NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I know... we could... see the badass action instead of inferring what was going on based on sound effects and blur.
Jack Reacher Trailer (Tom Cruise Vs. Werner Herzog)
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I know... we could... see the badass action instead of inferring what was going on based on sound effects and blur.
Saw this today. It was a fun stupid action/suspense movie with some really awkward scenes. Very stupid movie.
The way Jack Reacher is introduced to the audience is extremely awkward. The movie acts like you should already know who Jack Reacher is and treats him with a sort of familiarity that makes you feel like you're watching a sequel and missed the first movie somehow.
Jack Reacher is a fun character, but he's way too perfect.
The way Jack Reacher is introduced to the audience is extremely awkward. The movie acts like you should already know who Jack Reacher is and treats him with a sort of familiarity that makes you feel like you're watching a sequel and missed the first movie somehow.
Jack Reacher is a fun character, but he's way too perfect.
The villain comes across as something out of a Saturday morning cartoon. He's cliched as hell, has no backstory with no interesting motive. He's essentially just evil for evil's sake.
The scene at the meth house was crazy. The guys trying to kill Reacher and doing a Three Stooges routine felt really out of place was just hilariously bad.
The evidence pointing to the conspiracy is so overwhelmingly beyond coincidence that they could have gone straight to the feds and had a case with what they had, but nobody but Reacher was convinced.
"The police found a dead body near my motel room. I have an air-tight alibi proving I'm not the murderer... I think I'll run." I'm sure her office building had security cameras that could prove he was there during the murder.
Speaking of security, it sure is easy to abduct someone from inside the DA's office building.
Why was the cop in on it? He says he didn't have a choice. So he was a victim too? Why didn't he just turn on the old man when all the other stooges were gone? It's not like the old man could fight back, he had no fingers to fire a gun with.
What was with those scenes at the firing range? They had this one scene where they implied the range owner was going to shoot Reacher while he put his target out on the range and then they just drop it. Then they keep showing this guy slowly walking up behind Reacher as Reacher is sniping his target, like somebody was going to ambush him from behind, but we never see the guy after Reacher fires the last shot. What the hell was that? Some extra got in the shot?
"You killed all the witnesses and I'm just an old man at the wrong place at the wrong time! Who are the cops going to believe; an ex-MP with an exemplary record or an obviously evil old man with no fingers?!" There was a shit-ton of evidence. You don't need witnesses for a case. They have a paper trail, bodies have identities. So he shoots the old man because somehow there is no chance he'll get convicted despite all the evidence and somehow there is now no evidence that Barr is innocent despite the extremely obvious conspiracy.
The scene at the meth house was crazy. The guys trying to kill Reacher and doing a Three Stooges routine felt really out of place was just hilariously bad.
The evidence pointing to the conspiracy is so overwhelmingly beyond coincidence that they could have gone straight to the feds and had a case with what they had, but nobody but Reacher was convinced.
"The police found a dead body near my motel room. I have an air-tight alibi proving I'm not the murderer... I think I'll run." I'm sure her office building had security cameras that could prove he was there during the murder.
Speaking of security, it sure is easy to abduct someone from inside the DA's office building.
Why was the cop in on it? He says he didn't have a choice. So he was a victim too? Why didn't he just turn on the old man when all the other stooges were gone? It's not like the old man could fight back, he had no fingers to fire a gun with.
What was with those scenes at the firing range? They had this one scene where they implied the range owner was going to shoot Reacher while he put his target out on the range and then they just drop it. Then they keep showing this guy slowly walking up behind Reacher as Reacher is sniping his target, like somebody was going to ambush him from behind, but we never see the guy after Reacher fires the last shot. What the hell was that? Some extra got in the shot?
"You killed all the witnesses and I'm just an old man at the wrong place at the wrong time! Who are the cops going to believe; an ex-MP with an exemplary record or an obviously evil old man with no fingers?!" There was a shit-ton of evidence. You don't need witnesses for a case. They have a paper trail, bodies have identities. So he shoots the old man because somehow there is no chance he'll get convicted despite all the evidence and somehow there is now no evidence that Barr is innocent despite the extremely obvious conspiracy.
brianjones
Member
this movie had some of the worst dialogue I've heard in a while.. terrible script.
it's also too long and large chunks of it are boring.
the car chase was alright and the sound of the guns was legit.
otherwise it feels like a straight to DVD quality film
it's also too long and large chunks of it are boring.
the car chase was alright and the sound of the guns was legit.
otherwise it feels like a straight to DVD quality film
There are 17 Jack Reacher novels and they have sold tens of millions of copies internationally. Jack Reacher is a global brand.
