Jack Reacher is a nobody. He's played by Tom Cruise. He appears out of nowhere after a very strange intro where a sniper takes out a bunch of people, and then the event is recreated via the cops with an entirely different guy in each scene.

It took me a while to understand that I hadn't just remembered his face wrong... the guy was being set up! A creative yet confusing way to start a refreshingly different, yet disappointingly clean action movie about a small (but powerful) criminal syndicate, a hero, a bad guy and a female lawyer. What surprises me most of all is: there's no sex scene. No intimacy at all. In a movie like this that just feels... weird. But for the same reason I am glad they broke the stereotype!

The whole movie is like a breather on the action genre of today. It's refreshingly different, slow-paced but intense, with actors that radiate confidence and truth... overall, it's a great watch! Clean, canny, impactful, and yet... not particularly memorable. That's Jack Reacher. Overall, it's like a slightly milder and more anonymous version of John Wick. Good watch.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

October, 2016

So I watched this movie again recently. It was still great, and what a different experience now, compared to last time, considering I know who the villain is now. I know the secrets. The clues feel clever when you catch on quick - and you feel clever, and it all makes sense!

Didn't remember the one fight scene in the house being so brutal either, but it really was something new! A little very memorable moment in an overall very professional film, with a good Samaritan no-name hero and a convincingly serious villain. What wasn't so convincing was him bragging in the end, and in doing so getting himself killed... but that's a minor detail. A bothersome detail, but minor.

I liked this movie more this time around than last, though the score's the same. It still feels somewhat clean on the point of being bland, and I think part of it has to do with the color (a realistic but somewhat unaesthetic hue), but I appreciate the professionalism too. I appreciate the quick responses and punchlines as well - maybe I just didn't catch on last time. Maybe one of those movies you need to see twice to really appreciate.

 rated 4/5: fo shizzle

March, 2023

I think I'm really starting to like Rosamond Pike!

And this movie too. More than last time. More than John Wick maybe.
I didn't then - I didn't like how clean and somber it was in comparison - but going back to it now it's legit.

What a villain. What a chase. What a crazy bathroom brawl. What a waste, with those wonderful people in that first light of day...

Did I give this a five last time? I wonder... it really is intricate. Relentless. Detailed. You'd best know.

 rated 5/5: friggin awesome