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JACK REACHERMovie Reviews
Action thriller about an ex-military investigator who teams with a young defense lawyer to find the ruthless enemy responsible for a mass murder. Cast:Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins, Jai Courtney, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo, Michael Raymond-James, Alexia Fast, Alexander Rhodes, James Martin Kelly, Ron Pucillo, Kristen Dalton, Nicole Forester, Christopher StadulisDirector:Christopher McQuarrieRelease Date:December 21, 2012DVD Release:May 7, 2013From:ParamountRating:PG-13Length:2 hr 10 min
Jack Reacher played to fair reviews. • Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "There are three decent action sequences.... the bulk of the movie comes down to Cruise stalking around in a leather jacket, trying extra-hard to intimidate co-stars..." More Reviews Below...
Jack Reacher Positive Reviews (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: MODERATE(cg) "Cruise never disappears into the role of the military policeman turned drifter... has a forgettable plot that strays from 'One Shot,' the novel on which it's based."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 115 words, 12/13/12
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: VERY GOOD(cg) "...clever, well-crafted and darkly humorous... features one of those effortless bad-ass performances from Tom Cruise that remind us that he is indeed a movie star..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 616 words, 12/20/12
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the movie stumbles around looking for a unifying narrative tone, while the star soldiers on, offering up his generic action-hero stance of calm, opaque concentration."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 321 words, 12/14/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "Cruise is good in the role, damn good.... McQuarrie, who wrote 'The Usual Suspects' and adapted Child's book, has an irresistible feel for the criminal underbelly."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 315 words, 12/07/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...limited by a lack of originality and hampered by thematic clichés and generic action sequences.... Despite a terrific cast, this film comes up empty-handed."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 557 words, 12/21/12
Kat Murphy, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Tight and quick, often entertaining, the film lacks nothing but juice -- the kind of high-octane cinematic fuel that turbocharged, say, Michael Mann's 'Collateral.' "(See all of Kat Murphy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 809 words, 12/21/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: MODERATE(cg) "Overlong and undercooked... fails to gain traction on any level. It's dramatically inert and relies on uninspired action sequences to provide 'pop.' "(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 760 words, 12/22/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (14 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "Reacher is far less enigmatic than he or anyone else in the movie thinks he is. And also less interesting.... Nearly every conversation is stilted and lame..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 12/21/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...on its own terms, it succeeds pretty well -- and almost solely because of Cruise in the lead... most of the supporting cast isn't given much to do."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 12/21/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...thrill-less, chill-less... The brightest spot is Pike.... Reacher's supposed to radiate a kind of animal magnetism -- I just don't think 'cold fish' was what they had in mind."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 780 words, 12/21/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...diverting... But it's not easy to take it in the intended escapist spirit. Not with so many close-ups of so many bullets, and so many guns given their moment in the sun."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 577 words, 12/21/12
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "...never truly hard-hitting (the PG-13 rating sees to that), nor is it terribly inventive... In the end, it's just a corny slugfest that's impossible to take seriously."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 275 words, 12/21/12
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: POOR "...it's painful to see Lee Childs's six-foot-five-inch ex-military vigilante Jack Reacher embodied by the diminutive Tom Cruise... the whole movie is like an NRA wet dream..."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 330 words, 12/21/12
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a well-directed piece of pulp crapola.... the big reveal is just ridiculous, the dialogue is often unintentionally funny, and Cruise's performance is mostly wrong."(See all of Richard Roeper's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 720 words, 12/21/12
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...there's clear delight passing between Cruise and his' Days of Thunder' co-star Robert Duvall.... Should a beat-'em-up action flick be this beautiful?"(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 12/19/12
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Cruise makes a convincing Reacher.... Pity that the film he's in suffers from bloat... What could be a taut 90 minutes turns into a puffy 130..."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 729 words, 12/21/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "What motivated Tom Cruise to want to play the character of Jack Reacher?... Cruise is too mature, diminutive and fine-looking for the role..."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 560 words, 12/21/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "There are three decent action sequences.... the bulk of the movie comes down to Cruise stalking around in a leather jacket, trying extra-hard to intimidate co-stars..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 12/20/12
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...a mismatch of wincingly epic proportions... Cruise never wants the audience to forget who it is up there flexing his shirtless abs on the screen."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 585 words, 12/21/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: WEAK(cg) "...pushes its formula plot toward a big nighttime shootout in an excavation site. The violence is plenty, and pointless."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 460 words, 12/21/12
Kristin Tillotson, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "Cruise puts on his tough face and quickly takes command of the screen... McQuarrie knows how to get the best from the star, taking him to the edge of over-the-top."(See all of Kristin Tillotson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 510 words, 12/21/12
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic: MODERATE(cg) "...sporadically entertaining... efforts to render the hero larger than life result in a story that is less than convincing."(See all of Kerry Lengel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 596 words, 12/21/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...the height of by-the-book dullness.... Cruise's commitment to stopping terror, punishing mass murderers, and righting wrongs remains admirable, crazy, and vain."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 662 words, 12/21/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "It's just another reliable, audience-tested entertainment product from the Tom Cruise Fun Factory - and guaranteed to please the least demanding of his fervent fans."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 574 words, 12/21/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: MODERATE(cg) "A pretty good action movie, elevated by the presence of Cruise and Rosamund Pike.... It's reasonably entertaining in a 1980s sort of way."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 584 words, 12/21/12
