JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK (5 out of 10) Directed by Edward Zwick, Written by Richard Wenk, Edward Zwick, and Marshall Herskovitz, based on the book “Never Go Back” by Lee Child; Starring Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh, Patrick Heusinger, Holt McCallany; Running time 118 minutes, Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some bloody images, language and thematic elements; In wide release October 21, 2016.
Want to turn off your brain and watch Tom Cruise kick five guys’ butts at once? Wanna see Cobie Smulders kick the same amount of butt? Then have I got a movie for you. . .
Yes, this is the sequel to 2012’s Jack Reacher, which had Tom Cruise as retired Army Major Jack Reacher beating up bad guys, based on the popular series of novels you probably read on a plane sometime. In this film, Reacher finds himself drifting from place to place finding trouble and meting out justice, working with his former colleagues in the Army Military Police, including a quasi-handler named Turner (Smulders). When he drops into town to get a quasi-romantic cup of coffee with Turner, she has been arrested for treason. In a double whammy, Reacher is informed someone has filed a paternity claim with the army to get pension benefits, claiming she is his daughter– that he conveniently doesn’t know anything about. When it seems like an evil military contractor is now threatening Reacher, including his possible daughter, he has to break Turner out of jail and take down the wave after wave of mercenaries who are coming after them.
This is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food– nothing incredibly substantive or new, but it is satisfying and well-crafted. It clips along at a good pace and doesn’t leave us wondering about the plot too long before resolving its mysteries.
While Cruise is good here, and seemingly intent on reminding us that at 53 and 5′ 3″ (just kidding– he’s taller than that) he can still kick all sorts of ass, the real revelation is Smulders.
Cobie Smulders in this movie is in every way Tom Cruise’s equal, in much the same way Emily Blunt was able to constantly show up Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow. She also meets the issues head on of sexism and working in the ultra-macho man’s world of the military. Is it too much to ask to see more of Maria Hill in future Marvel movies (may I suggest a girl-pal adventure in Captain Marvel? Or a much bigger part of The Avengers in Infinity War?)
There’s also some awkward talk around the idea of a possible romantic pairing between her and Reacher– interesting to think that when Cruise slid across the floor in his underwear in Risky Business, Smulders was literally still in diapers, and when he sang to Kelly McGillis that she’s lost that loving feeling in Top Gun she was 4. **Vomit** Glad they talked about how awkward that was.
But when Smulders is on, the movie rips.
Not so much with the bratty teen who plays the would-be daughter. The only good purpose she serves in the movie is to be the fresh face in the story who needs to have everything explained to– a smart move to keep exposition running along, but she’s otherwise just not useful.
Overall, this is a perfect popcorn movie that doesn’t expect anything from the audience except sit back and consume. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, you be the judge.
But Tom Cruise still has it. And it’s fun seeing him and Smulders savagely beat bad guys.
5 out of 10