Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Jack doesn’t waste time. Before the movie even starts, he manages to pacify two guys and bring two more to justice before the opening credits, during which he manages to set up a date with a woman he has only just met. Roughly the first third of the film is a terrific lesson in narrative economy. Neither the characters, who take action instead of making unnecessary speeches, nor the viewers have time to breathe. The only thing that slows Reacher down is the second woman who enters the story, because of whom the protagonist must not only flee from justice and search for the real villain, while at the same time acting as a responsible father figure and giving instructive advice, which does not fit his type of pulp hero at all. Furthermore, the relationships between the characters lack the necessary dynamics due to their weak development and the bland actors who portray them (though the characters are allegedly one of the main reasons the filmmakers chose Never Go Back over approximately twenty of Child’s other books as the source material), so you will have plenty of time to ponder the predictability of the mediocre plot in comparison with the brisk beginning. If you try, you can easily guess how a given scene will turn out. If you try a little harder, you will have no trouble deducing how the whole film will end. As a fine bonus, I welcome the fact that the relationship between Turner and Reacher remains on a professional level (its nature is nicely demonstrated by the fact that neither of them addresses the other’s semi-nudity as they inspect their ragged wounds). The only narrative betrayal, which partially justifies the weakness of the relationship storyline, comes at the very end, when it is necessary to clean the slate and the restore the status quo so that the franchise can continue without disruption. In comparison with the more diligent McQuarrie, Zwick merely fulfilled his commission. A cruel price is paid for this particularly by the interchangeable, quickly and vaguely edited action scenes (only the sound effects provide any kind of orientation), none of which comes close to the bathroom brawl or car chase from the first film. In an era of recycling tried-and-true franchises and making exorbitantly expensive comic book adaptations, I appreciate the fact that someone is taking on a mid-budget 1990s action thriller in which the plot plays a bigger role than spectacular CGI sequences. It may not be so apparent from that how little effort most of those involved put into the attempt to make something worth remembering. Two days after the screening, I’m not sure whether I saw a new Tom Cruise movie or commercials for Washington’s public transportation system and the sports cars that American cops drive. The first Jack Reacher made the most money outside of cinemas (DVD, Blu-ray, VoD). The second one seems to have been intended from the start as a movie to be watched on trains and planes. And that’s a shame. 65%. (10/20/2016)

Zwick took it differently and badly. He seems to have abandoned the main strengths of the first one and serves us a second story of an agent with a mysterious past with a minimal portion of insight, which, however, does not so much play the main role, but only in details dilutes the damn serious note, which is itself the biggest criminal cliché in recent times. Unfortunately, even the screenwriting and framing of the story is first-rate Hollywood cynicism and dullness. In other words, you get all the ills that scripts for ordinary action films have, and as a result, all the twists and attempts fizzle out in the end. It's partly saved by the usually top-notch action Zwick has always been good at, but you'll still miss the slow, frantically unedited brawl from the first episode. Cruise is great, the family element is questionable and brings down the overall rating. After the first one, which caused a solid fan breakdown and there was talk of another agent like Bond and Hunt, came a cold shower and who knows what will happen with the third film. (10/23/2016)

This is a confirmation of the preconception that Zwick has a mastery of kitschy, visually-based, epic stories, but in terms of the thriller genre, he pretty much misses the mark with everything. The first half-hour is pure goodness, as Jack Reacher rides the wave of comedy, with Cruise acting with gusto and outdoes every genre film of recent times with his wit. But when everyone gets serious, when the parental dilemma and the criminal plot take over, Zwick proves pretty clueless, making it look like a bargain-basement spy drama that sort of carefully takes from everywhere but fails to find its own image all the way to the end. The first film was not great in terms of plot, but it captivated me with its unique old-world guy feel. This is filmmaking timelessness that would have fallen into the average in any decade. Much is actually saved by Cruise himself, who for perhaps the first time in his career is seen to have really aged. And surprisingly, also by Cobie Smulders, who has broken free from the snares of television and the comic book cult and projects a surprising amount of feminine charm and military charisma into an interchangeable character. I want a more distinctive director for the third film. PS: The airport check-in is a unique filmmaker lapse of logic. (10/19/2016)

After the previous installment, a descent into mediocrity. Granted, in addition to the standard running race, the viewer is also offered parkour, but also a stinking pile of action movie clichés on top of that. In order to beat the main villain, the hero must first get his ass kicked properly, the only move you know how to do will get you out of a tight spot, et cetera. I was also annoyed by the family play on emotions and the filmmakers’ attempt to convince me that after a head-on collision with a wall, all it takes is to clear your throat twice and your body instantly regenerates. I had to double-check if the film wasn’t directed by Jean-Claude van Damme. (04/13/2017)

The first film definitely has its issues (the first half without tension, a number of unexplained things at the end), but so does this one, so I did not really notice any major qualitative drop. Perhaps only Kreamer's musical motif was a bit lacking for me, and the main villain could have been more charismatic. However, Tom Cruise is still convincing, Edward Zwick knows how to do the action and the other scenes, and that made me like the final restaurant unraveling in addition to the night shootout. (04/23/2017)