Jack Reacher

This brash action yarn finds maverick ex-military cop Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) teaming up with a hotshot lawyer (Rosamund Pike) after a sniper guns down five random victims. The police are convinced they have the culprit in custody, but Reacher suspects a cover-up and leaves a trail of destruction in his wake trying to get to the truth. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie piles on the shoot-'em-up clichés and corny dialogue, which might incur the wrath of fans of source writer Lee Child's darker, more menacing Reacher novels. Cruise's steely-eyed and straight-faced portrayal of the hero borders on self-parody, and there's more than a hint of panto villain about Werner Herzog's shady Russian crime lord. The result is a workmanlike and underwhelming caper.