Storyline
Jack Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear his name. On the run as a fugitive from the law, Reacher uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever.
"Never Go Back"? Shouldn't have. Let's be fair, it's not a bad film, it's just very middle of the road. For me the main problem is the director - Zwick has made some great movies in the past (Glory, Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai), but he's just not as good an action filmmaker as McQuarrie. So, all the cheesy bits of writing feel tacky, misjudged and amateur, instead of tongue-in-cheek and fun.
The cast - Cruise is Cruise, he never changes. Despite the backlash, I actually thought he did pretty well in the first Jack Reacher film, he's tough and brutal as he should be. This time, he doesn't have that same power, and I think the film would've benefited from someone with more physical presence. Smulders also does fairly well with her character, though it's fair to say she's massively underwritten as the good soldier who wants justice for her murdered men and ends up being a mother figure. Even Yarosh isn't too bad as the problematic youth, though sometimes it was hard to take her seriously when she was being a feisty teen. The chemistry between the core three was fairly believable too, unlike the awful villainy hounding them.
A big problem is the story. There's really very little mystery or suspense - why are they being set up? Who's the real killer? We should be more interested in the answers to those questions, but actually I couldn't care less. We also know who the primary antagonist is from near the start, so the rest of the film is just a slightly dull cat and mouse game with sporadically decent fight scenes.
"Never Go Back"? Shouldn't have. Let's be fair, it's not a bad film, it's just very middle of the road. For me the main problem is the director - Zwick has made some great movies in the past (Glory, Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai), but he's just not as good an action filmmaker as McQuarrie. So, all the cheesy bits of writing feel tacky, misjudged and amateur, instead of tongue-in-cheek and fun.
The cast - Cruise is Cruise, he never changes. Despite the backlash, I actually thought he did pretty well in the first Jack Reacher film, he's tough and brutal as he should be. This time, he doesn't have that same power, and I think the film would've benefited from someone with more physical presence. Smulders also does fairly well with her character, though it's fair to say she's massively underwritten as the good soldier who wants justice for her murdered men and ends up being a mother figure. Even Yarosh isn't too bad as the problematic youth, though sometimes it was hard to take her seriously when she was being a feisty teen. The chemistry between the core three was fairly believable too, unlike the awful villainy hounding them.
A big problem is the story. There's really very little mystery or suspense - why are they being set up? Who's the real killer? We should be more interested in the answers to those questions, but actually I couldn't care less. We also know who the primary antagonist is from near the start, so the rest of the film is just a slightly dull cat and mouse game with sporadically decent fight scenes.
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