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Jack Reacher

Posted: 12.28.2012 at 4:21 PM

Chris Kennison writes the Critics Corner.

Read more: Entertainment, Critics Corner

“Jack Reacher” is based on a 2005 novel called “One Shot” in which the title character, Jack Reacher, is a drifter and former military police officer who has elite skills. Having no knowledge of the character or the book series, I am seeing this movie without any prior knowledge of what the character is supposed to be. Many of the loyal fans are upset about the casting of Tom Cruise.

Apparently, in the novel, Reacher is intended to be homeless looking, 6’5” tall and blonde. Tom Cruise is none of those. Although the author, Lee Child, has been known to say, “Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way. With another actor you might get 100% of the height but only 90% of Reacher. With Tom, you'll get 100% of Reacher with 90% of the height.” That being said, I completely understand what he’s talking about.

“Jack Reacher” is without question something that will continuously peek your interest. Never a dull moment, it is part mystery, part legal drama, part action flick and part comedy. The comedy is rare, but there. In light of recent incidents, the subject matter may be touch to watch, but it also adds to the distain for the villains. The movie starts out with 6 people gunned down in Pittsburgh by a sniper. Much of the setup is told without dialogue and it effectively sucks you into a mystery. The best part about “Reacher” is that the movie allows you, the audience, to play along, figuring things out along with Reacher. The clues are uncharacteristically plentiful but Reacher looks at things a completely different way.

I’m not gonna judge “Reacher” based on the books, but on the movie, and it is good. It the kind of movie you can’t take your eyes off of, for fear of missing something. It is the kind of action movie that movies like “Alex Cross” should have been. It is the kind of action movie that proves Tom Cruise to be one of the best action stars we have today. He’s become such a great action movie actor, that he makes the cast of “Expendables 1 & 2” look like has-beens. Sorry, but Tom Cruise’s action movies have substance and acting chops. There are no Bruce Willis’ hanging from F-15’s or endless gunfire. He doesn’t just blow things up and shoot things up, he has a brain, and so do his movies.

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