Movie Review: Jack Reacher

Jack Reacher

1. Short review: 

2. Long review:
2.1. What I liked: Tom Cruise's performance: 'He looked little and pissed-off.' (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)

2.2. What I did not like: The bad guys' motivation was not clear to me. Money? Geez, in this world, if you got money and want more, get a McDonald's franchise. Or a Starbucks.

2.3. Who I think is the audience: Everyone.

2.4. Is the movie appropriate for children to see? Yes, with a caveat. There is violence, but the personal violence is movie violence: gunshots with no spatter and no blood. However, there is a sniper shooting that is replayed several times. Your call.

2.5. On the basis of viewing this movie, will I pay to see the sequel? Yes, I will pay to see another Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise.

2.6. Rating and the plot in a nutshell:

2.6.1. How I rate movies:
-- I want my money back.
-- Worth a rental, not more. 
-- Worth first-run theater price once. <-- Jack Reacher
-- I will pay first-run theater price to see it again. 

Running time: 130 minutes.

2.6.2. The plot in a nutshell:

     Mass sniper shooting in Pittsburg. Cops arrest suspect. Asked for a confession, the suspect writes 'GET JACK REACHER' on a tablet.
     Jack Reacher shows up. Investigates the incident for suspect's defense attorney. Uncovers nefarious plot. Kills all the bad guys. Leaves town.

2.7. Other:

     I saw this on pay-per-view. I liked it. 
     Kristine Kathryn Rusch noted that Jack Reacher found a poor reception among fans of the Lee Child books. Evidently they were upset because 5'8" Cruise was chosen to portray a 6'5" character.
     I have not read any of the Jack Reacher books, so I had no expectations about the man's size. But thinking about it, if the guy is 6'5" I expect him to be capable of handling himself in a brawl. At 5'8", it comes as a brutal surprise.
     There were three fistfights in the movie. In the first, Reacher took on five toughs and sent three to hospital. The last two escaped that fate by running away.
     Cruise brought the attitude of Reacher out on the screen. He looked bored by the prospect of a fight with five toughs. To get the fight started, he even said, "Look, it's getting late." When the fists flew, he savaged his opponents. No Marquess of Queensberry rules for him. He dealt each blow to stun or disable. Kudos to whomever choreographed that fight.
     The movie's bad press persuaded me to avoid it in the theaters. That's too bad. I enjoyed it.
     YMMV.

2.8. Links:
IMDb review
Rotten Tomatoes review