Last night my husband and I watched "Jack Reacher", with Tom Cruise. I've never read the books, but I've heard about the furor over Cruise being so physically miscast. I respect that, especially as I have trouble with the "Longmore" TV series because Henry is physically wrong, as is the deputy. So it can get in your way. But Cruise, though little, is believable as the tough guy, his action scenes seem real and his car racing even more so. Bigger is not necessarily better, and I like the way Cruise doesn't hide his height any more. He doesn't need to, as he is leaner, harder looking and with a focus that pops on the screen. Yoda wasn't tall and it didn't hurt him any.
The whole movie is lean and spare, with an engaging plot that we want to puzzle out along with Reacher. Rosamund Pike is good as the assistant DA and Richard Jenkins is great as her dad. David Okelolo is also excellent and Werner Herzog as the bad guy and Robert Duvall as the crusty gun range expert steal the show. Everyone is distinctive and interesting, with not much dialogue but a lot of expression.
Reacher is an outlaw, but one who cleans up messes the law gets entangled in, and makes sure the bad guys lose. It's gratifying, if bloody. His actions at the end of the film seem inevitable and necessary. That's how good Tom Cruise is. He may be a nut in real life, but he's a commanding presence onscreen. He's a star, and we trust him. We're pulling for him all the way. You know if you go see a Cruise movie the quality will be high and you will like the ride. That's worth a lot.
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