Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – Movie Review

It doesn’t feel like four years have passed since Tom Cruise first brought Jack Reacher from the pages of the best-selling books to the big screen.  In 2012 director Christopher McQuarrie teamed up with the star before pairing up again for “Mission Impossible- Rogue Nation”.  “Jack Reacher was a modest success in the United States, but did much better internationally and because of this, a sequel was green-lit.   I wasn’t a fan of “Jack Reacher” and didn’t really have any expectations for the follow-up.  Edward Zwick (“Blood Diamond”) takes over directing duties for “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” and the result is a sequel that is just mildly more entertaining that the first film.

Set four years after the first film, Jack Reacher (Cruise) has been traveling the country helping Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) solve cases.   The first having to do with a crooked sheriff.  Reacher and Turner have never met face-to-face, but he offers to take her to dinner if he is ever in Washington D.C.  When Reacher finally arrives at his old military headquarters, he learns that Turner has been accused of espionage and arrested.

This does not sit well with Reacher and he begins searching for the truth.  Turner’s replacement (Hold McCallany) is not too happy about Reacher getting involved and neither is the hitman (Patrick Heusinger) who is taking out people who are causing waves.   Reacher takes it upon himself to break Turner out of prison because he knows someone is out to kill her.  If the situation wasn’t complex enough, Reacher might have a teenage daughter named Samantha (Danika Yarosh) that he never knew about.  Because a target has been put on her as well, Reacher decides to protect her as well.

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” does have a fair amount of action and a serviceable screenplay but it is easily forgettable.  Cruise does make for a good action hero but his “Mission Impossible” franchise is far superior then this one.  If it does well at the box office, I am sure a third “Reacher” film will get made but I rather see Cruise focus on different types of films and save the action for another turn as Ethan Hunt.

By: Marc Ferman