Review of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) by Axet — 22 Oct 2016

The first one of these was under-rated and a decent entry in this genre (8). This time, though it begins well, unfortunately it devolves into a highly formulaic trudge through which drags badly in the second half. Director Zwick on board this time for his family values touch wasn't a bad idea. The problem as much as anything is sheer over-saturation of drawn out formula plotting in all these efforts.

As far as Cruise, like always he's good and will almost pull you through the seen it all before proceedings here. And unlike the abominably bad "Jason Bourne" for example (which does not get nearly the wrath that worthless junk deserves), Cruise towers over Damon as a star and makes this kind of similar action fare with much hand to hand combat and typical over-the-top gunplay much more amusing and even sometimes funny compared to the one dimensional dour Bourne franchise. This movie is also crafted in classical Hollywood manner and therefore trounces that phony cheap handheld consumer level poorly shot documentary simulated rubbish posing as edgy state-of-the-art realism that the stupid filmmakers of the last Bourne so-called film erroneously believe to be engaging to an audience when if the audience and jackass critics were honest, they would clearly and emphatically label as pure s---. At least this movie doesn't annoy the s--- out of you.