Movie Review: Jack Reacher (2012)

 I love John Lennon's music. As a lyricist he is one of the best of all time. As a person, I have never cared for him. And..I don't need to. I enjoy his music. His melodies, his thoughts, his words. All that is John Lennon the music creator. That is all that ever mattered to me and all that ever will. He did a lot of things in his personal life. Some revere him for those things, others loathe him for those, most have an opinion. As do I. But at the end of the day I enjoy his music and leave it at that.

Tom Cruise is one of those actors. One of those who has a lot of personal crap go on in his life. A lot of the better actors, singers, athletes seem to have that happen. Marilyn Monroe. John Lennon. Pete Rose. I could go on all day. But as with them, who really cares? 
A lot has been said and written about Tom Cruise. His Scientology beliefs, his weird habits, his interaction with the women he has married and dated. All of that is interesting tabloid stuff, but not something that matters one iota once I step into the movie theater. So, I don't care about any of it.
Do I care that he appears to be a total whack job in his personal life? Nope, I don't. None of my business.
I think all of us have things about ourselves that could make others judge us or discount us if our friends knew them. But they aren't really relevant to any of that. Such is my view of the "Tom Cruise craziness" that seems to exist. I simply don't care.
All I want is to show up at his movie and get my moneys worth. And..he rarely has disappointed me in that respect. This time was no different. Jack Reacher is just a great, entertaining movie.
Tom Cruise is not a great actor in the sense of some of those who can really make a character theirs and captivate you with their acting talents. Al Pacino, Robert Deniro, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep. They do something that most others cannot, including Tom Cruise.
What Tom Cruise can do is pick roles that are suited to his talents and then play them well and make you want to keep watching and be entertained. He is the master at that and that is why he is the highest paid actor in the world.
Jack Reacher is a pretty simple movie. A chase movie, a cliff hanger. A big finish. Some interesting characters. Superbly written and acted by a very good supporting cast.
The cinematography is exceptional. The car chases are over the top, as are the gun and fist fights. But they work in spite of that.
Tom Cruise is iconic. And for good reason. Risky Business, Top Gun, Born On The Fourth of July, Mission Impossible, Jerry McGuire. The list goes on and on. He has been in some of the most memorable movies of our generation. He knows how to pick them. Sure, there have been some bad ones,  flops like Cocktail, but they are few and far between.
You pretty much know what you are getting when you go to a Tom Cruise movie, and in Jack Reacher you get all of that. 
Tom Cruise has charisma. He is magnetic. He knows how to put that button on a scene. To deliver that great line with just the right attitude and sometimes sarcasm.  Yes, as many say, he is arrogant. But, that is a good thing. He plays the character that way, and the character should be arrogant. He suits the role. 
At the end of the day all that matters to me is that Tom Cruise delivers for two hours on screen. That is what I came for. In this movie he does that. Is he is a whack job and a freak? Probably. Do I care about that? Nope. I care that he makes great movies. He still does that.
Jack Reacher is that.  It is a great movie and great value for your money. That is all that matters. That is all that should ever matter.
And that is why I will always consider anything he is in, no matter how crazy his personal life is. And so should you.
If you miss out on Jack Reacher because he has personal life issues, that is just your loss. Two hours you could have been supremely entertained and you let some tabloid trash show talk you out of that.
Not me. How about you?