Jack Reacher in 4K is solid enough and looks great, but once again shows off the fact that 4K shouldn't be a movies main selling point.
The thrillers involving “super” soldiers who have a track record for being something safe for studios to produce. They get a big star, throw a plot together, lots of serious looking people with even more serious looking bad guys. Makes for some easy viewing that blends just enough story in with the action. However, it can’t be helped to feel that these movies can lack something. It’s tough to put the finger to what exactly that is.
Story wise, five people are shot and killed in what is set up like a random act of senseless violence. The alegged culprit is found within hours of the crime. All the evidence points to this guy. However, he doesn’t confess. He tells the police to get Jack Reacher. Who is Jack Reacher you may ask? Well, he is played by Maverick, cough, sorry, Tom Cruise, and is a former Army investigator who has subsequently gone off the grid after a successful—In typical fashion, he’s been awarded almost every medal you can get—but a turbulent career. He supposedly was a Major who got bumped down to Captain, then made Major again—Not sure about the Army but in the Marine Corps if you’re an officer and do something that warrants a demotion it’s most likely they just kick you out…It takes a lot for officers to get in trouble. That aside, the character is actually portrayed really well by Cruise. Now, back to the story at hand. As soon as Reacher shows up he is asked to look into the case by the accused shooter’s lawyer who is portrayed by the always lovely Rosamund Pike. We are quickly told that Reacher has some dark history with the accused but none the less he investigates because above all personal grudges he desires true justice. We soon learn, though it should have been obvious because it’s a movie, that things are not what they seem, and what may come off as a random killing may not have been so. Eastern European bad guy is included with purchase.
The story here actually has some amazing potential. It’s a film though, that drowns out its promising premise in some weird character meetings, and of course action sequences where you know, there is zero chance the main character is going to lose. It really lacks some stakes. What is meant by that is because Reacher is such an unstoppable force in this movie there are no real tense moments. The movie tries to play up some, but it falls short because Reacher is so unbeatable, despite how tough the guy they cast as a bad guy looks. There’s also no real stakes in the actual story as well. Not going to deviate from the fact that it has promise. The premise is extremely interesting. What if a “random,” mass killing, wasn’t so random. When you get to the bottom of it though it is just lackluster. This isn’t helped by the fact that the bad guys are of the dime a dozen variety. On top of that, the film fails to set up it’s ticking time bomb. That is, what happens if Reacher doesn’t find out the truth. The film technically comes up with one, but from exposition early on in the film, it’s tough to actually get that emotion that this part of the story is supposed to instill in you.
Overall though it’s not a bad movie. The 4K looks great, and the action sequences are well enough. The character of Jack Reacher is indeed a cool macho character, but he could’ve done with at least one flaw. It makes for a perfectly fine Sunday afternoon movie to throw on if you’re cooking dinner or just want to relax, but don’t expect it to knock your socks off. This one goes over to the side of 4K reprints that shows off that 4K shouldn’t be the only reason you buy a movie.
