Jack Reacher
It is common knowledge that Tom Cruise is not the right height to play Jack Reacher who is a massive scope beanpole former military policeman as described by the writer in not so pleasant context who possesses gigantic strength and is a negative character in horror movies. However, considering the age of Tom Cruise, and the fact that he has played a number of different lead roles, cinematographers often endow him with screen presence, or in other words, cruelty, which he displays quite effectively in “Jack Reacher” directed by Christopher McQuarrie who is known for his work on “Way of the Gun,” “The Usual Suspects” and other popular movies. Even when he smiles or bursts into laughter, there is something about him that does not invite one to provoke him. He can also pull off cold courtesy and space (see “Collateral” directed by Michael Mann for reference), so this is the focus in the way Mcquarrie works here and therefore it is the right combination of actor and director, but the end result of the movie is more of high quality working draft of a TV series than an independent movie that is full of concepts.
No sooner does the action leave the parking lot of a van where a man fires a sniper rifle from the vicinity of the back parking garage, killing five individuals, and then the story starts. Cops managed to seize the ex-army sniper James Barr’s fingerprints from the quarter that had been used to pay for the parking meter that was scouted as the shooter’s cave. Now, Detective Calvin Emerson and District Attorney Alex Rodin are intent on explaining to him the circumstances of the inevitable two-way exit that he himself, James Barr, had created. In this case, Barr adds a third option: saying ‘Get Jack Reacher’ while jotting the words down in a notepad.
Before arriving in the US, Reacher only saw clips of just the shooting. He currently visits Barr in a hospital setting where he has covered memory loss due to being attacked by other prisoners whilst serving his sentence. There, he speaks with the defense counsel of Barr, who steps out as Helen Rodin, whose father happens to be the D.A. The case is surrounded by a few bizarre circumstances including the key piece of evidence a quarter which mass killer wears a quarter out to buy a parking space? What is the reality?
Helen teams up with Reacher (they keep calling him Reacher for the most part, never bothering with Jack) to find a plausible explanation of the incident on their own and come help with the investigation.
No, not really: Reacher literally carries the picture to such an extent that, it positions Cruise as an intimidating leading man in contrast to his generous self in the “Mission: Impossible” movies. Not very much and most of the time being quiet, Reacher tries out his theories and criticizes Helen’s. Most of the time Helen is there to
(1) assist Reacher in accomplishing tasks that require a security clearance or need access that he cannot do by himself,
(2) have someone look foolish or come across as having been too innocent, and (3) be abducted and utilized as a hostage/leverage as the narrative developments reach the concluding moments of the movie.
In the books, he’s a sharp and often sardonic investigator, also a man that’s alpha on the hierarchy of the room in which he finds himself. But something is awfully miscalculated in the tone of this particular film’s production. It’s bent in such a direction, that it took us two hours to witness Reacher prove that he is (almost) right on all accounts. The script does not make Helen feel insulted or degraded, nor does it allow her to command respect, which is desperately needed in this story, given how every man that tries to come near Reacher is beaten very badly. That stops being exciting after some time. Perhaps, if there are no natural explosions from Cruise and there is no conviction in the way the story is being directed, it would have become boring much earlier.
The understanding of the plot’s mystery eventually brings us to the main villains, however they are revealed to the audience much earlier than Helen or Reacher figure out their connection and contribution in the mass murder incident and the reason behind it. The main bodyguard is a paramilitary Reacher clone, played by Jai Courtney. The lead bad guy is a mobster masquerading as a businessman called Zec (Russian for “prisoner”), who is directed by Werner Herzog.
Zec is a mystery, he is more a satanic figure than a man. It makes sense that Cruise and McQuarrie came to populate the role with someone who is as much of a “brand” in his own way as Cruise is. Herzog is such a familiar witness of transformation and evil through the lens of a director’s camera that one could say he’s been ‘contaminated’ by it, while appearing cutely eccentric when talking about his works. His role in ‘Jack Reacher’ is among the greatest examples of director stunt casting, right after Martin Scorsese playing Geritol’s president in Quiz Show. Herzog adorns the role with malevolence and some cosmic irony, rather than as a simple gimmick but indeed feels politically incorrect.
Zec is a man who not only has been to hell but has gone and bought some land there.
Adding on to the already impressive cast, there’s the old-school veteran who has appeared across several blockbuster films Robert Duvall, who appeared alongside Cruise in “Days of Thunder.” He plays the role of Marine Gunnery Sgt. Martin Cash, who assists Reacher in dealing with the antagonists and is skilled in the use of weapons. By far, the most enjoyable scenes from the film are those between Cruise and Duvall. Throughout most of the scenes, Duvall almost gives the feeling of mocking Cruise more than Cash does Reacher. By doing this, it balances out Cruise’s controlling nature in playing ‘the hero’ role. Duvall is a one thousand pound bull actor: Cruise appears to understand he will achieve the greatest effects by taunting him with a cape and then letting him gallop and kick.
McQuarrie also deserves praise as he has the confidence in the craft of his filmmaking that he rarely goes overboard and instead focuses on about five major set pieces, each relatively small even by today’s Hollywood standards, and has the ability to execute them in such a way that they come off feeling chaotic and gritty, feeling like they are real moments rather than hiding behind the software enabled generic digital polishی that is so popular these days.
Ruthless action scenes can be duplicated in movies, like the one from 1980s where Reacher grabs a man’s head, causing cruelty against someone else, or when moving into the bathtub where Reacher is at danger of being killed by two basher wielding men. Also satisfactory is the fresh take on a quintessential screenplay flaw an overly aggressive protagonist constantly in conflict with aggressors from the perspective of men.
From the start of the movie, Reacher already out maneuvers the antagonists through deception or blind rage. There has never been a more satisfying sequence than the few in which the men next to Reacher fail to comprehend that he is a man of his word, not a man of threats. Quite frequently his response is like, “Did I really survived yet another deadly encounter this weak?” They change their tone and suppress the people who are dissatisfying him.
Again Reacher continues the trend of grabbing the viewer’s attention with decisive and brutal action in replays. Viewers can get good ideas for how to stage convincing fights in large, dark rooms without obscuring details. Mark Ellison’s cinematography is impressive even to critics that made it through the wonderful classic photo “The Black Stallion.” All action is so clearly displayed that every detail is a reflection of something vivid.
“Reacher” is a good mystery action film, made even more memorable by the level of skill and artistry the cast and crew brings with them.
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