Review of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) by J W — 11 Feb 2017

Cliched, frustrating and fatally boring. Tom Cruise returns as Jack Reacher, yet another vague military man that doesn't play by the rules, to deliver a performance that is so by the book that it could be considered plagiarism. His task this time is to help Major Susan Turner, Colbie Smulders, clear her name and bring justice to the bad guys. The movie struggles to convince us that they have chemistry, but Cruise's characters are always too distant and blank to have chemistry with anyone. In the end, as expected, their relationship leads nowhere and is over by the time the credits roll. The two of them are joined by 15 year old Samantha Dayton, played by Danika Yarosh, who may or may not be Reacher's daughter(She' not). Dayton is supposed to be a streetwise, smart aleck kid that exists humanize Reacher but is a complete drag and agonizingly stupid. (How does she not know that the people can track you through your cell phone and credit card?!) For an action movie, the fight scenes are almost the worst part. They are predictable at best and packed full with Cruise's trademark running.

There is no reason a low budget action movie can't be innovative and fun. Audiences did not come for huge CGI spectacle and oscar worthy sophistication. They were promised a lean, fast paced, thriller and this Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is not that.