MOVIE REVIEW: "Jack Reacher"

Jack Reacher would set your world on fire, but it won't bore you too tears.

Jack Reacher is one of those iconic characters who exists only in popular fiction.

According to the movie, Jack Reacher is an ex-Military Police investigator, raised entirely in military institutions, who has now become a loner and a ghost. He has no fixed residence, no credit cards, no driving license, and no steady paycheck. He is in prime physical condition, has an impeccable memory for details, and a keen investigative eye for details that other people miss.

After a sniper brutally murders five innocents in cold blood, the police consider it an open and shut case after an ex-military sniper is hauled in for committing the multiple shootings. It's only when he requests one thing 'Get Jack Reacher' that the plot thickens and the conspiracy deepens.

As murder mysteries/crime thrillers go, Jack Reacher sticks to the hymn sheet, the various twists and turns in the narrative not coming as too much of a surprise for those in the audience who are familiar with the genre conventions. Given the degree to which he makes the role his own, it could be argued that Jack Reacher would suffer greatly without the involvement of Tom Cruise as the titular hero.

A gun range owner and ex-Marine, played by Robert Duvall, for an assist in the final showdown, adds some chuckles in this movie. More than the failed attacks on Reacher by goons which I find funny, the addition of Robert Duvall made it more exciting at the end. Romance between Reacher and Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike) – a basic movie necessity in virtually every action film involving a male hero and a female in distress. I expected more from the two of them, but it's okey. Unlike any other action movies out there, there's no love angle here.

This is a well-made modern film noir that instills constant feelings of dread and trepidation . I love that the central mystery is not about who committed the crime at the beginning, but rather why it was committed and how it will be covered up.

RATING: 7/10