This was going to be Tom Cruise’s new franchise, based more than a dozen popular novels. The obvious difference: in the books Reacher is 6’5″, 250 lbs of solid muscle and Cruise is about half that size. Still, I was ready to overlook this and focus on the character. Cruise plays it quiet and tough, but that’s not really a style that works for him. After a sniper kills 5 people, the primary suspect requests Reacher, a former military officer turned drifter. Surprisingly, this is more a dark detective procedural than a high-impact conflict. There are a few lame fights and one chase, but none of it is memorable. Making the predictable plot, average action and unhurried pace worse is Cruise’s dull portrayal. He just doesn’t posses the stature, physical or otherwise, to carry off the role.
