Shouldn't have gone back

With an overabundance of action heroes, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back fails to stand out

One shot, one kill," goes the military sniper credo that gave birth to the title of Lee Child's ninth Jack Reacher book, One Shot, which was later adapted into the highly successful Jack Reacher in 2012. Starring Tom Cruise in the titular role, the film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie (and the book franchise), is old school and well removed from the glitz and glamour of Ethan Hunt. There are about 20 Jack Reacher novels, so the sequel doesn't come as a surprise.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back sees Cruise reprise his role as the gritty hero and reunites him with The Last Samurai director Edward Zwick. The film also stars Cobie Smulders, Patrick Heusinger and Danika Yarosh.

With The Last Samurai, it is evident that Zwick is proficient enough to tell tales of grandeur, perhaps that is why Cruise, who is also the producer of the film, chose him.

The film is set some four years after the previous one. And, the first thing it throws in your face is that Reacher is a loner, more of a misanthrope, but is still respected. He doesn't like being addressed by his former military rank and doesn't forgo the opportunity to remind people that he is an "ex-Major".

Soon after, the misanthrope is seen engaging in a conversation, which borders on flirtatious, with Major Susan Turner (Smulders). Why is he suddenly being social? That question can only be answered if one reads the books. He assures her that if he is ever in Washington DC, he will make sure to pay her a visit. But fate has other plans.

When he eventually makes his way to DC, he finds Turner has been charged with treason and dismissed from the military. And Reacher, being the upstanding citizen that he is, decides to get her out of jail. What follows is the standard cat-and-mouse game that takes place in most action films, if not all; an assassin (Heusinger), who is also an ex-military man, chases Reacher and Turner across the United States.

Adding to the chase, which seems dull at times, Reacher stumbles upon his teenage daughter Samantha (Yarosh), whose mother has filed a paternity suit against him. Fearing that his enemies will use this revelation to harm Samantha, Reacher decides to bring her along, which is equally dangerous (if not more). The daughter angle, much like Turner, is something that has probably been made clear in the books. That, or maybe the explanatory scenes are rotting on the editing floor, perhaps to add to the enigma that Reacher is. This is where the 117-minute-long film starts tumbling; what was being touted as an action-packed thriller turns into a family drama. Samantha, much like most teenagers, is recalcitrant. Turner behaves like her pseudo-mother, while Reacher rebukes his daughter for wandering off without consent.

Cruise shines as Reacher. Granted in some scenes he looks like he is questioning his life choices, but he does shoulder the film. He is stoic, apathetic and a tough brute, but the character doesn't stand out, perhaps because of the overabundance of action heroes fitting that bill. However, like always, he does dominate the action sequences. The chemistry between Smulders and Cruise fizzles out pretty early. Smulders fails to leave a mark. Perhaps she should have stuck to comedy or The Avengers franchise.

Zwick could have been more innovative with the film. The chase sequences are all "been there, done that" and there is nothing that would "wow" the audience. Character development is another aspect that Zwick could have worked on. Samantha's bond with Reacher should have been subtle instead of bordering on melodrama.

Of course, Cruise will be able to pull his fans to theatres but Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is just another sequel that shouldn't have been.