Jack Reacher
Blessed with one of the worst movie posters
in recent memory (a Photoshop job that makes Cruise look like one of those
giant bobbleheads; not the one heading up this review, mercifully) and a
blandest of the bland title, this turns out to be a highly enjoyable
back-to-basics thriller. Sophomore director Christopher McQuarrie (also
adapting Lee Childs’ novel One Shot)
brings a welcome visceral quality to the action, making a fairly basic
detective plot seem like a breath of fresh air when the competition tends to be
CGI’d up to the eyeballs.
Ex-military policeman, now Littlest Hobo-like drifter, Jack Reacher
arrives in Pittsburgh (or, at least, that’s where it was filmed) to investigate
a lone gunman shooting spree. The alleged shooter is someone he investigated
years ago, so Jack is surprised to conclude that the man is innocent and that
these were not just random killings. He teams up with a defence lawyer
(Rosamund Pike) and at every turn reveals his highly-honed deductive skills, as
well as engaging in frequent bouts of fisticuffs.
Part of the appeal is how traditional the storyline
is, in an age of plot construction that is more about tying set pieces together
than turning in a properly crafted script. No doubt due to its pulpy source
material., this has a proper mystery to be solved before it turns its attention
to Jack bringing justice. And McQuarrie knows his structure such that, overlong
though it is, you’re kept involved throughout. The less successful aspects
never really dent enjoyment, and one suspects they were present in the source
material. The inevitable revelation of a bad guy you thought was a good guy has
insufficient motivation, so it seems like an enormous convenience. Elsewhere,
the myth-making dialogue concerning Reacher’s skills and philosophy crosses the
boundary from mildly cheesy into out-and-out laughable.
But the director brings a sure eye to the
action and has a strong sense of pacing. When Jack has a fight it’s satisfying
not just because of the classic scenario of the outnumbered protagonist
outmatching his opponents but because McQuarrie ensures the framing and cutting
are clean and crisp. There’s a car chase where the camera repeatedly pulls up
against the front end of Reacher’s car, making the sequence exhilaratingly
immediate and physical; it’s not a new technique, but the employment of it feels
vital.
Cruise has, of course, been much criticised
for taking on the role of Reacher, as he bears no resemblance to the character
in the books. I can’t call him on that, not having read any of them. For much
of the time his performance wouldn’t be out of place in the average non-Jack Reacher Cruise movie, except that
his dialogue is noticeably sharper and less self-congratulatory (it’s others
who worship Reacher’s superheroics). The main difference is that there’s no
watering down of the character’s moral code, which sees him behaving in a manner
close to a Charles Bronson-type than your traditional Cruise hero.
The supporting cast include a couple of
stand-out turns. Wernor Herzog, made up with a glassy contact lens and missing
digits, is a believable representation of evil incarnate. His character’s name
(the Zec) sounds like something out of kid’s cartoon, however. Jai Courtney,
soon to be seen as John McClane’s son, steals the film from Cruise whenever he
appears. It’s a younger, more maliciously charismatic, role that reminds you
that Hollywood’s premier Scientologist is getting on a bit. Pike’s fine but
Richard Jenkins and David Oyelowo are wasted in underwritten parts.
It looks like a Jack Reacher follow-up hinges on the international territories
where the film is yet to open. But if it’s that touch-and-go I wouldn’t bet on
it. A shame, as there’s potential here for a couple more (as long as the plots
continue to be involving; character development clearly isn’t the key to Lee
Childs’ series). Still, if nothing else it has provided Christopher McQuarrie
with a strong calling for his next stint behind the megaphone (Mission: Impossible 5 has been
rumoured).
***1/2