Walking the Earth like Kane from Kung-Fu, Jack Reacher is back righting wrongs, in his second cinematic adventure; Never Go Back. But will the second instalment live up to the first? Or are we headed for something a little more downtempo...
Understandably, Never Go Back can't be called a straight sequel, as NGB is the 18th book in the Lee Child's series and Jack Reacher is based on the 9th novel; One Shot. Then again, discrepancies wouldn't be the biggest crime in this franchise, as I remember the outrage surrounding the casting of Tom Cruise, in the eponymously titled first film. Personally, I knew nothing about the books or characters and so I had to find out what caused the immediate furore amongst the die hard fans. The verdict? In short, fans of the books, had a problem with the physical differences of Reacher outlined in the pages, compared to...well Tom Cruise's real physical statistics. Jack Reacher is a 6ft 5" military policeman. He weighs between 220lbs - 250lbs and has a 50 inch chest. Lee Child himself said "Reacher’s size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force". So what Reacher's immediate physicality is suppose to convey, is that here is a man, that surely should not to be messed with. And though you don't initially get this from my fellow heightsman Cruise, his dedication to Reacher's personality and the physical prowess he does bring, is more than adequate to see, that this man, is a serious force.
"Every action scene could have been bigger, louder edited more ferociously, but to the film's credit - it wasn't."
| In NGB, Reacher finds himself coming to the aid of a Major Susan Turner played by Cobie Smulders (Avengers Assemble) who has, to reacher's surprise, been falsely accused of espionage. Although Reacher has never personally met the Major, his continuous phone correspondence with her, has given him an instinct about her character, that of which doesn't fit the criminal charge. So down the rabbit hole Reacher goes to investigate his suspicions and at the other end of the mystery, he finds murder, high level corruption and terror capitalism. NGB has a lot going for it. It has been scripted so that you could watch this entry without knowing anything about the character or plot from the first film and still derive as much pleasure as anyone else. Re-united with The Last Samaurai director Edward Zwick, Cruise and the production team have carved out a cool, sensible story with relevant and balanced scenes of action and emotional content. Where as with the Jason Bourne series I feel I am constantly watching the same film over and over again, NGB has its own identity and perfect restraint. Every action scene could have been bigger, louder edited more ferociously, but to the films credit - it wasn't. With NGB, what you get is a generic styled action drama, that knows exactly what it is, but takes the mature path in its storytelling every time. A Strong 7/10 |  |
| JACK REACHER (2012) | JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK (2016) |
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