Believe it or not, Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Minority Report) puts in a low-key but commanding performance as the now famous literary character Jack Reacher, known world-wide from the popular books of author Lee Child. I actually liked watching Cruise and what he does with each nuance of his character.
Screenplay writer and director Christopher McQuarrie (Tourist. Valkyrie) took a complicated mystery of a rogue agent and made it seem real enough to truly be a story with viable situations. Cruise does a real good job at being tame, quiet and subtle while at the same time being strong, smart, sharp and ahead of everyone in the game.
Rosamund Pike (Pride and Prejudice, Die Another Day) plays the DA’s daughter who is led to believe one thing that really is another. Her performance against Cruise and her believing him gives the whole movie a visceral feeling to it and again, makes it real.
Richard Jenkins (The Cabin In The Woods, The Visitor) plays Philadelphia’s DA who seems to have another agenda of dealing with the criminals and law that makes his daughter question her own father's loyalties.
Werner Herzog (The Simpsons, The Grand) plays a creepy POW survivor who does more than teach his villainous posse how to torture and kill those who will not comply with his brutal blackmail.
There is a surprise performance by Robert Duvall (Raging Bull, Secondhand Lions) who plays an owner of a firing range who ends up teaming up with Cruise on an impossible mission to help stop the corruption of the legal system while preventing an innocent man from going to jail.
Jack Reacher is suspenseful, well written with has twists and turns that make you as an audience member wonder ‘what the heck is going on here?’. The story is engaging and again, Cruise’s low-key, sharp and smart characterization of Jack Reacher makes the film sleek and smooth.
It was a good film for adventure, action and some intrigue with twist of two mysteries happening at the same time. Not for the young, but a good film none the less!
