Jack Reacher 2012

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Writer: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner Herzog

Its a Tom Cruise special. Hooray! All the elements are here: gratuitous violence, pretty vulnerable females, a touch of Americana, and a clear cut definition of the greater good. All these bits and pieces are seamlessly woven to give us another example of why Tom Cruise is our man, a hero for the ages, a timeless God among mortals.

This particular Cruise piece is good clean fun. You get your action, your plot twists, a hint of chemistry (but just a hint), even some junk food for thought, all wrapped in the high production Hollywood package that blockbusters are made of. Somehow, even though I am not a Tom Cruise fan, I just can’t help but enjoy a thrilling, fun, and just shy of campy movie like this. Although everyone brought their A game, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall and David Oyelowo were particularly perfect casts, making the plot seem pretty darn plausible.

Subliminally, this movie hopefully does one more important thing. In an age when the American people long for a simpler time when the lines of good and evil were clear and a safe homeland was without question, any movie that gives a glimmer of hope or humor by keeping the flame of fantasy alive is not necessarily a bad thing. What a lovely subconscious seed planted in viewers minds that we live in a country where one can still grab a row of seats in the back of a Greyhound, remove shoes and socks, and nap for a long ride. We can all rest easy knowing Tom Cruise is somewhere being a hero for us all…or at least playing one in a flick.

Actors Performance: Solid. A

Direction: Solid. A

Cinematography: Solid. A

Production Value: Not Bad. B+

Script: Strong. A

Final Bitch: If This Genre Is Your Thing. A-