Jack Reacher (2012) User Reviews

Jack Reacher is an entertaining throwback

[Fluke_Skywalker · 7/10 · 4 May 2013]

There was a time—let's call it "The 80s"—when action movies didn't need CGI cheats, shaky-cam and ADD-editing to entertain us. They also didn't have to destroy ten city blocks, have a "clever" hook or feel the need to tack on a social message to justify their carnage. No, all they needed was a reason for some good old steak and potatoes action and a star to anchor it all. 2012's Jack Reacher has these qualities in spades.

Maybe this won't appeal to the eGeneration who need to have their senses constantly bombarded, but for the rest of us, Jack Reacher is a solid bit of retro-refreshment.

Watch this film

[charlesdickins · 8/10 · 20 April 2013]

First of all i would like to ask how any of the other reviewers could possibly give this film 1 out of 10? They must have some deep rooted personal reasons for this i guess.

I nearly didn't watch this film for all of the negative reviews. I would have so missed out on something good.

The film was excellent! Great plot. Creepy bad guy and a reasonable amount of suspense. I have never read the Jack Reacher books, so cannot compare Cruise to the title character. I imagine that some people might have been disappointed at the lack of huge explosions and transforming robots etc etc, but this was a fine old school action thriller with many new tricks which i haven't seen before (check the buss stop scene. Classic!). I loved the pacing and the great interaction between players. Sure, some of the one liners seemed a tad forced, but they were not so common. Well done Cruise again.

Do yourselves a favour. Ignore the negative reviewers and give this a go.

JACK REACHER: Action movie-making done right!

[Jack_LesCamela · 8/10 · 12 December 2012]

Saw JACK REACHER on Monday night at an advance screening. Here's some of my thoughts. There are no spoilers.

First off, I'd say I agree with the general critical reception: 4/5 stars. To me that means it's a solid movie that delivers at the high end of its genre. JACK REACHER isn't trying to be anything revolutionary, it's more the kind of action thriller audiences haven't seen for a while.

This isn't MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE or even James Bond. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie takes his inspiration from action movies of the late 60s/early 70s like DIRTY HARRY (which has been name checked in a couple reviews already), BULLITT (for the car chase); and maybe another Don Siegel movie, CHARLEY VARRICK. The excitement here doesn't come from over the top stunts or huge explosions. Like the action movies just referenced, you thrill to watching a strongly defined protagonist outsmart, outfight and outmaneuver the bad guys.

Which brings me to the character of Jack Reacher and the casting of Tom Cruise. In the series of novels by Lee Child this movie is based on, Jack Reacher is an ex-MP detective. After a lifetime spent on military bases overseas, he lives as a drifter in the United States who adheres to a life of zero commitments: No house, no job, no car, no possessions, no family. Oh, and he stands 6'5" and weighs 250 lbs.

Clearly Tom Cruise doesn't match that physical description. What makes Reacher such a great character in Child's books though has far less to do with his exterior than it does with his intellect. If you've read the series as I have, it's a little strange at first. As the film played out however, I got more relaxed and more into it. This was definitely a movie about Lee Child's hero Jack Reacher, physical differences be damned.

Would I have preferred an unknown actor closer to Child's description to play Reacher on screen? Yes, of course. But I could say that about virtually any character, and often do. I generally want unknowns for everything.

Which is where Cruise's casting comes in handy a bit. Because his casting sort of guarantees a certain amount of box office, it means the filmmakers can take more chances. Like crafting an action movie that's longer on character and occasional brutal violence and short on mindless action and impossible nonsense.

JACK REACHER was a very satisfying action thriller for me. I felt it captured what I love about Lee Child's thrillers and Jack Reacher in particular. I'd definitely recommend it, and I'm going to see it in the theater again. That's for damn sure.

Targets

[richardchatten · 7/10 · 8 January 2021]

Flanked by plush production values and an interesting supporting cast (including Werner Herzog as a baddie), Tom Cruise investigates at his leisure an apparent spree killing treading the mean streets as a laconic investigator after whom the film is named like Steve McQueen in 'Bullitt' (which also had Robert Duvall in it); and both prove hot stuff behind the wheel of a car.

Cruise has been shot throughout so he looks as tall as or taller than most of the other men in the film; so one admires him for agreeing to willowy Rosamund Pike as his leading lady.

