Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

December 21, 2012. The world didn't end and a new cinematic franchise began. I didn't see Jack Reacher when it came out. Its sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, doesn't lockout newcomers to the story of Lee Child's daring ex-MP Officer. Let's see what else it does.

Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) is an ex-MP officer who now roams America. He keeps in touch with his old unit in Washington DC, which is now headed by Maj. Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders). The film opens with Reacher taking down a corrupt Sheriff and heading to DC to meet Turner face-to-face. But when he arrives, Col. Morgan (Holt McCallanay) is in charge. Maj. Turner got busted for espionage.

Reacher smells a frame-up and decides to investigate. A gang of shady guys follow him. One of the guys, The Hunter (Patrick Heusinger), murders Maj. Turner's lawyer and frames Reacher. Reacher is now under arrest too. Reacher busts out Maj. Turner when the shady guys show up and they go on the run.

Maj. Turner discovered that a military contractor, Parasource, was up to no good. Their agents are out to get her for it. Meanwhile, Reacher is getting sued for child support by a woman he's never met. His alleged daughter, Samantha (Danika Yarosh), is now a target for the goons. Reacher and Maj. Turner take her with them. They hope to find their answers in New Orleans.

The screenplay was by director Edward Zwick, Richard Wenk and Marshall Herskowitz. There's plenty of action and suspense as the contractor goons chase Reacher and Co. There's even a few cool gags in the melee. Still, the ultimate mastermind was pretty forgettable. Some actions by Reacher and Co. nearly push the film to Idiot Plot levels.

I don't care that Tom Cruise is almost a foot smaller than literary Jack Reacher. What I do care is that film Jack Reacher is a capable cinematic anti-hero. He's a strong fighter and street smart investigator. He knows when he's being followed, how to escape and how to stay escaped. The best laugh comes when he turns his interrogation for the lawyer's murder into a Who's on First routine. His chemistry with Maj. Turner and Samantha is believable for a loner finding a group.

The editing was fine for an action film. The action scenes were good; not exceptional, but they were done well. A scene where Samantha goes on her own had me on edge anticipating a non-jump scare. The cinematography gives us some nice shots of New Orleans on Halloween, rather than Mardi Gras. The sound designers help the action a lot; they make a death by telephone adequately brutal.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back isn't the best action film around, but it's a capable distraction from all the Oscar movies piling up right now. It keeps your attention for 118 minutes. Anyone looking for a capable Tom Cruise action film will get it.