Review of Jack Reacher (2012) by Marcdoyle — 24 Dec 2012

I haven't laughed so hard in an action flick in a long while. My midnight show crowd was fairly raucous with the laughs, and there were plenty of oohs/aahs during the driving/fighting sequences, so I'm guessing this is more of a target demo film than one for the critics, who seem pretty evenly divided.

It has a hard-edged pulpy feel to it - and it keeps you thinking throughout. The opening sequence is particularly brutal - it's understandable why the studio cancelled the premiere in light of the recent school shootings.

Tom Cruise does an effective job in the lead (I have no frame of reference with the source material, incidentally, so the complaints over his casting are lost on me). Rosamund Pike is excellent - she needs to be in more films that require some range instead of doing the next Wrath of the Titans sequel.

And Robert Duvall - it's great to see him make an appearance, even in a small role. The end left me with slightly mixed feelings, but on the whole, I enjoyed the thrill ride.