Very enjoyable film, with a few drawbacks but also a number of strengths

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 7 April 2016]

Considering the mixed reception that 'Jack Reacher' has garnered, most of the critical external reviews have been positive or mixed feelings but it also received a lot of backlash from fans of the books, it was hard to say how 'Jack Reacher' was going to turn out.

When finally seeing it, the film is far from perfect by all means but to me it was not bad at all. In fact it was very enjoyable with a number of strengths. It's a very well-made film, stylishly and atmospherically shot with a neo-noir feel while there are some good use of locations and the editing is tight and crisp, making the action coherent and not resorting to the often seizure-inducing shaky cam technique. The music is energetic and haunting without being brash or overly-bombastic, with very effective use of silence.

Despite a few draggy and too padded out scenes (particularly the overlong and far too talky scene with Jack and Helen trying to piece things altogether) and an anaemic - due to the lack of tension-, anti-climactic and all too convenient ending, the story is paced very nicely and is always diverting. The twists and turns ensure some good tension and suspense and it never feels too predictable, hackneyed or convoluted. There's also the use of flashbacks to remind the viewer of anything important, thankfully they're not overused or repetitive. The action is exciting rather than overly-loud and generic with the right amount of chaos and urgency, like the brawl and the fight in the hallway. Character interaction is strong, with the central one between Tom Cruise and Rosamund Pike having some nice moments, and Jack is a very interesting character.

Most of the acting is good. Whatever has been said of Tom Cruise being physically completely wrong (often described by detractors as one of the biggest miscasts ever), he still makes for a charismatic and intense hero that has steel in his eyes and plays it appropriately straight despite the campiness of some of one-liners. Am amazed at well he deals with the action, his energy and dexterity are enviable. In support, two fare particularly strongly. One is Robert Duvall, his role is quite small but he brings a very memorable curmudgeon wit. The other, and even more so, is Werner Herzog's spine-tingling villain, his story of how he came to lose his fingers is the film's most chilling moment. Richard Jenkins is strong if underutilised, likewise with David Oyelowo. The biggest surprise was Jai Courtney in the best performance this viewer has seen from him, unlike his awful performances in 'A Good Day to Die Hard' and 'Terminator Genysis' he actually isn't annoying and he has a personality too. 'Jack Reacher' starts on a wonderfully tense note too, so much so that one wishes that that quality of tension was there at the end, and while Christopher McQuarrie is a better writer than he is a director he directs more than serviceably here.

Sadly, there are drawbacks. Much has been said already in the review about the ending and some draggy pacing and padding, but another problem is the overlong length with some of the third act feeling forced dialogue-wise and bloated. The two biggest problems with 'Jack Reacher' are the script and (as much as I hate to say it) the performance of Rosamund Pike. There are some clever and funny moments in the script but the amount of times the one-liners were cheesy and forced and the film became too talky in a long-winded fashion were more numerous. Pike is a much better actress than she is given credit for, and she has given some good to great performances in good to great films (especially her brilliant performance in 'Gone Girl') and has even been a redeeming factor in mediocre/bad ones or heavily problematic ones, but her performance here is one of her worst in a role that wastes her. She is not helped by her character, who is bland and underwritten and it was like the writers couldn't decide what personality to give her and her dialogue is well below par and is frankly beneath Pike, but this viewer has never seen her look so stiff and bug-eyed (she has showed much more expression and range than here before, despite what her detractors say) and the performance was an uncomfortable mix of melodrama and phoning in.

In conclusion, while far from flawless 'Jack Reacher' has a lot of great things still and judging it as a standalone is very enjoyable. 6.5/10 Bethany Cox

Limited Greatness

[billygoat1071 · 7/10 · 10 January 2013]

Jack Reacher is based on Lee Child's book "One Shot". For those who've read it, you already know Tom Cruise isn't right for the role. One would wish they could've gotten a bigger and taller actor to play the role like Hugh Jackman, or Chris Evans, or someone else. It could have been a new iconic appearance for a hero. The real problem is it seems Tom Cruise is just redoing his generic action hero performance. As much as he refuses to call himself a hero, he still looks like one but in a much glossier way. In spite of that, the film itself is a snazzy piece of entertainment that is rare in cinema these days. A neo-noir styled action blockbuster that will grip you by its storytelling and its action scenes. There's a chance that could have made this a much better film but put aside those complains, it's still pretty awesome.

