Jack Reacher (2012)

United States of America

Crime, Drama, Thriller, Action

Paramount, Skydance Media, TC Productions

Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Jai Courtney, Robert Duvall

Christopher McQuarrie

Christopher McQuarrie

Taglines: The law has limits. He does not.

sniper, coma, based on novel or book, war veteran, mass murder, detective, investigation, betrayal, conspiracy, police chase, investigator, district attorney, defense attorney, military police, loner, purple heart, framed for murder, ex military, off the grid, mass shooting, father daughter relationship, victims, army veteran, twists, backstory, physical evidence, fist fight, mass murderer, gun range

One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The interrogation yields one written note: 'Get Jack Reacher!'. Reacher, an enigmatic ex-Army investigator, believes the authorities have the right man but agrees to help the sniper's defense attorney. However, the more Reacher delves into the case, the less clear-cut it appears. So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.

Reviews:

Author: Geronimo1967
So five, ostensibly unconnected, people are picked off walking along the street by a sniper. Surprisingly, the police manage to apprehend the culprit pretty quickly but are bemused when he asks them to summon "Jack Reacher" (Tom Cruise) who, as it happens, was already on his way to the city. The defence attorney "Helen" (Rosamund Pike) is trying to elicit some help from "Reacher", but this former criminal investigator wants to nail the man's ass firmly to the slats. When the accused is reduced to a coma after being beaten up on a prison bus, the two start to work in earnest on this seemingly open and shut case and we gradually discover that, well there is a great deal more to discover...! It's way too long, this, and takes the best part of an hour for us to get past the character establishment and who's got a grudge bits, also Pike is really quite sterile with her portrayal of the dogged lawyer - but once Cruise gets into his stride the story starts to pick up quite interestingly with plenty of action, a few twists and an ending that reminded me a bit of "Highlander" (1986). Eye-candyman Jai Courtney is still as wooden as a door post but does enough here, as do Richard Jenkins and the sparingly, but effectively, used Werner Herzog. Cruise has made loads of these films that showcase his talents in high-end action films and this fits neatly into the middle of the pile. Not bad, but I've already forgotten it.