‘Jack Reacher’ not a reach

“Jack Reacher”
Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material
Runtime: 130 minutes
Release date: December 21
Rating: Decent action flick.

Karen Ballard

(Left to right) Tom Cruise is Reacher and Robert Duvall is Cash in Jack Reacher, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions

Karen Ballard

Tom Cruise is Reacher in Jack Reacher, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.

Karen Ballard

Tom Cruise is Reacher in Jack Reacher, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.

Karen Ballard

(Left to right) Tom Cruise is Reacher, Lee Child is desk sergeant and Rosamund Pike is Helen in Jack Reacher, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions.

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a big Tom Cruise (“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”) fan. In fact, unless he’s in the hands of a good director, he usually annoys me.

But putting all that aside, “Jack Reacher” surprised me.

What’s good about this film has nothing to do with Cruise. He’s still high on himself and really needs to stop whatever he’s doing to his face to make it look like he’s not aging. It’s getting kind of creepy.

The film has a good action story. It reminded me of the action dramas we all loved in the 1980s that had a bit of comedy thrown in.

“Jack Reacher” is based on the book “One Shot,” part of a series by Lee Child. There are 18 books in the “Jack Reacher” series so a sequel or two is a possibility.

Reacher is a former Army detective who winds up helping an attorney investigate her client’s innocence. Along the way, action sequences take place and a conspiracy is uncovered.

Reacher, who is typically a loner, is now drawn in to discover the truth and get the bad guys.

Parts of the film were overacted and the drama overintensified but that’s kind of the norm for this kind of film. It’s more about the fights and car chases than the acting.

The plot twists aren’t really surprising, but the story is compelling enough to draw you in.

The film begins with a sniper shooting at a crowd of innocent people. Because of recent events, I’m not sure any of us are ready to watch that sort of thing right now. Some in the audience even gasped at points during that sequence. I hope Hollywood is more sensitive to that in the future.

Rosamund Pike (“Wrath of the Titans”) plays the defense attorney with spunk but, like in most of her films, her performance is a bit emotionless.

The film hits its high mark when Robert Duvall (“Crazy Heart”) appears on screen. His mix of gruff realism and humor are perfect for his role.

Audiences might feel nostalgic seeing Cruise and Duvall back on screen again like they were in the racing film “Days of Thunder.” The two still have great chemistry.

Richard Jenkins (“Killing Them Softly”) and David Oyelowo (“Lincoln”) also star in the film.

It’s a decent action flick and a fun time at the movies.

Becca Owsley can be reached at (270) 505-1741 or bowsley@thenewsenterprise.com. For movie reviews visit her reporter page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Becca-Owsley/96924584861.

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