The film begins with a man shooting five random innocent people. It effectively builds tension by being silent. The rest of the movie is as slick as the opening and it serves a great entertainment. The only disappointment is Tom Cruise. He may not have the appearance of the character but he could have done a lot more than just doing his typical action hero swagger. He sure has charisma but that's all. His fans might still think he's pretty cool for it. I'm not a fan of comparing a book to its film adaptation. I never cared if a single plot point or character was changed, but the Jack Reacher character is the real deal here. It seems this film is only made for Cruise to get him back in action. Well this character is not for him.

The film is still solidly made. At least it doesn't go to the modern generic action movie direction that is relentlessly loud but sticks to the neo-noir storytelling. The best parts is when it spends time in scrutinizing the case in silence. When the film starts talking, the dialogue is witty and interests the story's investigation. It gets exciting when it goes to the action. The action scenes are well shot. The hand-to-hand combat fight scenes reminiscence the cool eighties action with some humorous camp. The car chase is the most impressive sequence where it shows several angles as they drive away without shaking the camera. It has the potential of a classic throwback.

Jack Reacher is quite entertaining but again they should have gotten the right actor to play the lead. Jack Reacher here is nothing more than another Tom Cruise character with a leather jacket and do what this old man usually do. The only good thing is it's not bad. It's a decent kind of action thriller that isn't famous in mainstream cinema anymore, but yet is enjoyable. It's not entirely an action film though, but people might think it is. It leaves having a smart mystery in spite of fact it lacks the anti-hero. It's fun and worth watching but there are things that could have made this a lot more interesting.

Great movie

[samsinthebigredbarn · 10/10 · 20 August 2015]

I dislike Tom Cruise in general, so I was reluctant to see this movie. I was so worried it would be another asinine Misson Impossible movie. I'm so glad my wife pushed me to see it, as it was terrific. None of the super slo-mo CGI Matrix-type bullsh*t, just a Dirty Harry style movie with a great story and great bad guys and great fights. I don't believe there is any CGI in this movie at all! Amazing! Very old school, very surprising, very well done. I loved it and haven't seen a movie of this type that I enjoyed in a long, long time. I loved the way it ended... Fairly easy to see through the plot and figure out what is going on, but still very enjoyable. This is a MUST see for anyone who loved the Dirty Harry movies, or ones similar. Minimal fluff, no stupid romance, a believable plot and a good car chase. And bad guys killed the way they should be. Fantastic!

Great film.

[Bruce722 · 9/10 · 11 May 2013]

Jack Reacher was a surprisingly fantastic film. I went in thinking, thanks to some slightly misleading trailers, that this was going to be a high octane action movie with a bunch of gun fights, car chases, and explosions but little development and quality. I was completely wrong. While there were a few gun fights, one car chase, and an explosion of sorts, it was done in a completely different manner and was more of an action thriller. Tom Cruise did a great job in his typical role. The rest of the supporting cast was solid enough and the cameo by Robert Duvall was awesome. The plot developed really well and made it more of a "thinking movie" than I anticipated. That being said, the turns in the plot kept the film from becoming stagnant or boring and the action sequences felt real and authentic. I wasn't a huge fan of some of the cinematic elements and there were some flaws in one of the plot twists but nothing that really hurt the movie-watching experience. All-in-all, I'd say this was a great movie that most people would very much enjoy watching.

A real let down for fans

[jtindahouse · 5/10 · 4 January 2013]

'One Shot' is my favourite book. Not my favourite Jack Reacher book. My favourite book. So when I heard they were not only going to be making a Reacher film, but making 'One Shot', I was ecstatic. Then I heard who would be playing Reacher and like 99.9% of fans I thought to myself, "this must be an April Fool's joke. A 5'7" skinny guy playing the hulking 250 pound, 6'5" Jack Reacher? This can't be happening." Sadly it was. And then the trailer came out and my worst fears were confirmed. Cruise was not being buffed up by any type of body suit, he wasn't being made to look taller with trick photography and he wasn't putting on the raspy 'animal-like' voice I always imagined Reacher to have.

Lee Child once made a great analogy to Jack Reacher. He said "does anyone remember the story lines in the Dirty Harry Movies? Not a chance. But they sure as hell remember the character." The Reacher books are about a single thing, and that is Jack Reacher. Don't get me the wrong, the stories in 90% of the books released so far are masterpieces and could easily be made into great films. But they still remain a vehicle for which Jack Reacher can thrive in. And the producers proved that they realised this (albeit very late in the piece) by renaming the movie 'Jack Reacher'. A little in-your-face for my liking, but I could see why it was necessary so I didn't hold it against them. However I did reserve my right to hold Tom Cruise's casting against them. And I was right to. Did Tom Cruise pull off the great character of Jack Reacher? Not in your life.

