Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Review

Jack Reacher is the popular fictional creation of author Lee Child. Reacher's adventures in literature now number at 21 outings and now 4 years after his cinematic debut comes the new Jack Reacher film, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back.

After a brief opening which shows Reacher (Tom Cruise) successfully bringing down a human trafficking ring, Reacher returns to his old military headquarters to meet with the CO of his old team and the woman who has been helping him on his travels, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), only to discover that the Major has been detained under accusation of espionage. With larger things in play, Reacher breaks the Major out and goes on the run to find the evidence they need to clear her name.

It's interesting that we're even being given a sequel to the first Reacher film, given its rather lackluster display at the box office. It was, however, successful enough on streaming, DVD/Blu-Ray to warrant a sequel, it's a shame then that this comes off as such a disappointment. Performance wise its quite strong, despite the protests of the teeny Tom Cruise being cast as Reacher in the first film, it seems that he's really inhabiting the character well, the small stature actually comes off as a strength to the character, Reacher is quietly threatening as opposed to the 6ft 4inch behemoth from the books. The addition of Cobie Smulders as the strong willed Major Susan gives Reacher a fresher dynamic in this outing, and the military gender dynamic and discussions between the two are really well played.

What was great about the first Reacher outing was that it felt retro and very 90s, but it had enough flair and quirk about it to make it worthwhile watching. With Werner Herzog as the villain, a brilliant car chase and Tom Cruise being an incredibly unlikable hero it was a really enjoyable watch. The worst crime the sequel commits is just how monumentally ordinary it is. It feels way too generic in every scene, there's not enough interest in what Reacher is up against, and the set pieces are monumentally ordinary. Ed Zwick has taken on directing duties from Christopher McQuarrie, and all Ed Zwick feels like is a safe pair of hands.

There are another 19 books that could possibly be adapted for more Reacher outings, but with something this ordinary, its highly doubtable that there's enough intrigue to warrant even a third.

(3 Stars)