First installments in franchises are always somewhat awkward for this reason. They can never be sure to what extent members of the audience will be familiar with the character.
He wanted to pursue the real sniper. Maybe that explanation does not make his behavior more realistic but that is why the car chased happened. He was pursuing the sniper as much as he was running from the police.
The central premise of the movie is that The Zec (and his organization) killed four innocent people in order to cover the murder of a fifth person. Also the scene where The Zec gives the guy the option of biting his own fingers off.
The movie is certainly over the top, but it very deliberately constructs that The Zec (and his organization) are ruthless killers. From this context I don't think it is a stretch that they could succeed in corrupting a cop.
The movie is certainly over the top, but it very deliberately constructs that The Zec (and his organization) are ruthless killers. From this context I don't think it is a stretch that they could succeed in corrupting a cop.
The chief investigator is the one who abducted her. Once it is established that he is corrupt it does not seem far off that he would be able to abduct her in that building.
He was mentally picturing James Barr being in his place and the "friend" accompanying Barr at the range. Thus the next scene where he explains to Robert Duvall how the "friend" had switched the targets in order to establish Barr as the best shot on the range. Reacher had not previously known this, what you are describing is the visual representation of him figuring this out.
Well, Reacher had still committed dozens of crimes that include killing ~7 people (I can't remember the exact number). It was certainly in his interest to resolve that situation that way. It seemed like a perfectly fitting resolution to the movie to me. That is what the character of Jack Reacher that had been developed up to that point in the movie would do in that situation.
Fuck. Now this feels like a Prometheus thread, lol.
I agree. I have been thinking about why I enjoyed this so much since I left the theater and the specific details in the combat sequences were a big part of it. They really succeeded in portraying Reacher as being more than a one man killing machine cliche. Every shot in the gun fights and every blow in the hand-to-hand scenes felt deliberate and real. Yes, he beats up 3 people at once but by the way the scenes were directed his victories seem human.
99,000,000/7,000,000,000 is 1.4%. I know the entire world doesn't read books or watch movies, but I seriously doubt even close to 50% of the people who see this movie will already be familiar with the character. You should always err on the side of caution and assume none of your audience will be familiar with the brand when making the first adaptation in a series.
The chasing the sniper thing actually makes the whole chase even sillier, what with Reacher's magic tracking abilities.
But the cop says he didn't have a choice. That implies he is an unwilling participant. Yet when all threats are neutralized he still fights Reacher. It doesn't even make sense why ANYONE is following The Zec. The dude is completely unintimidating without someone to act as his hands since he has no fingers.
Being the chief investigator doesn't give you security access to the entire city.
I know it turned into a flashback of Barr meeting his friend, but it was still awkward to have the guy walking up behind him in non-flashback.
The only crime Reacher committed was searching without a warrant at the meth house, stealing some cars, vigilantism, and resisting arrest. Everyone he killed would have been dropped as self defense. But even with killing The Zec, they act as if he has destroyed all evidence that could prove Barr's innocence and that's just insane. There is PLENTY of evidence.
That can't be right. Just off the top of my head, the figure should be closer to 1.5%. You've probably confused 1.4% with 14%. If it was 14%, that would probably be just under a billion copies rather than just under a hundred million. One hundred million is still a crazy amount of sales though. I would expect a fair few people will know what Jack Reacher is. Maybe not to the extent of cultural phenomenons like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but there should be a fair few folks.
I agree with your overall point however. I read a lot of books, but I've never read Jack Reacher. Getting thrown into the thick of things isn't always a good idea since it's not likely people will know who the character is. I'm looking forward to seeing this soon. I'm after some mindless fun.
Heh, yeah it's 1.4%. Typo. Be warned that it's not actually mindless fun. The trailers make it looks like it has a lot of action, but it's actually mostly suspense.
Also I don't know how much Jack Reacher has sold. I'm just taking the comment "tens of millions of copies" and giving that the maximum value possible for effect. That's probably for the entire franchise, which apparently has 17 books; so really whatever copies the series has sold should be divided by 17 to get a better approximation of how big the fanbase really is. It's definitely not big enough to introduce the characters the way this movie does.
The reason Tom Cruise is doing Jack Reacher because he has pretty much milked Mission Impossible Franchise for all its worth. He was lucky IM4 was so successful. Jack Reacher is his plan B. I guess Spielberg no longer get him to star in mega sci-fi movies anymore.