Cruise was cast badly, and then went on to play the role even worse. Not a great combination if you're an actor. Heath Ledger took the opposite route in his role as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's 2008 masterpiece "The Dark Knight". He was hugely criticised for being completely wrong for the part when he was cast and we all know how that turned out. Cruise unfortunately did not rise to the challenge in the same way.

For starters, I'm reasonably confident he was the shortest person in the film. Not one effort was made to make him look the least bit impressive stature wise. His haircut was ridiculous. He looked like a guy who goes to the hair salon twice a week for touch-ups. In fact Jai Courtney in the role of the Charlie had what I always imagined to be the perfect haircut for Reacher. Perhaps he would've been better placed in the role? Cruise's shoulders were not broad enough. At one stage a character asks "I'm looking for a guy who could kill a man with one punch?" To which he is directed straight to Reacher. Get real. Rosamund Pike was probably more likely to kill someone that way than Cruise. Cruise did not alter his voice one bit for the movie. This was a huge disappointment for me. I had really hoped he would do something like what Christian Bale did when he was in the Batman suit, only not quite to the same degree, but for the whole movie. Cruise sounded almost feminine performing some of the lines. Lastly, he kept bloody smiling (or smirking, whatever you want to call it). I was OK with him cracking the odd joke here and there, because Reacher can be a bit of a smart-ass, but he didn't have to look so damn proud of himself every time he did it. Reacher's an animal, 24-7, he (very) rarely smiles and he takes life very seriously.

The script was solid, it stayed pretty faithful to the book. I found the jokes and one-liners a little too frequent for my liking and took away from what should have been a dark atmosphere. Unfortunately, Reacher was never really challenged physically. Sure, everyone he fought was bigger than him, but that's only because Cruise is so short. Never once did I think to myself 'how's Reacher possibly going to take down this guy?" Which always makes for the best fight scenes. One part of the script I did not like at all, again regarding the 'bad guys', was when two of them, whilst trying to attack Reacher, were practically fighting each other even harder. And just because they wanted to get through the door first? I felt like I was watching 'Home Alone' or something. I assume they were going for comedic value but it just went far too far for my liking.

The rest of the cast were solid at best, in fact I found Rosamund Pike well below average in her performance, but I wasn't too bothered by this because they were the epitome of a support cast. They weren't who people came to see. People came to see Cruise and he let them down. The interesting thing is that the movie isn't being panned across the board, which is testament to how good the story is. It's a great story and could easily have been done without Reacher, which is basically what has happened for people who haven't read the books. They don't have those to compare the character to and so they leave the theater quite happily. And that's great for them. But for the rest of us they have ruined a great character. I hope when I read future books I can still picture the character the same way I always have. Sadly, I fear I may struggle.

Get Jack

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 3 October 2013]

Those people who are knowledgeable about the Jack Reacher books would be aware that Cruise is wrong for the role.

Too short, not broad chested enough and too dark haired. These shortcomings are apparent in the fighting scenes, you have to believe in the old Hollywood artistic licence.

As an action thriller the inspiration is a film such as Bullitt. This is a thoughtful film, relying more on brains as well as brawn.

From early on we know who the killer is, it is more a case of why and who is behind the conspiracy.

The film has plenty of sly humour, nasty villains, hard edged action and Rosamund Pike's cleavage which displays its own acting ability.

Director Werner Herzog makes a chilling villain and Cruise the investigator is believable even if Cruise the pugilist may not be.

OK thriller but quite weak in the knee(cap)

[vostf · 6/10 · 23 September 2022]

I have read all the Jack Reacher's books (at least the novels and short stories written by Lee Child) so I knew the plot pretty well and it is well rendered for most of the movie. The first half is spot on, sharp to deliver the action like Lee Child: with a lot of thought but few words.

Then, for some reason it strays from this really fine rendition. My guess is that they couldn't cope with the overwhelming violence of Jack Reacher's stories. They did not want something too off-putting for the masses since Tom Cruise was supposed to bring in a larger crowd. So why did they chose this one story in the first place? Obviously they dug the beginning, the premise and it shows: it is the one thing that is perfectly adapted. But, hello, this is a story which starts with a mass shooting! Certainly the worst kind of terror attack you can show when you specifically focus on the doomed victims in the cross-hairs of the sniper's sight...

