By Alexander Wood

A homeless vagabond wanders the streets equipped only with the clothes on his back, a few dollars in his pocket and of course, his highly decorated military training that can reduce enemies to shadows of their former selves. His name is Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), the kind of person who can find you at a moments’ notice but disappears into the ether when pursued by man or menace. Off the gird in every sense, Reacher appears in order to tie up any loose ends and ensure that justice will be served. Barr (Joseph Sikora), a former enemy and sniper, has supposedly killed five people and is now in police custody. In a final act to save himself, Barr scrolls Reacher’s name on a note pad—knowing that he is the only one who can save him from death row.

The film opens with a montage of a man making bullets, shots of the cityscape and a white van entering a parking garage. The visual elements are reduced to fragments of people or objects; the handle of a bullet press, a quarter sliding into a parking meter, feet leaving a vehicle. These visual puzzle pieces open the film with a clean style, asking the viewer to suture together the meaning of each individual element. Minimalist in its beginning, the film sets the tone early on, giving viewers inside information regarding the identity of the real shooter. With Tom Cruise as the lead character, one might expect a shoot first, ask questions later kind of film, but surprisingly this film means business.

Playing a more reluctant hero, Cruise does not engage in a lot of the over the top, Mission Impossible like action sequences, rather he plays a more toned down protagonist; one who is more hesitant to engage in violence, hinting at a strong moral fabric and calculated restraint that governs his every move. This sharp, clean style, which was not to be expected, saturates the film from beginning to end.

The dialogue and narrative seem to harken back to decades earlier; a time of black and white films where a detective ventures into the underworld in order to save a woman in danger. The film implements a classic, film noir storyline and follows it through until the end. From one of the first scenes in the hospital, the viewer gets a sense of the playful banter, sharp language and the quite characterisation that is very similar to detectives in classics like ‘The Maltese Falcon’ or modern adaptations of noir like ‘Brick’. Lee Child’s novel ‘One Shot’) supplied the key elements of the film, and considering that the author has sold almost 40 million books, his literary style should be received well when translated to the big screen.

Having collaborated with Barr’s attorney Hellen (Rosamund Pike), Reacher guides her through the investigation while always remaining one step ahead. This relationship develops throughout the film and provides many humorous interludes while further supporting a type of noir narrative; a trouble woman seeks the help of a wise detective. Hellen doesn’t totally assume the femme fatale role and her characterisation is a little weak throughout. However, the attorney aspiring to influence change does become more complex as events unfold. The final scene of the film shows her transformation into a more actualised character that is capable of challenging the system and hopefully saving her client.

Overall, the film is not what you would expect; it is a mix of classic noir, modern action and entertaining humor that makes for a truly refreshing and enjoyable viewing experience.