IMO Tom Cruise should work with Nolan or Duncan Jones for his next mega franchise.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I read an article that McQuarrie, the director of Jack Reacher, is gonna be doing Mission Impossible V with Cruise.
PoweredBySoy
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Wiktor
Member
Would be nice. Hated how souless MI4 seemed.
AgentOtaku
Member
Good review
Yup, Christopher M. is pretty much the sole reason I wanna watch this. Way of the Gun's finale is one of my all time shoot-outs and the film is just underrated in general.
Count Dookkake
Member
Excellent flick. Pulpy and well-done.
The criticism is it's a Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Vin Deisel paint by numbers but instead of the end point seeking the really good guy choice they choose the cold logical one(and it is played off with quick cuts and light music) and with that all of a sudden it's supposed to be different from the regular formula.
It's still got the awkward scenes that denote humour, a stupid scene where he's got his shirt off and a stirring speech where you find yourself nodding your head in agreement that the system is fucked.
The problem is, it's a love letter from Tom Cruise, to Tom Cruise. I've got no problem with him making money. I have no problem with him being the hero. But he makes it so obvious it's just brutal. The last fight sums up the corniness of this movie. Just because you add scotch to a fruity drink doesn't all of a sudden make it a more mature drinker's drink.
ToyMachine228
Member
Certainly a film with a lot of imperfections but enjoyable overall. The only thing that really bothered me to the point where it really hurt my enjoyment of it was that Reacher is just so sarcastic that it comes off as unnatural. The scene where Sandy sits down at his booth in the bar is prominently what I'm talking about. He has a witty answer for everything. No conversation between two people ever goes down like that.
Deadly Cyclone
Pride of Iowa State
Liked the movie, but wish they'd have brought more of the book, they got rid of entire main characters. Also I liked in the book how Reacher attacked a house in stealth. A lot of the twists and turns made more sense because they were explained deeper in the book.
I recommend any of you who saw the movie read the book. It has a lot more depth.
I recommend any of you who saw the movie read the book. It has a lot more depth.
Saw it a few days ago, thought it was a pretty nothing movie. The characters are cardboard cut outs (Reacher in particular; he's just too perfect, and Cruise doesn't do anything to humanize him). Rosamund Pike is absolutely terrible. Not sure what the big deal about Herzog is other than the novelty of Werner Herzog playing a villain (though he does absolutely nothing). And unless I was in the bathroom during an extremely critical scene, I'm not even sure what the point of the story was or what it was supposed to amount to.
Cool car chase and Robert Duvall was fun to watch, but the movie is a total waste.
Cool car chase and Robert Duvall was fun to watch, but the movie is a total waste.
Chrono Helix
Member
I enjoyed the show a lot, really hated how the trailers portrayed it as a "He's a cop that doesn't play the rules, he's a man who's got nothing to lose" sort of show. I quite like how it plays with your expectations, like that scene where
or the scene where
Reacher's sniper ally shot at the real sniper, and for a moment he gets a blank look and you think he's dead, and then he suddenly crouches and you realize he isn't,
you think they're going to sleep together but he's just handing her his car keys.
ZackieChan
Member
I enjoyed the movie, but I feel like the fact that it was based on a book (which I haven't read) did it a disservice. Too much of what seemed like a police procedural was a problem for me. When the movie was in high gear, it was quite good. I'm not advocating "dumbing it down," but I just think that the investigation wasn't terribly interesting or smart.
Maybe I'll check out the book, though. Could be interesting. Also, VARRO from Spartacus. Hell yeah. Missed his curly blonde hair, though
QuicheFontaine
Member
So I quite liked this film for what it was but a couple of things confused me...
Near the start the attorney woman is trying to convince Jack to "take the case", as it were, and he seems impatient saying like "get to the point, my bus leaves any minute". But then the waitress brings over a whole plate of what looks like a fried breakfast for Jack. Wtf?
Am I going mad, or did that attorneys woman keep changing from fully made-up face to no make-up between shots?
This has been mentioned already but that corrupt cop is never explained. I think some film might've been cut out, since the guy specifically says "you'll see", but you don't.
Am I going mad, or did that attorneys woman keep changing from fully made-up face to no make-up between shots?
This has been mentioned already but that corrupt cop is never explained. I think some film might've been cut out, since the guy specifically says "you'll see", but you don't.