I am not a big fan of Tom Cruise and casting him as the imposing silent square-jawed Jack Reacher was definitely baffling. I don't mind much about the size, that is definitely in the realm of creative license for the adapters. Now you can only stretch the adaptation so far without losing the concentrated spirit of the original material. So the real problem is that Tom Cruise always wants to flash his smile, to be funny and agreeable at some point. But Jack Reacher is above all an introverted loner, he does not display his emotions when he is hurt by some bad guy's actions: he dutilfully registers this and takes the steps towards some retribution.

That was the real challenge of bringing Jack Reacher to life, not betraying his original inner strength but making him likable... wild and sexy. In this adaptation of One Shot I cannot understand how they could underuse Rosamund Pike to make her play a frigid attorney whereas Reacher absolutely needs some kind of a delicately veiled lascivous sidekick. Instead we get a scene that is fine for Tom Cruise but totally at odds with the Jack Reacher character where he takes a step to seduce a girl that is basically not sufficiently attracted. Here they miss the mark big time.

Then you get the fight in the bathroom that is comical, which is ok except that it shows Reacher at a disadvantage. That was certainly dumb to have the great Jack Reacher being taken by surprise by two dimwit thugs.

Jack Reacher as Frank Bullitt

Now this is icebox logic, I reckon. Where the movie actually starts losing it for me is with the stupid car chase (Jack Reacher does not like to drive, isn't that an interesting plot device?). Then Reacher doesn't team up with the attorney and does alone to the shooting range. It is great to have Robert Duvall but well... that is a setup that does jettison the fantastic ending in the book. Instead we get some run-of-the-mill shoot-out in a quarry that sorely reminds you of all these movies that ended up behind schedule and out of budget when it was time to wrap it up.

Really a pity that they would show so much energy and talent at the beginning and then got lazy or tired or something to just dish out something that does not come together as a Jack Reacher adventure.

And confirming this, yes it is getting even worse till the very end with that final moaning of the sniper after Jack Reacher is eventually off to a new destination. Almost as if they had brought in another director with his own writer midway through a shoot in sequence.

Different kind of action movie...

[nowshedhossain · 7/10 · 18 July 2013]

Well i like the movie pretty much. The action was good and feasible for man. The motive of killing was not perfect but good. The shuffling of the criminal was also very good. The most adorable thing was sometimes snipers missed the shot and it is very rare in movies. The investigation was something can be called as "cool". I was most impressed by the acting of the James Burr. His acting was the best in the whole movie and i hope a bright career for him. The script, the acting and the combination of the artists were great. It was true that whomever has found fun in killing people, he can't stop. It was a nice production by Tom Cruise...

Chix Chat on Film Review: Reacher is the Man!

[EmmaDinkins · 8/10 · 21 December 2012]

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is the tale of a very astute ex-military policeman. The army training came in quite handy as he digs into the evidence of a heinous crime that turns out to be not at all what it seems to be on the surface. I was surprised at how funny the dialogue in this film was, it is definitely not a comedy, but the sarcastic and comedic one-liners kept coming, even in situations that were completely devoid of a humorous setting there was some very amusing conversation. There was even a scene in which Reacher is attacked in a bathroom that had me cracking up at the bumbling bad guys. The comedy was heightened even further with the old codger Cash (Robert Duvall). Mr. Duvall always delivers a convincing performance, same here. As with any film that features Mr. Cruise the expectation is that it will be fast paced and very entertaining, same here. The only thing missing was his trademark sprint to or after something or anything. I've just come to expect to see him running, really running but we are getting older. The trailer is the only kind that I like, the ones that do not give away the whole movie. It shows that Reacher is bad a$$ without playing out every aspect of the story. David Oyelowo (Emerson) is one to watch, he is building an impressive resume and it is easy to see why because whenever he portrays a character he is that character. When he played a pilot in Red Tails, I totally believed he could fly a plane. When he was the head of a company experimenting on Apes, I was again thoroughly convinced and I believed every aspect of his being a police detective. One of the best car chase scenes that I've seen lately was in this film. There were so many attributes of this film that I liked, including the sexual tension between Reacher and Helen Ronin (Rosamund Pike) that I will just sum it up by saying. Everything just seemed to be genuine and authentic, even though I know that the fights are staged they looked logistically correct, but Steven Segal did come to mind. I liked that the film had a legitimate beginning and end, even if there are subsequent Jack Reacher tales to follow, there was no gaping wide open door of a final scene leaving the audience wondering 'What's up with that?!?'. But I do hope there are sequels, at least one. I give it a green light

Enjoyable, but disjointed

[stuprince · 6/10 · 2 April 2022]

Fun movie, pretty standard action hero type move. Some good actors are poorly used, such as Richard Jenkins, and the story has a number of illogical pieces. But, if you like good guy, action films, this is a decent watch.

