MOVIE OF THE WEEK #2 (12/21/12): JACK REACHER
"All right ... Anyone else got something to say about my spirituality or ex-wives?!!" Tom Cruise stands tall as the titular character in a scene from Christopher McQuarrie's adaption of Lee Child's novel "One Shot" in JACK REACHER. Credit: Suzanne Hanover © 2012 Universal Pictures, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Robert Duvall, Warner Herzog, Jai Courtney, Alexia Fast and Joseph Sikora
WRITER(S): Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay); Lee Child (novel, One Shot on which the movie is based)
DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie
WEB SITE: www.jackreachermovie.com/
THE PLOT: Based on Lee Child's novel One Shot, Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise as its titular character, a former Army investigator who is completely off the grid with no cell phone, no credit cards, no known address and basically no record - save for his military files - that he really exists.
Pittsburgh defense attorney Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), however, quickly learns of his existence when Emerson (David Oweloyo), tries to get Barr (Joseph Sikora) to confess to a horrible crime: The murder of five people seemingly at random via a sniper rifle just outside PNC Park in Pittsburgh. But instead, Emerson is handed a note by his suspect with just three words on it: "Get Jack Reacher."
While Emerson and D.A. (Richard Jenkins) - who also just happens to be Helen's father - are convinced they have an open-and-shut case against Barr based on the evidence, Reacher arrives on the scene and starts noticing that things may not be as they appear. But as Reacher starts to discover more details about the case, the mysterious Reacher turns the case on its head ...
But the closer he gets, the more it becomes apparent someone might be ready to put a price on his ...
THE TAKE: Is it safe to say Tom Cruise's personal comeback is complete? That was the first thing that went through my mind upon watching Jack Reacher, for no matter what happens for the foreseeable future, his well-publicized past troubles remain fresh in the public's collective conscious. (Of course, one could be said that the public is over it and it's only still in their minds because people like myself in the blogosphere keep bringing them up, but ... I have nothing. Anyway ...)
While public opinion on the man and his private life may still be up in the air, there is - nor has there ever been - any question about the man's talent to captivate a screen. And with Jack Reacher, Cruise once again shows why he can command an audience's attention with ease. The film finds Cruise at his best physically and emotionally, convincingly taking on the role of leather jacketed action hero with humorous aplomb but enough seriousness to never, ever be taken lightly.
Not to be outdone, Rosamund Pike does an excellent job playing Helen, making her character both smart yet vulnerable, helping bring out the qualities in Cruise's character well. The same could be said - albeit in a much more limited (both due to the story and the actor) capacity - about Oweloyo's performance as Emerson, although some of that may be due to a bad bit of foreshadowing by screenwriter/director Christopher McQuarrie.
If I do have a quarrel with McQuarrie (try saying that three times fast), that would be it as save for that slight problem, Jack Reacher comes together in a diet-Bourne Conspiracy like fashion that works. While the film is nowhere near the level of the first two films in that series, it does establish itself well enough that if and when the inevitable sequel(s) hit theaters, you'll likely smile instead of groan. With enough twists, turns and intelligently-presented intrigue to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, Jack Reacher reaches its overall goal: To create another film franchise for Cruise and audiences looking for a new hero to follow that doesn't have a British accent.
Pittsburgh defense attorney Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), however, quickly learns of his existence when Emerson (David Oweloyo), tries to get Barr (Joseph Sikora) to confess to a horrible crime: The murder of five people seemingly at random via a sniper rifle just outside PNC Park in Pittsburgh. But instead, Emerson is handed a note by his suspect with just three words on it: "Get Jack Reacher."
While Emerson and D.A. (Richard Jenkins) - who also just happens to be Helen's father - are convinced they have an open-and-shut case against Barr based on the evidence, Reacher arrives on the scene and starts noticing that things may not be as they appear. But as Reacher starts to discover more details about the case, the mysterious Reacher turns the case on its head ...
But the closer he gets, the more it becomes apparent someone might be ready to put a price on his ...
THE TAKE: Is it safe to say Tom Cruise's personal comeback is complete? That was the first thing that went through my mind upon watching Jack Reacher, for no matter what happens for the foreseeable future, his well-publicized past troubles remain fresh in the public's collective conscious. (Of course, one could be said that the public is over it and it's only still in their minds because people like myself in the blogosphere keep bringing them up, but ... I have nothing. Anyway ...)
While public opinion on the man and his private life may still be up in the air, there is - nor has there ever been - any question about the man's talent to captivate a screen. And with Jack Reacher, Cruise once again shows why he can command an audience's attention with ease. The film finds Cruise at his best physically and emotionally, convincingly taking on the role of leather jacketed action hero with humorous aplomb but enough seriousness to never, ever be taken lightly.
Not to be outdone, Rosamund Pike does an excellent job playing Helen, making her character both smart yet vulnerable, helping bring out the qualities in Cruise's character well. The same could be said - albeit in a much more limited (both due to the story and the actor) capacity - about Oweloyo's performance as Emerson, although some of that may be due to a bad bit of foreshadowing by screenwriter/director Christopher McQuarrie.
If I do have a quarrel with McQuarrie (try saying that three times fast), that would be it as save for that slight problem, Jack Reacher comes together in a diet-Bourne Conspiracy like fashion that works. While the film is nowhere near the level of the first two films in that series, it does establish itself well enough that if and when the inevitable sequel(s) hit theaters, you'll likely smile instead of groan. With enough twists, turns and intelligently-presented intrigue to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, Jack Reacher reaches its overall goal: To create another film franchise for Cruise and audiences looking for a new hero to follow that doesn't have a British accent.
PARTING SHOT: An action film that puts as much effort into its story/acting as much as it does its shootouts and car chases, Jack Reacher is a holiday treat for those who would looking to watch somone kick ass instead of singing Christmas carols.
RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):
Comments
Post a Comment