Jack Reacher
OK so our next big DVD release is Jack Reacher . I would would like to start off to say Jack Reacher is one of those movies that did not need to star Tom Cruise. Jack Reacher is a reasonably popular book about a rogue veteran that can kick some ass. He is supposed to be this big, powerful, but smart detective that is capable of making you eat your teeth. Reminds you of the Arkham City Batman doesn't it?
OK so our next big DVD release is Jack Reacher . I would would like to start off to say Jack Reacher is one of those movies that did not need to star Tom Cruise. Jack Reacher is a reasonably popular book about a rogue veteran that can kick some ass. He is supposed to be this big, powerful, but smart detective that is capable of making you eat your teeth. Reminds you of the Arkham City Batman doesn't it?
Cast and Crew
Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise and is directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Now while McQuarrie's directing talent may not be reputable; he directed MI5: Ghost Protocol, The way of the Gun and Jack Reacher; does McQuarrie have a good career in writing screenplays? NO McQuarrie wrote the screenplay to Wolverine Origins, the Marvel movie that has generated as much fan hate as Dare Devil. And he also wrote 'The Tourist' a movie that absolutely wasted the acting talent of both Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. But he also contributed his talent to 'The Usual Suspects' and 'Valkyrie' and those moves are not bad at all. The supporting cast consists of David Oyelowo, Rosemund Pike, and Richard Jenkins.
Story
The story of Jack Reacher is just simple. Bad guy does bad thing, Jack Reacher reaches around to find the real underlying plot. Jack Reacher is no normal cop, he is a military cop and he investigates murders committed by trained killers and this gives him an edge.So this movie starts off with a pretty heavy scene that is sort of cliche but executed ehh....well. All you know from the trailer that there is a pretty evil guy out there in this world. The intro kind of gives you a promise that you are in for a serious ride and then the movie happens. You meet bland characters doing bland things and making bland assumptions until a bland Jack Reacher comes into town and shows them all that they are umm..bland. You have to understand, when when someone does something evil in a movie, the audience is supposed to feel something! If Russians blow up a mall, or aliens attack a city (Pointing a hateful finger at you, BATTLESHIP) , or terrortists shoot up a school (none of these events happen in this movie) I am supposed to feel something. I am supposed to say out loud 'that's f*%$3d up'. But when I saw this ...I went...Eh..
The Performances
Now the supporting cast was not bad at all. There is some acting talent in this movie but they had to do what they could with the script and story they were handed. I think David Oyelowo did a good job of not looking like that cliche' cop that he was casted to be. Now the villains, oh these villains are funny. You get your standard generic prime time TV bad guy in Jack Reacher.
The real problem to me is that Tom Cruise doesn't...fit this role. I could see a Christian Bale (not because of Batman either), or a Bruce Willis playing this role. Jack Reacher is supposed to be a bad ass, and we have grown up watching Tom Cruise play the golden boy roles. That is where the story fails. When Reacher is walking around figuring everything out Sherlock Style, you don't believe his performance the way you believe Robert Downy Jr. in the Holmes movies. When you watch the action, Jack does NOT look bad ass until the very last fight....Time to talk about these villains
Now the supporting cast was not bad at all. There is some acting talent in this movie but they had to do what they could with the script and story they were handed. I think David Oyelowo did a good job of not looking like that cliche' cop that he was casted to be. Now the villains, oh these villains are funny. You get your standard generic prime time TV bad guy in Jack Reacher.
The real problem to me is that Tom Cruise doesn't...fit this role. I could see a Christian Bale (not because of Batman either), or a Bruce Willis playing this role. Jack Reacher is supposed to be a bad ass, and we have grown up watching Tom Cruise play the golden boy roles. That is where the story fails. When Reacher is walking around figuring everything out Sherlock Style, you don't believe his performance the way you believe Robert Downy Jr. in the Holmes movies. When you watch the action, Jack does NOT look bad ass until the very last fight....Time to talk about these villains
The generic terrorists and bad guys are funnier onscreen than an 80s bond movie. These guys are idiots. You will find yourself asking "How the hell are idiots like this supposed to be professional killers?" Have you ever seen your friend play a game on easy mode and they have all the codes turned on. Your friend sucks at the game, but the enemies suck more and your friend is just wasting EVERYTHING. That is Jack Reacher; a washed up 45 year old with basic common sense skills that flew to a city that the government ships all of our ...slower...special...people to govern themselves. He makes common sense connections that the...special...people see as genius and becomes the hero. Why am I being so tough on this movie? Because there are critics out there that called the twist of this movie, a TWIST, the so called 'twist' was more obvious than a twist in a Pixar movie.
The Rating
Now it is time for my rating... Is Jack Reacher trash? No, if this were a straight to DVD or Netflix title I would be more forgiving to this movie. I am judging the acting, writing, and directing talent behind the movie. The Director of MI5, does have talent with his cinematography, there are some cool shots, and a chase scene that was not too bad. However, I have to judge this as a whole, the story, the acting, and the mistreatment of a fairly popular Novel is unforgivable. It is obvious that someone behind this movie was in it for a quick buck off of the name of Cruise. I really hope to see some better work by Cruise later this year..
Now it is time for my rating... Is Jack Reacher trash? No, if this were a straight to DVD or Netflix title I would be more forgiving to this movie. I am judging the acting, writing, and directing talent behind the movie. The Director of MI5, does have talent with his cinematography, there are some cool shots, and a chase scene that was not too bad. However, I have to judge this as a whole, the story, the acting, and the mistreatment of a fairly popular Novel is unforgivable. It is obvious that someone behind this movie was in it for a quick buck off of the name of Cruise. I really hope to see some better work by Cruise later this year..
Jack Reacher, you were a
FOUL
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