by Brian Hughes ’15
Journalism Student

There’s a line between establishing a character that’s exciting to root for and one who gets the job done so easily it bores you. Tom Cruise as former military cop Jack Reacher crosses that line.

Reacher has been set up by a bunch of hired goons who get him arrested for fighting with them. When he is released from custody, he searches for the girl named Sandy (Alexia Fast) who sparked the incident at the bar. After he successfully interrogates her to find out his next step in his hunt for the truth, Sandy asks Reacher, “Who are you, Mister?” He replies with a worn-out statement, “I’m just a guy who wants to be left alone.”

Give me a break. There’s no better way to make you feel like you’re sitting in a theater watching yet another protagonist accomplish whatever he desires with ease, charisma and a massive ego.

The only thing that partially distracts this Hollywood figure of genuine badass is an easily anticipated, attractive, dainty partner-in-crime by the name of Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), who is the defense attorney for James Barr (Joseph Sikora), framed for the killing of five civilians with a sniper rifle. Of course, Reacher is immediately able to create a short spark sexual tension between him and Rodin since everything just comes so easily to him.

The clichéd action hero even brings a knife to a gun fight and still manages to outsmart all the bad guys around him. The noble Reacher arrives at the point in his journey where he is about to execute the last henchman working for the head of the group that framed Barr. He has the thug pinned up against a wall while holding the gun of a fallen enemy in his hands. It’s an easy choice for anyone who wants to get the job done and live, right? Wrong. Our star decides to throw the gun aside and give the poor soul one last chance for survival, charging at him with his fists. But as the reader probably would’ve guessed by now, Reacher takes him down like the fools in the parking lot.

However, not everything about the film (that was produced by Cruise as well) is bad. Just like the “Mission: Impossible” movies, there is still a good bit of enjoyable action and humor that is capable of entertaining viewers. The car chases will probably provide a little bit of a rush, where Cruise made it known to the public that he did all his own stunts, in a vibrant red 1970 Chevelle. There’s also the timeless Robert Duvall as the supporting role of a retired Marine by the name of Cash, who helps out Reacher towards the end after they meet at a shooting range.

If you don’t mind watching Cruise as Jack Reacher get himself out of whatever sticky situation he’s in, unharmed and victorious, then you might get a kick out of this film.