Jack Reacher ★★

    The history of cinema has been littered with tough skinned and lawless individuals, who are familiar with the ladies and can dispatch an enemy with the use of their bare hands alone. Enter "Jack Reacher." This is a 2012 thriller adapted from the novel, One Shot, by the British writer under the pen name of Lee Child. Although this film stars one of Hollywood's biggest names in Tom Cruise, it fails to provide enough raw emotion to bring the black and white pages to life on the big screen.

    Who is Jack Reacher? We are introduced to this individual through cut scenes and dialogue provided by other characters. Reacher is an ex-military cop who enjoys a life of seclusion. He is the type of man who exchanges his outfit at the nearest Goodwill, only to pay for what he wore there and donate back on his way out--a less than intricate attempt to remain hidden from watchful eyes.

    If Jack Reacher is so intent on continuing this life of solitude, why would he ever reveal himself now?

    The city of Pittsburgh experiences a lethal shooting of five individuals by a sniper rifle. The suspected shooter, a former U.S. Army sniper, is taken in for questioning, only to request the assistance of Jack Reacher. After seeing this incident on the news, Reacher brings himself to Pittsburgh and becomes the lead investigator for defense attorney Helen Rodin.

    Of course, he is not set on proving the innocence of James Barr, the suspected gunman, but to condemn him after a similar experience in the Middle East saw Barr evade justice. Reacher will have to utilize his investigative prowess and tactical fighting skills to solve the concealed mystery that surrounds this case.

    Tom Cruise has taken numerous roles in his career that have become sure misfires; Jack Reacher is no exception. Cruise is an actor built on charisma. The character of Jack Reacher not only lacks this warranted quality in an action hero, but also dwells in the personification of impassiveness. Reacher is unable to conjure any type of emotion and is simply a walking deductive reasoning tool, who fights only when engaged.

    However, Cruise is not the only aspect of this film to feel out of place. Rosamund Pike provides a forgettable performance as the skeptical defense attorney, who is desperate to make a name for herself, for she is the daughter of a prestigious district attorney. Pike is limited to wide-eyed expressions and seems to just run through the motions, albeit in a rather lethargic fashion. A small performance by Robert Duvall as Cash, a shooting range owner, saves this film from complete incomprehension.

    "Jack Reacher" will provide a few fight scenes, a car chase, and a tedious ending in which the inept Reacher needs the help of the passive Cash to save the day. The most entertaining of these being a bar fight where our hero dispatches a group of auto parts employees, who moonlight as street toughs.

    The complication with this picture, which also plagues the Jack Ryan characterization, is the difficult task of transforming the pages of this work of fiction into a film that will provide substance. Sure our protagonist is a skillful fighter, knows how to shoot a weapon with expertise, and has an uncanny aura of investigative instincts, but what makes him engrossing?

    Even Jack Ryan has a love interest. Reacher seems anything but interested in emotional attachment. When adapting a novel from a series (in this particular instance book nine) there is an indefinable quality lost in the translation. Ultimately, when viewing this film we become inevitably detached, much like Jack Reacher is detached from any level of sentiment.