Tom Cruise is "Jack Reacher"

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures

Tom Cruise is still a major movie star, some three decades after his film debut. At fifty years of age, the still youthful looking Cruise performs his own stunts and is not shy about doing shirtless scenes, both of which are showcased in the new action film Jack Reacher. The film is based on the novel One Shot, by Lee Child, and centers around the killing of five people in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who are gunned down by a sniper. Police arrest James Barr (Joseph Sikora), a former army sharpshooter, for the murders. Barr says very little to the lead detectives, Emerson (David Oyelowo) and Alex Rodin (Richard Jenkins), but he does ask that they contact Jack Reacher, but does not say why.

After conducting a background search, Emerson and Rodin learn little about Reacher, who has the capacity to appear and disappear at will and not leave a trail of any kind. They do know that he is an army veteran who worked for the military police. Reacher arrives and meets with Barr's defense attorney, Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), Alex's daughter, but their initial encounter does not go well for Helen, who needs Reacher's help with her investigation. She believes that Barr may have been framed and understands that Reacher has the experience and skills to help determine if the real culprit is still at large. Reacher does not care for Barr and even though he suspects that he has the capacity to pull off such a job, he is also skeptical that Barr is guilty. As a result, Reacher begins his quest to find the real sniper.

The search involves a series of violent encounters that the stealth Reacher must endure and survive. He is set up early on by Sandy (Alexia Fast), a young woman who tries to pick Reacher up at a bar. He rebuffs and insults her, drawing the attention of her male companions, who challenge Reacher to a fight. Of course, Jack does not back down and soon finds himself facing four men and easily dispatching all of them. Unfortunately, the police arrive soon thereafter and Reacher suspects that at least one of the investigators arranged his arrest and may be involved with the sniper. There is an additional imposing figure lurking in the background, Zec (Werner Herzog), who appears to be pulling all of the strings.

Cruise once again delivers a physically impressive performance in Jack Reacher, much like his work in the Mission: Impossible films. The action is fast and furious at times and includes car chases and plenty of fisticuffs. All the while, Cruise is completely convincing, charismatic and riveting. In addition to the action, there is a love story, of sorts, as the sexual chemistry between Jack and Helen becomes evident. She does not suppress her attraction, but he knows that if anything happens between them it will be short lived and besides, he never stays in one place for very long.

Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie effectively infuses humor into the screenplay, which helps to balance the serious and often suspenseful material. Cruise and Pike use that humor to great effect in their scenes together and so does Robert Duvall, who portrays Cash, a loner who helps Reacher search for those responsible for the murders. Another reason why Jack Reacher works so well is courtesy of the villains, led by acclaimed director Werner Herzog, who takes what could have been a throwaway role, as Zec, and adds layers to the character. Overall, the film is superbly cast.

McQuarrie's screenplay is intelligent and his direction is seamless. As a result, the two plus hour run time goes by very quickly. Of course, I am also a sucker for any film featuring the city of Pittsburgh (my hometown) as the backdrop, so that may have influenced my opinion in some way. In any event, Jack Reacher caught me by surprise. I did not expect to enjoy the film nearly as much as I did and while the movie is not a typical holiday offering, it is one of better films currently in release and deserves to be seen.