A second and likely last outing for Cruise as Reacher. (The character moved on to a streaming series, and I’m guessing those footing that bill demanded exclusivity.) This outing is more explicitly military in its operational theater, so to speak, which both ups the ante in terms of the danger to the hero and compatriots, and creates more of a muddle in terms of who is guilty or a problem or an ally. One hopes the military is not this corrupt; one fears (with evidence) that it is. As for the personal dimensions, Cruise brings the same confidence and intelligence to the role of reacher as in the first flick. One interesting aspect of his performance: Cruise's Reacher, unlike many a badass movie protagonist, is not invulnerable; he takes a licking, and feels it—he just makes sure to deliver a bit more damage than the opponent in the end. It’s a big part of what makes you root for the guy. Another intriguing aspect: the clearly handsome Reacher partners with equally handsome women in both flicks to work through the problem, yet there are only teases of romantic involvement; Reacher, true to his mission statement of personal detachment (in all things, apparently), avoids any strings. It’s not a typical approach to the genre, and makes these stories stand out. Maybe they don’t stand out as movies overall—this and it’s predecessor are good but not exceptional—but they do stick out somewhat within the genre. One wonders what more Cruise might have made with this character, but that seemingly was not meant to be. (And maybe we would have been poorer in Mission: Impossible movies if that had played out.) Ultimately, it’s a bit of a dead end, but one that provides two solid hours of entertainment on its way to relative irrelevance.
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