The newest installment in the Jack Reacher franchise, based on the successful book series by Lee Child, is an immense letdown after the success of the first film back in 2012, which grossed nearly $220 million. With a sluggish plot and a lackluster performance from star Tom Cruise, Never Go Back abandons the cleverness of the first film and ends up as humdrum as a basic drama on network television.
This time, Reacher pursues the wrongful imprisonment of a colleague, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), who is accused of espionage. How exactly she could ever be proven to be part of a gun-running scheme is mostly unclear, but Reacher’s digging leads him to a high-powered officer and the henchman who does his dirty work. While this has echoes of the first film’s plot, unfortunately, it’s hard to care too much when the antagonist is left inadequately drawn. When we finally meet the bad guy, we are left wondering, is that it?
The film tries to include additional female characters, which the first noticeably lacked, but it does so awkwardly and fruitlessly. When Reacher begins to investigate Turner’s framing, we are led to believe there may be a romantic interest, but ultimately she’s not nearly interesting enough. And we are introduced to a potential long-lost daughter, who turns out to just be a huge brat throughout the film and serves no real plot function. There is an interesting dynamic that seems to attempt to portray women as capable military members who constantly struggle against the glass ceiling. Yet, at nearly every turn, Major Turner is not nearly as crafty, smart, or tough as Reacher. He even calls her out on it, after he gives her an order to stay behind and keep safe and then returns from almost getting killed by five guys, cleverly saying, “Are you upset that I treated you as a woman, or that I treated you as a man?” It seems the film’s creators are trying to make a point somewhere in here, but I have no idea what it is.
The film also looks terrible on screen, particularly the final 30 minutes, when the action is supposed to be its best. How this film cost $96 million to make is beyond me. The sets are cheap, and I’m absolutely stunned they actually shot in New Orleans, as Bourbon Street looks like something a few college kids could put together in a random alley in L.A.
Never Let Go is a disappointment in so many ways. It’s hard to make Tom Cruise uncharismatic. His natural charm and commitment to even the most implausible storylines usually salvage any project he’s a part of. After all, we are rarely watching a film starring Tom Cruise; rather, we are always quite aware we are watching a Tom Cruise film. However, director Edward Zwick has attempted to throw so many other characters into the mix that Cruise simply blends in, and not in a good way.
The appeal of Reacher is his mystery. We don’t quite know who he is, how he knows so much, and why he cares about particular cases. His sneakiness is practical, making him more relatable than Bond or Bourne, or even Cruise’s other alter-ego, Ethan Hunt. In Never Go Back, Reacher is known and identifiable. People are aware that he’s snooping around, that he’s ex-military, and he’s very good at his job. There is little of the understated panache of the first film and few opportunities for him to exhibit his unparalleled skills. Yes, he still kicks butt, but it’s rarely as impressive as in the first film. Perhaps we’ve come to expect too much from Reacher/Cruise.
Overall, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is an abysmal film, with uninteresting and underdeveloped characters, a clunky screenplay, and some of the worst production design I’ve seen in a long time. Reacher may have been trying to never go back to the Army, but viewers should never go to the theater in the first place for this stinker.
Grade: D
This time, Reacher pursues the wrongful imprisonment of a colleague, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), who is accused of espionage. How exactly she could ever be proven to be part of a gun-running scheme is mostly unclear, but Reacher’s digging leads him to a high-powered officer and the henchman who does his dirty work. While this has echoes of the first film’s plot, unfortunately, it’s hard to care too much when the antagonist is left inadequately drawn. When we finally meet the bad guy, we are left wondering, is that it?
The film tries to include additional female characters, which the first noticeably lacked, but it does so awkwardly and fruitlessly. When Reacher begins to investigate Turner’s framing, we are led to believe there may be a romantic interest, but ultimately she’s not nearly interesting enough. And we are introduced to a potential long-lost daughter, who turns out to just be a huge brat throughout the film and serves no real plot function. There is an interesting dynamic that seems to attempt to portray women as capable military members who constantly struggle against the glass ceiling. Yet, at nearly every turn, Major Turner is not nearly as crafty, smart, or tough as Reacher. He even calls her out on it, after he gives her an order to stay behind and keep safe and then returns from almost getting killed by five guys, cleverly saying, “Are you upset that I treated you as a woman, or that I treated you as a man?” It seems the film’s creators are trying to make a point somewhere in here, but I have no idea what it is.
The film also looks terrible on screen, particularly the final 30 minutes, when the action is supposed to be its best. How this film cost $96 million to make is beyond me. The sets are cheap, and I’m absolutely stunned they actually shot in New Orleans, as Bourbon Street looks like something a few college kids could put together in a random alley in L.A.
Never Let Go is a disappointment in so many ways. It’s hard to make Tom Cruise uncharismatic. His natural charm and commitment to even the most implausible storylines usually salvage any project he’s a part of. After all, we are rarely watching a film starring Tom Cruise; rather, we are always quite aware we are watching a Tom Cruise film. However, director Edward Zwick has attempted to throw so many other characters into the mix that Cruise simply blends in, and not in a good way.
The appeal of Reacher is his mystery. We don’t quite know who he is, how he knows so much, and why he cares about particular cases. His sneakiness is practical, making him more relatable than Bond or Bourne, or even Cruise’s other alter-ego, Ethan Hunt. In Never Go Back, Reacher is known and identifiable. People are aware that he’s snooping around, that he’s ex-military, and he’s very good at his job. There is little of the understated panache of the first film and few opportunities for him to exhibit his unparalleled skills. Yes, he still kicks butt, but it’s rarely as impressive as in the first film. Perhaps we’ve come to expect too much from Reacher/Cruise.
Overall, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is an abysmal film, with uninteresting and underdeveloped characters, a clunky screenplay, and some of the worst production design I’ve seen in a long time. Reacher may have been trying to never go back to the Army, but viewers should never go to the theater in the first place for this stinker.
Grade: D