Jack Reacher : Never Go Back Movie Review: A Disappointment For Lee Child Fans

As a die-hard fan of Lee Child and his iconic literary creation Jack Reacher, I never did enjoy the first 'Jack Reacher' movie, primarily because of the fact that the makers chose Tom Cruise to play a character known for his awe-inspiring size, dirty-blond hair and a penchant for unabashed violence. However, to their credit, the makers of the first film had stayed faithful to the book 'One Shot', which had made the film at least tolerable.

With the second film, which is based on the book 'Never Go Back', the makers have cheated the viewers, in the sense that though the initial 20 minutes of the film stays true to the plot, the rest goes downhill with amazing speed. This time, former Army MP Reacher (Tom Cruise) is on his way to meet Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) in Washington for a dinner date. On landing in Washington, Reacher discovers that Turner has been arrested for espionage based on flimsy evidence. To complicate things further, it appears that Reacher may also have a daughter Samantha (Danika Yarosh) that he was not aware of and foes who want to hurt both Turner and Samantha. How Reacher deals with his enemies this time forms the rest of the plot.

At the outset, Tom looks very unlike Reacher with his short stature, dark hair and the fact that he gets his ass handed to him on at least two occasions in an unarmed combat sequence. I know fans of Reacher (the book version) will gasp in shock at reading this. Reacher getting beaten up!? WHAT?? Where is the Reacher we love? The taciturn warrior who swigs coffee by the gallons, delivers one-liners with a stoic charm and uses the infamous headbutt to vanquish foes?

For the unfortunate few who have not read the Reacher books, the film still remains a disappointment as it follows a predictable curve and almost crosses the line from an action thriller to a family melodrama about a father-daughter relationship. Cobie is decent enough as is Danika and The Hunter, played by actor Patrick Heusinger. But the villains in this film are not even half as menacing as they are in the Lee Child books.

If that was not all, the action scenes are nothing to remember by… I still remember the fight sequence outside the diner from the earlier Jack Reacher film, but there is not a single sequence in 'Never Go Back' that stays etched in your mind.

In conclusion, 'Never Go Back' is not a treat for anyone, irrespective of the fact whether you are a Reacher fan or a Cruise fan.