Film: Jack Reacher

A former Army sniper is accused of killing 5 people but despite the overwhelming evidence he does not confess. Instead he simply asks the cops to “Get Jack Reacher”.

Enter Tom Cruise as the ex military cop now drifter from the novels of author Lee Child. In the novels Reacher is a world-weary 6 foot 5 man-mountain, so the casting of Tom Cruise, who still looks pretty much like Maverick from Top Gun, was met by scoff and scorn from many fans of the books, including me. Does he “nail it” as the recent posters proclaim? Read on...

Reacher is soon convinced to help the defence attorney (Rosamund Pike) investigate the evidence and inevitably there is much more going on than meets the eye.

With Reacher’s previous knowledge of the accused he quickly focuses on the mechanics of the sniping “mission” and concludes that it’s a set-up. A trail of corruption and cover-ups is then followed leading to a confrontation with some suitably nasty Eastern Europeans.

The choice of making the 9^th book in the series the first film adaptation is a curious one, I don’t remember it being a particularly exciting book but the interesting thing is, it does make a good film. The script is sharp and witty and there is plenty of tension, throw in enough action to keep fans happy and you have a surprisingly cool film.

So, does Cruise nail it as a man I imagine as a cross between Dolph Lundgren and Liam Neeson?

Considering that no film is ever gonna be a match for your imagination I have to say that, almost unbelievably, yes he does.

Jack Reacher is in UK cinemas now.

Ric’s Rating: Essential   

Book: Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

Having recently mentioned Jack Reacher in another review (Contagious by
Scott Sigler) I thought I'd better check in with the man himself.

Reacher, a former Military Policeman, now spends his time drifting from place to place inevitably getting caught up in all sorts of mayhem along the way.

Lee Child has created a splendid character and the series has been ongoing for some time now making this hard to recommend for newcomers.

This time out Reacher witnesses a suicide on the New York subway and finds himself caught up in the investigation that follows. This moves along nicely, but it's a jog rather than a sprint, as Reacher finds out who the bad guys are and sets about taking them down.

The attraction of Lee Child's books is Reacher himself, he's a guy who is confident in his own ability, even veering towards cockiness, but he does it in a cool style that leaves you imagining you'd be just like him if you had his skill set yourself.

Recommended if you're already a fan but if you're new to Lee Child (and Reacher) start with Killing Floor or The Visitor, the two best books in the series.

Ric's Rating: 69%