I felt it captured what I love about Lee Child's thrillers and Jack Reacher in particular. JACK REACHER was a very satisfying action thriller for me. Like crafting an action movie that's longer on character and occasional brutal violence and short on mindless action and impossible nonsense. Because his casting sort of guarantees a certain amount of box office, it means the filmmakers can take more chances. Which is where Cruise's casting comes in handy a bit. I generally want unknowns for everything. But I could say that about virtually any character, and often do. Would I have preferred an unknown actor closer to Child's description to play Reacher on screen? Yes, of course. This was definitely a movie about Lee Child's hero Jack Reacher, physical differences be damned. As the film played out however, I got more relaxed and more into it. If you've read the series as I have, it's a little strange at first. What makes Reacher such a great character in Child's books though has far less to do with his exterior than it does with his intellect.

Clearly Tom Cruise doesn't match that physical description. Oh, and he stands 6'5' and weighs 250 lbs. After a lifetime spent on military bases overseas, he lives as a drifter in the United States who adheres to a life of zero commitments: No house, no job, no car, no possessions, no family. In the series of novels by Lee Child this movie is based on, Jack Reacher is an ex-MP detective. Which brings me to the character of Jack Reacher and the casting of Tom Cruise. Like the action movies just referenced, you thrill to watching a strongly defined protagonist outsmart, outfight and outmaneuver the bad guys. The excitement here doesn't come from over the top stunts or huge explosions. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie takes his inspiration from action movies of the late 60s/early 70s like DIRTY HARRY (which has been name checked in a couple reviews already), BULLITT (for the car chase) and maybe another Don Siegel movie, CHARLEY VARRICK. This isn't MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE or even James Bond. JACK REACHER isn't trying to be anything revolutionary, it's more the kind of action thriller audiences haven't seen for a while. To me that means it's a solid movie that delivers at the high end of its genre. First off, I'd say I agree with the general critical reception: 4/5 stars.

Saw JACK REACHER on Monday night at an advance screening.

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