Movie Review: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

There's a lot of running in this movie

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016): Jack Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear his name. On the run as a fugitive from the law, Reacher uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever.

First off, full disclosure time. One of my bigger inspirations for this blog was my (now deceased) Uncle Bob Brockschmidt. We watched a lot of movies together over the years, and the very last one I saw with him was 2012's Jack Reacher. Well now the sequel is out, and so it was with mixed emotion that I went and saw this film. Well, I know what he would've thought: this film: not good. This sequel leaves a looooot to be desired, and short of a post-conclusion epilogue that was surprisingly emotional, I was pretty bored throughout the 118 minute film. So, let's jump into this lackluster sequel, shall we?

First off, the good. There were 2 things I liked about this film. One, the flashbacks looked pretty cool. I noted there was some nice editing and cinematography to show the flashbacks, but that might have also been amplified by the fact that everything else was so dull. I also liked the surprising epilogue. I can't really say anything about this part without spoiling it, because it is literally the only part of this film worth remembering, but the story line between Tom Cruse and Danika Yarosh was concluded in a surprisingly effective way. But this might have also had to do with the fact that the rest of this film is so bad.

So! What's the biggest problem with this film? The writing sucks. While it's relatively well shot (mostly because they simply didn't use much shaky cam) the sequences are just totally devoid of any actual drama. They're ridiculous! This film basically goes from one scene to the next and is full of QUICK! HE'S OVER THERE! (runs) GOT YOU. TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW (tells them everything they know) it's just very.....ordinary and cliche. Oh! Speaking of cliche. Cobie Smulders character is sadly not much more than eye candy. Which is CRIMINAL given how much of this film she's in. But she's never given a true moment to shine, and thus is nothing more than "the girl." Who of course at one point has to be in her bra for some reason. And a bath robe. While Smulders acts the crap out of this film, the writing sinks her character. Ultimately, this film never really had much of a chance to succeed, but dismal writing didn't do the film any favors. Sure Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise, but you need more than that for a film to actually be good. Don't bother seeing this, unless you are a DIE HARD Cruise fan.

The Critique: Lackluster in almost every way, this unwarranted Jack Reacher sequel is sunk due to bad writing and boring action sequences.

The Recommendation: AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE. Even if you are a die-hard Cruise fan I would still say it's not worth it.

Rewatchability: Moderately Low

The Verdict: 3/10 Bad


Image Credit
https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/entertainment/movies/2016/10/20/jack-reacher-is-a-family-guy-thug-in-never-go-back-review/jack-reacher.jpg.size.custom.crop.1086x728.jpg