Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

This review may contain spoilers!

The Jack Reacher films are slow yet well thought out pieces of cinema that boast some pretty good casts. I would give Jack Reacher: Never Go Back a 7.5/10.

This is such a good sequel that takes what worked in the first film and only improves upon it. For instance I liked how there was more of a focus upon Reacher's time as Military Police by placing him within a crime mystery at the heart of the very organisation he used to serve. The way Reacher and Turner interact and battle for dominance as they get further and further into the corruption at the heart of American weapons contractors is brilliant and makes for even finer chemistry than the leads of the first film. The director really brings a lot of variety when it comes to the cinematography, the action was snappy and utilised fast tracking shots while no dialogue scene ever really looked the same. The fight choreography was brutal; everything feels very life or death, probably best evidenced in the final fight scene between Reacher and the Hunter. The score for this film is a lot more emotive than the first film, action scenes feel much grander and have a new edge brought to them while emotional scenes are only heightened.

Tom Cruise, who played Jack Reacher, has always done the protagonist very well for these films; Cruise is able to present a very charismatic personality who you could also believe would snap and take out five guys if he wanted to. Aldis Hodge, who played Espin, took a while to make his character shine but when he found his feet I really came to like Hodge's role; in the film this character is quite the military hardass with a very fine moral compass. Patrick Heusinger, who played The Hunter, does absolutely amazing in this film; Heusinger creates this relentless force who is a very real threat and the best antagonist within the cast. Holt McCallany, who played Col. Morgan, was a nice stern introduction to the military antagonists of this film; McCallany has the arrogant air his rank and power allows his role played to perfection. Judd Lormand and Jason Douglas, who played Local Deputy and Sheriff respectively, were a great way to kick the film off; their stern appraisal of Reacher before the shock realisation of what his presence means for them is done very well. Robert Catrini, who played Col. Moorcroft, is great as a reluctant protagonist; his tired military officer prompted into action by Reacher is a role that felt very natural to the narrative of the film. Robert Knepper, who played Gen. Harkness, really worked as the overarching antagonist for the film; his smug exterior in his final scene of the film sparks a great confrontation between Smulders and himself.

However the best performance came from Cobie Smulders, who played Turner. Smulders really has the tough presence to work as a military lead, the character's stubborn and headstrong qualities are portrayed as well as the guilt and blame the character is carrying around with her. I enjoyed seeing an actress who could match Reacher not in a love interest way or an elite intense assassin way but as this woman who has served in the same capacity as him and who knows how to handle herself in the same field of combat. It was great just getting the little subtleties of the performance such as how she would constantly be grabbing objects from the environment around her to use as a weapon against male assailants much bigger than herself. Her last scene in which she is given a respectful return to her status and rank within her station is probably one of the most rewarding scenes of the film to watch.

The one thing both Jack Reacher films have had problems with is slow pacing, this particular film improved on that but was often let down by lingering too long upon scenes or delving into backstory and subplots that laboured the film down. The biggest example of a subplot that weakened the film is the introduction of Reacher's 'daughter' who promptly hampers the group at every turn or falls squarely into the damsel in distress role; just add to all that her lack of chemistry with anyone else in the cast and you start to see her negative effect. The editing also wasn't the best it could have been, for an action film the cutting should have been a lot swifter and more fluid.

Danika Yarosh, who played Samantha, is the film's off attempt to create a father/daughter dynamic for Reacher; unfortunately Yarosh couldn't have been a worse choice and she really becomes more of an annoying figure rather than an interesting one. Madalyn Horcher, who played Sgt. Leach, had a very diminutive presence in the feature; her delivery was clearly supposed to be important but instead what we got was Horcher delivering her lines to Reacher in a weird flirty manner. Jessica Stroup, who played Lt. Sullivan, is this emotionless drone for her scenes of the film; this is a role who lacks impact and substance. Austin Hebert, who played Prudhomme, gives one of the worst junkie performances I've ever seen; Hebert is introduced in the final act and he doesn't really lend himself to the exposition he has to deliver.