Jack Reacher

I’m really not surprised that Tom wanted to play Reacher, even though a 7-foot muscleman would have suited the part better. In any case, he plays marvelously (as if he were making fun of it all in some places), this type of guy suits him. A precisely built up story, emphasis on dialogs and hilarious one-liners. McQuarrie’s firm hand safely delivers One Shot to the desired destination. A little too slowly, unfortunately and there probably won’t be a sequel. Shame. - You think? - All the time. You should try it. (04/19/2013)

This was great! It’s a fantastic genre film, which sprinkles one cliché after another in such a cadence that I snorted with joy for two hours. The film works in every conceivable way, from the (un)predictable story, the fitting music, and the hero’s catchphrases, to a few scenes that want to be quoted time after time (the opening, the bathroom, the chase, and even the rainy ending). This isn’t going to be the only movie theater screening. (01/02/2013)

I have to admit that even though I like Tom Cruise and action movies, I didn’t find Jack Reacher interesting at all when it launched in cinemas. I don’t even know why. In the end, I decided to watch it and I have to say that when it comes to action scenes, I haven’t seen a better movie. The main problem is the story. It starts our pretty interesting, but I somehow couldn’t get in sync with the intimate mood that follows the opening scene. Also, Tom isn’t a character I would grow very fond of at first sight. Well and there’s nobody else in the movie who could accomplish that. About halfway through the movie, I was getting pretty bored. But that was only until the scene with the Chevrolet Camaro. If nothing else, this scene was overflowing with energy in a way that I haven’t seen in any action scene in a long time. Too bad Jack Reacher isn’t the type I would love to go out and grab a beer with. He might convince me with his next movie. (01/13/2014)

I can’t remember seeing a movie which was be so likable, while at the same time undermining itself so much. The “good honest" thriller style of the 90’s has gone out of fashion, so every attempt to revive it is nice to see. Reacher has the advantage that despite being serious it doesn’t take itself too seriously which is even more admirable if we take into account the casting of Cruise who is certainly not the right person for the role of charismatic guys reeking of testosterone. Also worth mentioning is the cool directing (and that’s not just because of the opening eight minute taciturn sequence) and the emphasis on action scenes which aren’t over the top and involving cheating using CGI effects. Against that, it’s needlessly long. Not that there are unnecessary scenes, but many are longer that they should be and would be more suitable in the cut scenes section on the DVD/Blu-ray. Then there is the predictability of the plot which shifts the meaning of that word onto a completely new level (and it’s nothing to do with the fact that, for some weird reason, we know from the opening scene that this time Barr is innocent). The “who and how" is clear from the very beginning and very soon the “why" becomes apparent too, but the characters find out only after a good seventy minutes. And the biggest mistake you can make is to hire a (non)actor with one of the most charismatic voices on the planet for the role of arch villain, and then to use him as no more than an extra and in just two scenes. Otherwise I was satisfied and hopefully for number two the authors will learn from their mistakes. (04/09/2013)

You'd think they could always have gotten Nicolas Cage, since he must always be available. Instead, however, they pass the baton to Richard Krajčo's reject hobbit brother, who channels Langdon, the Equalizer, and that fighting guru with his heart in the right place, Michael Jai White, and mixes them all together with the kind of guy who goes on a castle tour and constantly snorts mockingly at every sentence the tour guide utters. It's a film so monumentally lacking in charisma that even Rosamund Pike rolls her cleavage on the table out of boredom, just to give the viewer motivation to sit through the scene. When a bunch of frenetic humor starts coming out of nowhere, it's like someone making fart noises with their armpits at their parents' funeral, and I've forgotten to mention the action scenes, which have no concept or choreography whatsoever, but are dominated by the kind of exposition that puts Ben Hur to shame. And most importantly, I don't know, but if according to the ratings this film really offers that whiff of the "good old-fashioned decent" crime film that makes every one and a half people here clutch at their hearts, I don't understand the low rating of Road House, which it kept reminded me of. (04/27/2015)