Jack Reacher....... just good fun

[dgefroh · 8/10 · 20 April 2013]

Having never read any Lee Childs novels regarding Jack Reacher, I went into this one with somewhat limited knowledge on who Jack Reacher is and what his claim to fame is. So like many, I read where the "serious" fans were disappointed that Tom Cruise was picked to portray this iconic hero. To them I say, so what, did you watch this movie? In truth Tom Cruise is very good in this role, the movie is fast paced and action packed, the writing is cleaver and spot on, so to those who would continue to pan this movie I say lighten up and relax. This was a very good movie, Tom Cruise was good in the lead role, the several one-liners were very cleaver and kept a sense of humor in a plot with plenty of violence and too close for comfort realism. This movie was good, it was entertaining, well acted, and should be viewed and enjoyed by all who watch it.

Thoroughly Entertaining...........

[marslanathar · 7/10 · 23 December 2012]

OK now,i have heard many people whining and crying about how this movie differs from its books. Yea, it does differs from its books but the movie easily managed to keep me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

The point is, if the directors and producers had followed the book to the letter, the movie would not have been as entertaining may be not even commercially feasible for that matter.

All i have to say is this,I agree with most of the reviews that this movie is no way near perfect, has many flaws and could have been way better BUT IF YOU ARE AN ACTION JUNKIE THEN JACK REACHER IS YOUR FIX. IF YOU ARE A FAN OF CRUISE THEN YOU OUGHT IT TO YOURSELF TO WATCH THIS JACK REACHER.

Good Thriller with a Good Mystery

[bob-rutzel-1 · 8/10 · 9 May 2013]

James Barr (Joseph Sikora), a former military sniper, is in jail for killing 5-people and says he is innocent. He asks for ex-Army MP Officer, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). But Reacher knew Barr in Iraq and is out to prove him guilty. Hmmm……should be a slam dunk.

It's not often that we get a good thriller along with a good mystery as well, but that is what we have here. Why would Barr ask for Jack Reacher if Reacher knew what Barr did in Iraq? Also, what was the purpose of Barr killing 5-people who had no connection to each other? Assistant DA Helen (Rosamund Pike) asks Reacher to help prevent Barr from getting the death penalty. But, we also had some good fight scenes and an exciting car chase. Let the games begin.

This gets somewhat talky in the beginning as Helen and Reacher analyze what had happened. But, we hang on every word because we, too, need to know things. All this sounded like the dialogue was dubbed in, but I think the microphones were just too close to the characters and this made it seem as if the dialogue was dubbed in. To be honest it did look like Rosamund Pike had weak knees around Tom Cruise, but the script wouldn't go here. It just looked that way to me.

The supporting cast of bad guys was good as was Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo), assigned to the Barr case. Robert Duvall comes in as a retired USMC Gunnery Sgt, Gunny Cash, who does a masterful job as the owner of a gun range and inserts some humor as he deals with Reacher.

Over all this was very good. But, I did have the feeling something was missing. Maybe it needed a better ending as this one was kind of weak for such a good story.

Maybe Tom Cruise is leaving his Mission Impossible movies behind and is now centering on another action hero: Jack Reacher, who is described as someone who seems to only wear the clothes on his back, doesn't care about the law and is only concerned with one thing: justice, and the way he goes about achieving it may shock you. Hey, Lee Child, the author of the Jack Reacher series wrote about 15-books. See? (8/10)

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, not much

negative reviewers reaching for something bad to say

[witster18 · 7/10 · 10 May 2013]

Somebody mentioned how Reacher was unaffected by a baseball bat to the head. They obviously missed a couple things. One, he WAS seriously dazed, two, the doorway absorbed nearly all the blow from the bat(your 'criticism' was actually a nice little detail.

