Stars Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, Jai Courtney with Werner Herzog and Robert Duvall Directed by Christopher McQuarrie The last time director Christopher McQuarrie was behind the camera, we got the much under appreciated, critical and cult fave, The Way Of The Gun. Of course, McQuarrie is better known as a writer, particularly for the other cult fave, The Usual Suspects. He also wrote a previous Tom Cruise project, Valkyrie, Brian Singer's upcoming Jack The Giant Slayer, and he was working on Top Gun 2 before Tony Scott's untimely demise and rumor has it that Cruise has given him the next Mission: Impossible to write and direct. He definitely has the chops to put together an action film with solid characters, as it is on display in Jack Reacher, an adaptation of the novel, One Shot by Lee Child. Taking a slightly old-school approach to the story structure (maybe it's just the way the book was done) and filming, McQuarrie puts together an intense little thriller that isn't unlike the action thrillers of the 70s. The bravura opening gambit sets the tone and tells a lot, constantly revisited throughout the movie as the investigation is carried out. The pacing is a little stretched at times, but the action set-pieces make up for it. There is the much talked-about car chase in the middle of the movie. Every character has a part to play and the dialogue sizzles, particular where Reacher is concerned. The danger, however, was in the casting of Cruise as the titular character. Is he going to put out a variation of any of his previous characters? That brash and cocky pro who just might be that little bit damaged; on the edgy fringes of insanity. Much has been touched on where the casting of Cruise is concerned, mainly from the fans of the books series. But Cruise does make the character his own, taking the characteristics down to a minimum, making Reacher an intriguing and compelling character. Subtle, unassuming and yet deadly and highly intelligent. A slight step away from the characters that he might be commonly identified with, and yet, a mix of several other characters he's touched on. The rest of the cast lend able support with reliable turns from Richard Jenkins and Robert Duvall, while Rosamund Pike lends some girl power to the proceedings. David Oyelowo keeps things understated which plays into the film's ideas of perception and assumptions, but there's genius at work in the casting of Werner Herzog as the fearsome villainous mastermind, The Zec. Herzog's dry line delivery burrows every bit of his dialogue into your brain while remaining so very understated, lurking in the background and still stealing the scenes. This is not quite the modern action film that the trailer might have made it out to be. Even with Cruise headlining the movie, it's not quite in the genre of Mission: Impossible either (that's a good thing). The pacing is deliberate, although some might find it slow. Others might feel it's classic touches where looks might say more than actions. Dialogue is terse and often to the point with purpose. Like Reacher himself, the film moves with a purpose, and delivers where it counts.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2017
|