Rating of
2.5/4
An Inconsistent Action-Comedy-Noir
mitchellyoung - wrote on 01/24/13
There's parts of Jack Reacher that are incredible and hint at the great film it could have been. The film's best scenes are neo-noir - echoing Chinatown and The Untouchables. Tom Cruise spits out dark monologues, tinged with sarcastic humor. The film loses its grasp, though, when it devolves into a convoluted and poorly executed plot, which often results in forgettable villains and repetitive exposition. The action scenes are intense and believable and, the film's only consistent draw. The film is never boring, as it bounces along with enough mixture of comedy and action to be entertaining, but, it's the type of film that is easily forgotten after a viewing, with no consistent thematic material, overly compelling performances, or strong visual scenes to stick with the viewer.