It's one of many unsubstantiated criticisms I've read.

But, it's to be expected. Any Tom Cruise flick gets it's fair share of unfair criticism.

"Jack Reacher" is an entertaining "tough guy" yarn similar to Clint Eastwood's "The Rookie". Actually a bit better.

The story is interesting enough, and the cheesy one-liners work because Cruise is in top form here.

The film doesn't overstay it's welcome, it has a clearly defined climax, and I'd pay to see the sequel on the big screen. What more can I say?

70/100

You'll like this if you liked "The Rookie/eastwood"(not quite as good), Absolute power(about equal), and Nick of Time. There are some nice moments for the gearheads, and the film is never boring.

Robert Duvall and Richard Jenkins are effective in two smaller roles, but Cruise is definitely the stand-out.

It is a bit of a throwback with the carchases and the complete void of cgi(did you smell that fresh air?).

A nice blend of action, comedy, and whodunnit.

The film isn't perfect, but it's well worth a watch, and it just cracked my top 25(#23) for 2012.

Very good movie, surprising.......not a critic

[willebruce · 7/10 · 12 May 2013]

I don't have to use big words or sound like a movie critic wannabe to say that this was a very good movie. Why do we watch movies? For entertainment. And Jack Reacher was entertaining. You may think Tom Cruise is a wacko and you're probably right. But that's due to what he does off-screen, not on. He's a great actor and plays Jack Reacher the way an action hero should be played. Perfectly maybe. I read the negative reviews although I thought that the movie would be a bomb based on the previews alone. Well, the reviews were worse. And they were wrong. As were my initial reactions to the previews before seeing this movie. It's not typical Cruise as far as blockbusters go, but it was good, very good. I won't mention a single scene in the movie, but you should definitely see it. I will leave it to the imagination. One thing I will say is that it was similar to Collateral, if I were to compare it to any earlier Cruise flick.

Action crime thriller done moderately right

[Vartiainen · 6/10 · 8 February 2021]

Tom Cruise stars in a film directed by Christopher McQuarrie, who later on teamed up with Cruise to direct the latest Mission Impossible films. Its title character, Jack, is a former military police detective, who has an uncanny knack for details and following clues. Now he is pulled away from his voluntary exile to examine a mass shooting case concerning a former suspect of his.

The main thing to note with this film is its acting. Tom Cruise, for all his faults, is a fantastic actor and this is a good role for him. Apparently the Jack Reacher in the books the film is based on is a lot more intimidating physically, but Cruise has the weight of charisma on his side and he makes the role work for him. Rosamund Pike as a defense attorney for the shooting suspect is also very good and I'll never say a bad word about Robert Duvall, no matter the size of the role.

That being said, the film is a tad flat tonally. I get the sense that you'd get much more out of it had you read the books. For example, the main antagonist is simply put boring beyond believe. They look interesting, but we learn next to nothing about them and what we do learn has nothing to do with the plot or the crime they have committed. Those working for them are even less well defined.

The film also feels slow with its buildup and the final confrontation with the antagonist is not particularly exciting. Part of that is the tired and old damsel in distress cliché, but part of it is just the fact that I don't particularly care about what happens to these characters.

Still, it is shot and acted well. Cruise and McQuarrie simply needed better source material to work with, which they later showed with the Mission Impossible films.

If you like the movie, you'll love the books more

[mark-4522 · 6/10 · 1 June 2020]

One of the challenges to adapting a book to a screenplay is that the action descriptions in the book allow detailing how 1 guy can take down 5 others in a street fight. When filmed, the fight may take place in 30 seconds and hits take a half second. In the book, the fight techniques are described in pages of detail.

Another challenge is that although the Jack Reacher books are fun, the villains can be a bit James Bond cartoonish. On screen, "The Zec" appeared forgettable. We ignore this in the book because Reacher's experience is what where the excitement is, but on screen, the script writers should have developed that character more. I cared more for when horny teenagers were knocked off in Friday the 13th than I did for these villains.

Next, the chase sequences in the film were more Mission Impossible than the undercover-vagabond that Jack Reacher is. Tom Cruise is known to be a great car driver, but Jack Reacher rarely gets behind the wheel. The charm of Jack Reacher was lost as the film merged with other Tom Cruise, er, vehicles.

Which leads us to something others have said here: Casting Cruise as Reacher. Reacher's attractiveness to the ladies stems not from James Bond style and charm, but rather raw muscle and height with him being smarter than he looks.

