The first Jack Reacher movie was an odd one – it was based on a popular series of books but the iconic character’s hulking physical traits were replaced by the small-scale charms of Tom Cruise in the title role.
Purist fans of the books never really took to the film but those unfamiliar with the source material went with the ride and enjoyed Cruise beat up people. It was a B-movie and a passably fun one, if you took it for what it was and enjoyed seeing Werner Herzog staring angrily.
What the first film was not, was a franchise starter, that is no one really clamored for a second film. Not only did the filmmakers fail to make Reacher’s character very memorable but they also did not set up a universe like John Wick where some really cool action set pieces could be engineered.
So Jack Reacher Never go Back needed to justify the existence of a sequel, and in the hands of director Edward Zwick it seemed like an interesting prospect. Unfortunately the film is a generic B-movie, without much charm or grace, or even a story that you will find fascinating. The easiest thing to say about this film is to take a dig at its name ’Never Go Back’, but it really is a reminder for audiences to not trust in cash grab sequels.