Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
(D or 1/4 stars)
I liked 'Jack Reacher' when it hit theaters a few years ago. Don't remember plot details very much, but I remember not hating it and thinking it wasn't a waste of time. Now we have a sequel, 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' (directed by Ed Zwick, Glory, Last Samurai, Blood Diamond -- some of my fave movies) and ... it's crap. The plot kicks-in by re-introducing us to stoic ex-Marine Major Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) learning that Army Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) - who heads his old investigative unit - has been unjustly thrown in prison for espionage. When he appeals to a Judge Advocate in D.C., Jack stumbles on a paternity claim against him, showing that he 'may' have a troublesome 15 yr. old daughter, Samantha (pretty Danika Yarosh).
Living off-the-grid, our hitchhiking loner hero must work with Susan, whom he eventually breaks out of a military prison, & take rebellious Samantha under his wing to unravel a diabolical gov't conspiracy that stretches all the way from Afghanistan and involves a shadowy weapons contractor (Patrick Heusinger) & greasy Gen. Harkness. Jack's search for a peculiar munitions supplier called Parasource takes them down to New Orleans, where he's framed for murder. From there, we have to endure a lot of boring stretches, some movie-star grandstanding, scenes of Jack/Tom kicking butt as a one-man wrecking crew against copious villains all at once, a "climactic" {sighs} rooftop chase above a Halloween parade in the French Quarter, & the ongoing possibility that 15 yr. old Sam could be his daughter. Mehh.
Adapted from the 18th of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books, this crime thriller is a jumbled mess of generic/too-familiar fight sequences, trite dialogue, glacial pacing, poor character development, & plain BORING happenstance. I actually have a hard time coming up with redeeming qualities. I mean, there are a few nice moments early on (the opening diner sequence, some fun/cheeky humor on a plane), but that's about ... it. The script requires many instances where suspension of disbelief is needed and I just couldn't quite go there. The movie looks cheap, as well. Remember the Mardi Gras Day of the Dead carnival parade in Spectre? Super cool. The parade sequence here in New Orleans? Sloppily shot dreck.
Tom Cruise disappointed me, as well. He usually gives 110% in his roles/films, but not here. It was so odd to watch. Sure, he still does his own stunts; he looks great; yadayada. But he's been far more impressive both physically & emotionally elsewhere. Jack Reacher is a joyless character. Tom doesn't sell the relationship btwn. Jack & Sam overly well. And I hate to say it, but so much of this film showcases Tom being "Tom the Great!!!" SO much, that it's distracting. I get it, he's a movie star. I loved the moment when Jack/Tom bashes through a car window with nothing but a salt shaker, etc.. But he's getting older, his ego is bigger, his charisma has faded a touch, they're hiring small people to stand next to him because he's short, & the whole worshipping if Cruise felt palpable to me, really, for the 1st time.
You know, I can't say that 'JR: Never Go Back' - which, by the way, HORRIBLE title - is an altogether putrid movie. It's not flat-out atrocious. I liked seeing 2 female characters having legit bad-ass moments (using resourcefulness & physicality). It's watchable, even though it crraawwwllllls to a conclusion -- good Lord! I give it such a low rating is because it's so crushingly disappointing & monotonously formulaic for what qualifies as 'expectedly decent entertainment'. It is far from decent. It feels like a straight-to-dvd Steven Seagal flick that is bolstered by having Cruise in it. And that Ed Zwick (a director I admire so much) directed it kind of blows my mind. Here is a movie that is both forgettable and one you actually WANT to forget right away.
Living off-the-grid, our hitchhiking loner hero must work with Susan, whom he eventually breaks out of a military prison, & take rebellious Samantha under his wing to unravel a diabolical gov't conspiracy that stretches all the way from Afghanistan and involves a shadowy weapons contractor (Patrick Heusinger) & greasy Gen. Harkness. Jack's search for a peculiar munitions supplier called Parasource takes them down to New Orleans, where he's framed for murder. From there, we have to endure a lot of boring stretches, some movie-star grandstanding, scenes of Jack/Tom kicking butt as a one-man wrecking crew against copious villains all at once, a "climactic" {sighs} rooftop chase above a Halloween parade in the French Quarter, & the ongoing possibility that 15 yr. old Sam could be his daughter. Mehh.
Adapted from the 18th of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books, this crime thriller is a jumbled mess of generic/too-familiar fight sequences, trite dialogue, glacial pacing, poor character development, & plain BORING happenstance. I actually have a hard time coming up with redeeming qualities. I mean, there are a few nice moments early on (the opening diner sequence, some fun/cheeky humor on a plane), but that's about ... it. The script requires many instances where suspension of disbelief is needed and I just couldn't quite go there. The movie looks cheap, as well. Remember the Mardi Gras Day of the Dead carnival parade in Spectre? Super cool. The parade sequence here in New Orleans? Sloppily shot dreck.
Tom Cruise disappointed me, as well. He usually gives 110% in his roles/films, but not here. It was so odd to watch. Sure, he still does his own stunts; he looks great; yadayada. But he's been far more impressive both physically & emotionally elsewhere. Jack Reacher is a joyless character. Tom doesn't sell the relationship btwn. Jack & Sam overly well. And I hate to say it, but so much of this film showcases Tom being "Tom the Great!!!" SO much, that it's distracting. I get it, he's a movie star. I loved the moment when Jack/Tom bashes through a car window with nothing but a salt shaker, etc.. But he's getting older, his ego is bigger, his charisma has faded a touch, they're hiring small people to stand next to him because he's short, & the whole worshipping if Cruise felt palpable to me, really, for the 1st time.
You know, I can't say that 'JR: Never Go Back' - which, by the way, HORRIBLE title - is an altogether putrid movie. It's not flat-out atrocious. I liked seeing 2 female characters having legit bad-ass moments (using resourcefulness & physicality). It's watchable, even though it crraawwwllllls to a conclusion -- good Lord! I give it such a low rating is because it's so crushingly disappointing & monotonously formulaic for what qualifies as 'expectedly decent entertainment'. It is far from decent. It feels like a straight-to-dvd Steven Seagal flick that is bolstered by having Cruise in it. And that Ed Zwick (a director I admire so much) directed it kind of blows my mind. Here is a movie that is both forgettable and one you actually WANT to forget right away.