Now that's all the bad news first. The good news is that much of the philosophy of Reacher and his way of thinking was represented in the film, albeit subdued by the action sequences. The story was reasonably well represented. What makes a Reacher novel fun to read is following along with Reacher's mind as he solves the mystery so some of that would be lost in trying to read this novel after seeing the film. But (most) other Reacher novels are of similar quality or better than the source material for this film. So use this film as a gateway to the Jack Reacher universe.

Fast and clever

[dave-n-pounds · 8/10 · 29 August 2013]

After putting off watching this film as I usually don't enjoy Tom Cruise I was pleasantly surprised. The film has a good twisting plot and Jack Reacher is a mix between James Bond and John McLane from Die Hard. There are some memorable characters and the film draws you in and makes you think. The plot is easy to follow but complex enough to keep you interested without giving you brain ache. In short I liked Jack Reacher and look forward to more films with Jack.

The plot has plenty of fast action scenes which are thankfully not too over the top and keep the pace of the film going. The ending was also well thought out despite the slightly cheesy last few lines. But they do leave the character ready for follow up films.

Poor casting & dialogs

[j-velichkov · 6/10 · 9 June 2014]

I will begin by saying that I have read all Lee Child's novels and even if my idea of how does Jack Reacher look is questionable because subjective, the fact remains that Tom Cruise doesn't have the look or the behavior of Reacher. He is a skilled actor, no doubts about it, and he could play a similar character, but half of the image of JR consists in his appearance and Tom Cruise isn't even close to have it. The other weak point of the movie are the insane dialogs especially those at the end of the movie. Phrases like "Now what" or "Where are you going now" or "What shall do without you" (as examples) at the very end of the movies are good examples of C-rated movies from the 70-80's, but don't have a place in a high speed action-thriller as should have been "Jack Reacher". Dear dialog writers, don't underestimate the audience by writing such idiotic remarks. The only goal achieved in such cases is that the whole impression of the movie is spoiled with three or four misplaced unfortunate phrases. After all this, I can say that the movie is a typical American action-thriller, not bad at all, but has nothing to do with Jack Reacher books or characters. Real shame for all Lee Childs fans.

Introducing a new icon of the action genre...

[sanddragon939 · 10/10 · 29 December 2012]

I'd never read any of the Lee Child 'Jack Reacher' novels so I went in with no particular expectations about the portrayal of this character. But this film can certainly live up to ANY expectations thriller fans might have had of it, in my opinion!

Having seen Tom Cruise as the flamboyant, charming and somewhat Boy Scout-ish Ethan Hunt in the past, its refreshing to see him as someone almost as ruthless and taciturn as Jason Bourne or Daniel Craig's rendition of James Bond. Jack Reacher's appeal doesn't lie in the fact that he's a 'larger than life' figure, or the world's biggest bada##...it lies in the fact that he's a normal, perfectly relatable and very realistic human being, albeit a trained and skilled soldier and detective.

Rosamund Pike does a great job as the lawyer, Helen-a far cry from glamorous 'Bond girls' (one of whom Pike herself has portrayed), and Lara Croft styled action heroines who normally populate the action film genre. Instead she's a three dimensional character with her own doubts, anxieties, convictions and flaws.

One of the great things about this movie is how, without wavering from its narrative, it does highlight several significant real-world issues; ranging from the political debates over gun control, to legal representation for terrorists, to the politics surrounding the actions of military personnel overseas, to the corrupt political-industrial nexus...without necessarily taking sides or trying to come across as being preachy of moralistic.

To sum it up, Jack Reacher is virtually a 'slice of life' piece...albeit, a very dark and grimy slice of life.

Everything is right about this movie!

[prodhomme-alexandre · 8/10 · 11 December 2012]

I was on a private premiere, and didn't read the book. I liked the Usual Suspect and I kinda love the Tom, so I wasn't too skeptical but not too enthusiastic either... And what a surprise! I wanted to do this my first IMDb review because I genuinely enjoyed the movie a lot! It's a clever blend of thriller and an action movie. A bit cheesy sometimes but the plot is good, acting is just right and believable. And not unnecessary too long! Dialog are smooth, not too humorous or cliché, and some action scene are just so vivid! In a time where everything rely so much on CGI, I enjoy a realistic, "old school", approach of the kind! Well... Now I'm looking forward reading the books!