JACK REACHER on Monday night at an advance screening. Here’s some of my thoughts. There are no spoilers.
First off, I’d say I agree with the general critical reception: 5 stars. To me that means it’s a solid movie that delivers at the high end of its genre. JACK REACHER isn’t trying to be anything revolutionary, it’s more the kind of action thriller audiences haven’t seen for a while.
This isn’t MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE or even James Bond. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie takes his inspiration from action movies of the late 60s/early 70s like DIRTY HARRY ( which has been name checked in a couple reviews already) , BULLITT ( for the car chase) ; and maybe another Don Siegel movie, CHARLEY VARRICK. The excitement here doesn’t come from over the top stunts or huge explosions. Like the action movies just referenced, you thrill to watching a strongly defined protagonist outsmart, outfight and outmaneuver the bad guys it awesome