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: MODERATE(cg) "...a workmanlike thriller, but audiences will probably find its scenes of random rifle shootings and children running away particularly unwelcome..."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 328 words, 12/21/12
Roger Moore, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "Cruise carries off the part with a bruising panache... McQuarrie plays up the banter in between the beat-downs. And he preserves Reacher's personal sense of justice."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 376 words, 12/21/12
Sean Daly, Tampa Bay Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...it's hard to fault the entertainment onscreen, which presents its plot in tight, watch-closely puzzle pieces... the finale is a shoot-'em-up, beat-'em-up doozy..."(See all of Sean Daly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 589 words, 12/20/12
Tom Long, Detroit News: FAIR(cg) "There is absolutely nothing novel or outstanding about this action film, and in truth, it's pretty silly at times.... At 130 minutes, there's a lot of dead air..."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 12/21/12
Chuck Wilson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...there's clear delight passing between Cruise and his' Days of Thunder' co-star Robert Duvall.... Should a beat-'em-up action flick be this beautiful?"(See all of Chuck Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 593 words, 12/19/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "McQuarrie sets up the case in a masterful opening scene, and does well by the car chase and fight scenes.... Where he gets off track is with occasional flourishes..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 642 words, 12/19/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "He dislocates arms, crushes skulls, and smashes '70s muscle cars in high-speed chases. He never gets beat and he's never wrong, and he's a bore."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 171 words, 12/27/12
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "There's an unpleasantly condescending, moralizing tone to the film, worthy of 'Atlas Shrugged'... It's mythmaking for self-satisfied sociopaths."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 398 words, 12/20/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: EXCELLENT(cg) "...the film is so completely perverse and vivid whenever the camera turns to Werner Herzog that you might forget anyone else is on screen."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,166 words, 12/24/12
Amy Nicholson, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "...a bit unsteady as it wavers between action and laughs. But the flick is great entertainment... it's fast, fun, and smarter than it looks."(See all of Amy Nicholson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,063 words, 12/19/12
Chris Cabin, Slant: POOR(cg) "The product of an unsure, overcompensating workaday director... as incompetent, manipulative, safe, and disposable as any number of nickel-and-dime actioners..."(See all of Chris Cabin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 12/20/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "There are three decent action sequences.... the bulk of the movie comes down to Cruise stalking around in a leather jacket, trying extra-hard to intimidate co-stars..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 480 words, 12/20/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...offers an adequately compelling central mystery with some exciting set pieces.... keeps you interested enough to want to see how it all ends."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 696 words, 12/21/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: MODERATE(cg) "It's not all bad. Cruise continues his streak of Being Surprisingly Sexy Onscreen.... It's not dumb, but it's not much of a movie, either."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 843 words, 12/21/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "It's almost peerlessly self-important, weirdly incoherent and eerily smarmy... though the script strives to bend minds, it numbs brains..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 446 words, 12/21/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "Reacher is far less enigmatic than he or anyone else in the movie thinks he is. And also less interesting.... Nearly every conversation is stilted and lame..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 12/21/12
Stephanie Zacharek, NPR: WEAK "Cruise has no wit and no style, other than the studiously applied kind... McQuarrie doesn't do enough to goad Cruise into giving this performance some shape."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 808 words, 12/20/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...thrill-less, chill-less... The brightest spot is Pike.... Reacher's supposed to radiate a kind of animal magnetism -- I just don't think 'cold fish' was what they had in mind."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 780 words, 12/21/12
Dan Kois, Slate: POOR "...slack and dull, with every point of exposition delivered in triplicate and every twist telegraphed... McQuarrie isn't nearly a good enough director to save the material."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 767 words, 12/21/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: MODERATE "...relatively generic... Cruise is too charismatic to play someone so cold-blooded... the film somewhat redeems its silliness through action..."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 765 words, 12/10/12
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "...provides the tasty satisfactions of sturdy mystery thrillers of yore... you know things are not what they appear and you're happy to be led by a capable expert..."(See all of Todd McCarthy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 980 words, 12/10/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "...thrill-less, chill-less... The brightest spot is Pike.... Reacher's supposed to radiate a kind of animal magnetism -- I just don't think 'cold fish' was what they had in mind."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 780 words, 12/21/12
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...conventional... What slightly elevates this above the routine is the secondary cast of good characters actors, such as Robert Duvall and Richard Jenkins..."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 690 words, 12/15/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "Reacher is far less enigmatic than he or anyone else in the movie thinks he is. And also less interesting.... Nearly every conversation is stilted and lame..."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 661 words, 12/21/12
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: POOR "It's almost peerlessly self-important, weirdly incoherent and eerily smarmy... though the script strives to bend minds, it numbs brains..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 446 words, 12/21/12
19.2 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Jack Reacher's reviews are separated by an average 19.2 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Jack Reacher (50 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Jack Reacher's reviews cover 96.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 30,380 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 608 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Jack Reacher Coverage, Volume & Length (50 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 42.4 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Jack Reacher's reviews on average broke 42.4 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Jack Reacher's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Jack Reacher (50 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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