pays for his crimes, Helen is a committed attorney who’s defense of Barr could easily make or break her career, and the Zek and his top man played by Jai Courtney are dedicated to running their evil organization and keep questions from being asked by the wrong people. When the action kicks in the drama is intensified and things escalate but it is really the process of solving the mystery which is so intriguing and fuels so much of the energy onscreen. 

 

The movie only suffers from an unsatisfactory anti-climactic ending which could have been written a lot better and portrayed Reacher in a better light. This ending opens up potential plot holes and dilutes the question of what true justice really means. While Helen’s kidnapping sets up for a great action set piece her capture feels more staged and cliché while the possibility of a more original engaging ending out of the equation. Certain elements of foreshadowing planted throughout the film upon reflection could have been reworked to come across more clearly and in a better-structured manner. However, even with these problems the film certainly has a lot going for it which makes it an entertaining mystery. 

 

After Jack Reacher finishes and the credits start rolling it is not a film that is easily forgotten but rather one with a message to imprint. Its theme seems to be rooted in the question of what the true nature of justice is and asks what people are willing to do to achieve it. Many levels of corruption are shown in Jack Reacher and Cruise’s character is shown to be a strong competent investigator who doesn’t shy away from corruption but rather is a man who is out to destroy it. He doesn’t seem bound by the rules and his way of life is a mystery onto itself but his drive to put criminals down is an inspiration even if the third act creates the sense that Reacher finds himself above the law. The law isn’t perfect but its meant to be followed and Reacher’s drive to uphold justice but dismiss the law is a puzzling one but the strength in the thematic message that Jack Reacher delivers is in justice is to be the endgame no matter the villains that stand in the way and that is something a lot of people should reflect on in a world that is so encumbered in a pool of corruption.