Movie Review- Jack Reacher
Jan. 1st, 2013 08:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bedsitter23I haven't been excited about a Tom Cruise movie in awhile (and despite MI3's box office, I really don't think America has either), but I thought the trailer for this looked good (Okay, I kinda liked Tom Cruise in Rock of Ages. Thoughts about the film aside, his was a fun role).
The movie wasn't quite what I expected from the trailers, but it was close enough. They also gave away the best scene in the trailer, but at the end of the day, I don't think I have a problem with that.
The theater was packed, which confirms that Cruise made a hit here. Cruise plays someone who is out to do good but uses above-the-law methods accomplish that. What the trailers don't have is that the story revolves around a bad-guy sniper- a fact that unintentionally works against the movie. Not enough time has passed that we can comfortably watch villians who shoot innocent women and children.
All that said, this movie is as good as one would hope from the previews. It is a thriller that works well in bringing the suspense and the action. In all those aspects, I felt it succeeded.
I think Cruise works well in this role. He portrays a character that is smugly confident and maybe just a bit off. He is also armed with some really good one-liners. It is a character and a portrayal that I found more likeable and lasting than Cruise's M:I persona (and is helped by being down-to-earth as opposed to the gadgetry of the Mission movies).
It does go over the top at times, though in these types of movies you are usually stuck with a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. Nor can you say (as good as this movie is) that this movie could have been even better with a stronger lead.
Also, a word must say about Robert Duvall, who has an enjoyable part of the action.
Overall, a very, very good movie. It is a strong enough story (sniper plot notwithstanding) that should build a franchise, and be good for Cruise's career. An enjoyable thriller with a compelling plot, unending action and some great quotes. It's not an 'instant classic' or a movie that will change the genre forever, but it is as good as you hoped it would be.
The movie wasn't quite what I expected from the trailers, but it was close enough. They also gave away the best scene in the trailer, but at the end of the day, I don't think I have a problem with that.
The theater was packed, which confirms that Cruise made a hit here. Cruise plays someone who is out to do good but uses above-the-law methods accomplish that. What the trailers don't have is that the story revolves around a bad-guy sniper- a fact that unintentionally works against the movie. Not enough time has passed that we can comfortably watch villians who shoot innocent women and children.
All that said, this movie is as good as one would hope from the previews. It is a thriller that works well in bringing the suspense and the action. In all those aspects, I felt it succeeded.
I think Cruise works well in this role. He portrays a character that is smugly confident and maybe just a bit off. He is also armed with some really good one-liners. It is a character and a portrayal that I found more likeable and lasting than Cruise's M:I persona (and is helped by being down-to-earth as opposed to the gadgetry of the Mission movies).
It does go over the top at times, though in these types of movies you are usually stuck with a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. Nor can you say (as good as this movie is) that this movie could have been even better with a stronger lead.
Also, a word must say about Robert Duvall, who has an enjoyable part of the action.
Overall, a very, very good movie. It is a strong enough story (sniper plot notwithstanding) that should build a franchise, and be good for Cruise's career. An enjoyable thriller with a compelling plot, unending action and some great quotes. It's not an 'instant classic' or a movie that will change the genre forever, but it is as good as you hoped it would be.