Blue Submarine No. 6
Member
I saw this yesterday with my wife... just another silly Tom Cruise vehicle, but I was okay with it, tho' I didn't have much in the way of expectations for it going in... we both felt it came off like a TV Pilot more than anything... (and I'd probably watch the TV show)...
metsallica
Member
I like to think he's just having fun with life these days. He narrated the entire season of Metalocalypse that recently ended too!
BotoxAgent
Member
Really liked the action, wished there was more of it in the movie.
Ken Masters
Banned
Why was this movie so damn good?
SCULLIBUNDO
Banned
Cruise Missile strikes again.
Had a lot of fun with it.
Had a lot of fun with it.
Fleet_of_Foot
Member
I wonder what it would be like to read the book after seeing the movie (if you haven't read any other Reacher books). The whole time you'd be like, "Wait..this guy...is supposed to be...Tom Cruise?"
Then you'd never be able to picture him as anyone else. What a shame. I've read most of the books, haven't seen the movie. Based on this thread, I do kind of want to see it. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around him.
Then you'd never be able to picture him as anyone else. What a shame. I've read most of the books, haven't seen the movie. Based on this thread, I do kind of want to see it. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around him.
Wiktor
Member
I've only read the first one and his height was never really a factor there.
DerZuhälter
Member
Werner Herzog should not be dubbed in Germany by Werner Herzog even if Werner Herzog's german voice is pretty similar to Werner Herzog's english voice. Sounded like a goddamn robot...
Other than that: Cruise playing an amalgation of a lot of older roles (The Firm, A few good men, Days of Thunder, Mission Impossible, Collateral). An okay movie we all will have completely forgotten about in 6 months.
Other than that: Cruise playing an amalgation of a lot of older roles (The Firm, A few good men, Days of Thunder, Mission Impossible, Collateral). An okay movie we all will have completely forgotten about in 6 months.
Clay Davis
Member
so this was great. so much better than I thought it would be based on the trailers. excellent acting from all involved, especially from cruise, herzog (wish we saw more of him), Jai Courtney and Rosamund Pike.
speaking of Rosamund. goodness at her heaving bosom. Goodness.
speaking of Rosamund. goodness at her heaving bosom. Goodness.
Clay Davis
Member
yep. he's great in it, but he's not in it enough in my opinion. more of him and less of other poorly developed characters would have made this a much better movie. that's not to say it's not good, but it could have been much better with more Herzog.
As a huge fan of the books, I recently saw this movie myself and was shocked at how well Cruise captures the essence of the character. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised.
He doesn't look the part, obviously, but in all sorts of subtle ways, he captures the personality of Reacher perfectly. Now that I've seen him play the role, I still don't think he was a perfect casting choice, but I've decided he is better than adequate, simply because most actors who look the part couldn't have played the character nearly as well as Crusie did.
The movie overall was really enjoyable. It really feels like reading one of Child's books. They didn't dumb down the story to get rid of the mystery, and they didn't turn it into a mindless action movie with wall to wall combat or anything. It sort of reminds me of watching a smart 70s thriller. The sort of movie that would have starred Steve McQueen back in the day. The action is well executed, the thriller elements are well executed, and all the acting is top-notch.
That opening sniper scene, the sound and echo of each shot, absolutely incredible and terrifying at the same time.
Plus is it just me or was the main attorney ladies tits hanging out for like the whole movie.
Plus Tom Cruise's multiple crotch shots, perfect. Movie was just good fun.
Plus is it just me or was the main attorney ladies tits hanging out for like the whole movie.
Plus Tom Cruise's multiple crotch shots, perfect. Movie was just good fun.
Clay Davis
Member
the car chase scene was phenomenal. the sound of the beast he was driving was off the charts.
they were and it was glorious.
Just saw this tonite, nice movie, too focusing on implying that the Cruise missile is the manliest thing there is (he is) and some misguided comedy, but it was really good, loved the chase scene, the fight against Varro and seeing Robert Duvall again. Also, dat Rosamund Pike cleavage.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
the car chase scene was phenomenal. the sound of the beast he was driving was off the charts.
they were and it was glorious.
Wiktor
Member
according to Box Office Mojo it's closing on 100 mln foreign, 174 mln total vs 60 mln budget. So yeah, I think it did good enough, especially since it seems to have pretty long legs and that number will grow further.
ThreeSixty
December 16, 2009. 4:00 AM. THE LIGHT FIELD is the force. The mind. That guides. Controls.
Definitely want to see this. It's reassuring to hear that the GAF concensus on this is that it's "enjoyable and entertaining fun". As soon as this hits DVD I'm there.
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