Jack Reacher (2012)

Title: Jack Reacher

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, and Richard Jenkins

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2012

Personal Rating: 3.5/5

Oscars: N/A

Plot:  A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims.
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Better Than I Expected
I don't have anything against Tom Cruise. I don't agree with his beliefs but his acting is removed from that. He is able to deliver a good action movie and that's all I really care about. Tom does a great job in making Jack Reacher a smart and action-oriented character. I don't know if I'd call Jack a 'good' character, though. The pacing, action, and characters are all enjoyable. I haven't read One Shot so I can't compare the movie to book.

Bathroom Fight Scene
For the most part Jack is shown to be clever and able to pay attention to his surroundings. For this reason the Bathroom Fight Scene is very unusual in that it breaks that image of Jack. Now a character shouldn't be so powerful that he/she can't make mistakes. But two bumbling idiots presenting a challenge to Jack when they aren't as good as him is...confusing. The scene, when taken in the viewpoint as being removed from the rest of the movie, is pretty good. Making you laugh and then smile when Jack finally beats his two attackers.

The Mystery
Of course who is pointed out as the killer in the beginning doesn't turn out to be the killer in the end. Instead, there are a lot of twist and turns to go through. They're fun and show how smart Jack is. He isn't there just to fire a gun but also to out think his attackers and eventual blackmailers. I figured who the traitor was when Helen has a discussion with her father. Of course Jack had to narrow things down for me to even begin to hope to figure it out.

Final Thoughts
I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. I knew Tom Cruise would be good but wasn't sure the rest of the movie would hold up. If you're looking for a movie to have fun with this is a good one. Is it a good adaptation of One Shot? I don't know and, since I'm reading Under the Dome by Stephen King, it might be a little awhile until I'm able to get to it.