Review: 'Jack Reacher: Never Go Back' is very ordinary
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 118 minutes (~2 hours)
“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” is an action thriller that’s the second in the “Jack Reacher” franchise. Ex-army man Jack Reacher returns to his former military base and finds himself framed and on the the run. It stars Tom Cruise (Jack Reacher), Cobie Smulders (Susan Turner), Danika Yarosh (Samantha Dayton), and Robert Knepper (General Harkness). It is rated NC-16.
“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” is very ordinary. Without reading the synopsis, you can already guess that somebody gets framed and has to go on the run. What happened to the good old days when protagonists would stumble across an evil plot and then race to solve it, rather than being dragged into a scheme thanks to some flimsy reason to frame them for a crime? It’s not a terrible film, but it doesn’t stand out amongst this month’s offerings either.
Highlights
A twist in twist in the the tale
Due to how relationships are depicted and how bonds are built up between certain characters over the film, you’re lead to believe that a deeper connection lies between some characters. It’s a heartwarming moment when Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) finally reveals his latent emotions, but that’s completely turned on his head with an even more surprising revelation in the ending. Even with the sudden plot twist, Jack still acknowledges his feelings for the person, even as everything goes back to status quo.
Susan Turner is rather badass
Honestly, this film should have been named “Susan Turner: Never Go Back” since she’s the more interesting character. She’s almost as good in melee combat as Jack Reacher (except when the plot calls for her to be helplessly knocked against the side of the wall) and her backstory is far more interesting. It’s a pity that her role couldn’t have been expanded further.
Letdowns
Susan Turner likes bathrobes a little too much
So Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) is portrayed as a woman who’s independent and eager to prove that she’s worth as much as, if not more than, any man. Yet when all the main characters find themselves in a hotel room, she spends the bulk of her time traipsing around in a bathrobe. It’s odd to see her demand equality yet dress seductively, and is a mishandled case of feminism in the film.
Samantha Dayton is a brat
The other key protagonist in the film is Samantha Dayton (Danika Yarosh), and she’s more of a hindrance than anything else. She tries to emulate a young Anna Paquin in an attempt to be more likeable, but her swings between petulant teen and supposedly innocent child are too wild to be reconciled properly. Jack Reacher would have resolved the situation much faster if he didn’t have to spend so much time on Samantha.
Pointless drama between Jack and Susan
Partway through the film, for absolutely no reason at all, some domestic drama erupts between Jack and Susan. They’ve been working perfectly well before this, and work perfectly well after, so it comes out of the blue and seems like a very transparent attempt to inject tension into an expository scene. That point of contention is never brought up again between the pair, and is one of the most inane portions of the film.
“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” is unremarkable.
Should you watch this if it’s free? OK.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? No.
Score: 2.0/5
“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” opens in cinemas:
- 20 October, 2016 (Singapore)
- 20 October, 2016 (Malaysia)
- 19 October, 2016 (Philippines)
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes atmarcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
