Mike Williams | On 03, Mar 2017

Director: Edward Zwick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders
Certificate: 12
Watch Jack Reacher: Never Go Back online in the UK: Amazon Prime / Netflix UK / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / TalkTalk TV / Rakuten TV / Google Play

When Tom Cruise was originally cast as a 6ft-something brick wall of an action hero, there were some that professed their scepticism. Since Jack Reacher materialised on the big screen back in 2012, though, the results have been surprisingly solid. And, as with the first instalment, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back can be described in the same vein as its predecessor. Never has the word ‘solid’ been more applicable both to filmmaking and character stature; it’s solid in a positive sense, offering up action, conspiracy and a plethora of Jason Bourne-style fight choreography, with an intriguing storyline.

Like a number of Cruise’s recent films, Jack Reacher performed modestly at the box office. With around $100 million in profit, though, a sequel was always likely (not least because it cost a reasonable $60 million to make). So, after the events of the first, we’re reunited with the dangerous Reacher (Cruise), who teams up with Turner (Cobie Smulders), when he becomes a fugitive framed by the government. The premise is akin to the thriller conspiracies that have littered movies over the years, from the Will Smith-starring Enemy of the State and the hugely popular Bourne franchise to Cruise’s own Mission: Impossible movies. As far as original plotting goes, Never Go Back doesn’t score favourably.

What the sequel does possess, however, is a high level of octane that’s maintained throughout. Reacher as a character is one step ahead of his adversaries, which becomes amazingly satisfying, as we see crooked military figures conspiring over the phone, only for our hero to waltz in moments later and smack them across the head with it. While our protagonist duo are effectively the mice in this animalistic chase, the cats (aka. the government and beyond) never stand a genuine chance of capturing them – even when they manage to physically apprehend and lock Jack up.

This relentless punch-a-thon is perfect in length, regardless of it being just shy of the two-hour mark. It’s balanced, with Cruise and Smulders proving to be a well-matched duo that kicks arse in equal measure – writer-director Edwards Zwick makes a noble effort to affirm Turner as Reacher’s equal. Jack Reacher 2 offers very effective, exciting escapism in a similarly gratuitous manner to John Wick’s recent sequel. We’re given a quickly paced, smartly cut bout of violence and thrills that keeps your attention. Never Go Back puts you in the driving seat next to the good guys and keeps you in that invincible place until its end credits roll.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is available on Netflix UK, as part of an £9.99 monthly subscription. It is also available to watch online on Amazon Prime Video as part of a Prime membership or a £5.99 monthly subscription.

 

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