Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

By: John Delia

Where I was not too fond of the first Jack Reacher film that came out in 2012, the sequel “Never Go Back” delivers much more energy. The action sequences are quite good even though they are not on par with Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible series. In addition, the storyline has pangs of déjà vu from other action films within the past years. All that said, if you are a big fan of Cruise or just want to escape to a movie where you can forget a bad day, then this military crime thriller should do the trick.

Retired Major Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) has not been busy fishing or watching TV from his lounge chair like most who have left the military behind. Nope! He’s been at the local diner beating up ex-military and waiting for Sherriff Wood to walk in the door. Moments later, the military posse from a nearby base take the Sherriff into custody. Not bad for a cool little opening scene.

What follows; however, finds Reacher trying to get to the bottom of Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) being accused of espionage involving gun trafficking. Trying to help her clear her name and get her out of the brig, he starts his own little war against military police when he finds The Hunter (Patrick Heusinger), a murderous hitman under the control of a high ranking military officer, is tracking him down he goes on the run.

The story continues with Reacher getting sidetracked when he finds out he’s a father of 15-year-old Samantha (Danika Yarosh). Director Edward Zwick continues the Jack Reacher series adding much needed reasonably realistic mayhem to make the film more exciting than the first. Most of his best directing work includes very funny comedy About Last Night, the epic melodrama Legends of the Fall and the exciting counter terrorism film The Siege. But writers of the Reacher films are a bit too routine, predictable and unrealistic that Zwick ends up giving audiences little reason to recommend this sequel.

Tom Cruise has kept himself very fit and still has the swagger and confidence built into his character making Reacher a tough protagonist. He’s on a mission to save his friend and military confidant Turner and will stop at nothing to help her. Standing in his way; however, he finds out about his feisty daughter Samantha that he never knew and shows his compassion for her.

Cruise is very good at being the top dog in a film and he continues to do so here., but it’s the hackneyed script that hurts the movie, especially the airplane fight and the fight outside the diner (that is reminiscent of the last Reacher film, although that street fight was better choreographed). Guess I’ll have to wait for Mission: Impossible 6 to catch the “real” Tom Cruise.

A nice surprise in the way of Cobie Smulders as Major Turner who in a few good scenes upstages Cruise while showing off her action ability. You may remember Smulders as Agent Mary Hill in Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and the TV series “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” (2013-2015). A tough cookie there and one here as well. As Turner, she’s on the run from the military that she has served for ten years and makes a good partner for Reacher as they try to find the perps that have set them up for a fall.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of violence and action, some bloody images, language and thematic elements. Be cautious when deciding to allow immature children see the film as it does have some scenes that are inappropriate for young ones.

FINAL ANALYSIS: For those that must see Tom Cruise in another action film. (C)