Director: Ed Zwick
By Alex Watson
The First installment was an accomplished ride with plenty of thrills. With Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, new director, Ed Zwick (who also directed Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai) comes the closest to capturing Reacher's book persona. Many complained loudly about Tom Cruise's casting as the ex-army man, but this movie only proves what an inspired choice he was. Despite a great Cruise turn, a poor central story fails to give audiences the same kind of excitement.
When Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) assists the army in apprehending a wanted suspect, he makes the acquaintance of Major Susan Turner. When he makes a visit to D.C he finds that Turner has been arrested for espionage. When he starts digging deeper into the case, Reacher suddenly finds himself accused of murder. To clear his and Turner's name he busts her out of jail and goes on the run. Soon it becomes clear that this corruption plot cuts close to home.
Zwick kicks start Jack Reacher: Never Go Back in terrific style as we open on Reacher alone in a diner with four men lying beaten up outside. Sipping his coffee without a care in the world, our hero then proceeds to inform the smug sheriff that in the next 90 seconds a phone will ring and he will be the one wearing the cuffs. His early phone calls to Turner (who has become his replacement in the military police) wouldn't look out of place in a new age romantic comedy, when he finally fulfills his promise of visiting her in Washington, that's where Zwick decides to change tracks. When he discovers that Turner has been arrested, his old detective instincts kick in and quickly it becomes clear that something fishy is going on. When they attempt to arrest him for the murder of Turner's lawyer, his suspicions are swiftly confirmed.
Aside from a lot of scenes featuring this man running around, this sequel does pose a question as to how men like Reacher really survive? This film introduces 15-year-old Samantha (Danika Yarosh) who may or may not be Reacher daughter. Throughout the picture we see him playing protector to this young troublemaker while wrestling with his inner conflict. Years of drifting around have given this guy a lack of ability to settle down, could this girl be key to living a normal life? He argues constantly with Turner and Samantha on their road trip and struggles to keep his cool. His reasons for abandoning the army are still ambiguous "I woke up one morning and the uniform didn't fit" he tells Turner in the beginning. His former employers have also laid a nasty surprise for him as a clause in discharge allows them to reactivate him and also arrest him.
Despite being a fun and entertainment blockbuster, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is let down by a weak central plot involving a dull corruption scandal involving military contractors led by General James Harkness (Robert Knepper). While surprises lie around every corner, they fail to excite quite like The Zec plot line in the first film. When the action switches to New Orleans, even setting the last act during the annual Halloween celebrations doesn't provide sufficient enjoyment. Instead, we are stuck watching Reacher and company hopping across rooftops trying to evade the least threatening blockbuster villain The Hunter (Patrick Heusinger) who seems to do little more than just wear black and beat people to a pulp. Ed Zwick does his best but cannot match the stellar work that Christopher McQuarrie brought us last time. Though this character seems to be making his presence felt on the big screen and we can expect another outing for the 'Ex-Major'.
Tom Cruise is what gives this Zwick's movie its strength and when it comes to anchoring big money projects, look no further than this guy. Many die-hard Reacher fans complained he was too small to play this guy but Cruise captures his gruff attitude and hard-nosed detection and Never Go Back feels like he wearing the shoes comfortably. Mission: Impossible might still be his calling card, but with enough time Jack Reacher could be equally strong.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a good ride if you just want some big screen fun, but Lee Child fans might not be so pleased.
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