October 28, 2016 -- Say what you will about Tom Cruise, he doesn't think he is too good an actor to star in mindless action movies. Oh, he does the occasional art film, but these days he seems more interested in commercial success. “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,” qualifies as a mindless action film. There are noticeable holes in the plot, but the action is plentiful, there is some humor, and the film doesn't take itself too seriously. It's an agreeable popcorn film.

I had gone to the theater in McMinville, Oregon during a trip, with the intention of seeing “The Accountant,” but that showing didn't fit into my schedule, so I saw this instead, and it turned out to be a good time waster. This, like most films these days, is a sequel (the original was on cable, so I had a chance to compare the two last week). This film, and the original are based on novels written by Lee Child (Jim Grant).

As in the original film, Reacher (Cruise) is a very mysterious fellow who lives off the grid, wandering here and there, doing good deeds. He becomes interested in a woman, Turner (played by Colby Smulders of “The Avengers” film series) who works in Washington, D.C. He arrives in Washington just in the nick of time to help Turner, who is being framed by conspirators. Pity the fool who messes with a friend of Jack Reacher.

Reacher, a former military policeman, is like a private investigator who is also a crack shot and a kickboxing champ. He always seems to have the right skills to solve for any situation. In addition to the action movie genre, this film also contains romance, murder mystery and road movie elements.

As usual, Cruise does a fine job with the fights and stunts that go with being a good action film star. Smulders, no stranger to action films, acquits herself well in the fight scenes, and plays her spunky independent woman (definitely not a helpless damsel in distress) role well. Equally spunky is the rebellious juvenile delinquent Samantha Dayton (played by Danika Yarosh). Also good is Madalyn Horcher, who plays the ever-helpful Sgt. Leach.

Director Edward Zwick (“The Last Samurai”) and writer Richard Wenk (“16 Blocks”) do a nice job with the pace of the film and keeping the tone light enough. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

Copyright © 2016 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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