Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), PG-13, ★1/2

Hold on. I thought the title was called Jack Reacher: NEVER GO BACK. Hmmm...ok. While I was watching the first movie a few years ago, I thought the action sequences were well-crafted and well-choreographed with the hand fighting and the car chases. But, somehow, the story did not as engage me like Cruise's action films such as the Mission Impossible franchise or Minority Report. It felt like that the story somehow was not crafted as well that the villains by Werner Herzog and Jai Courtney amped the film up a bit. With the sequel, there is not much with its filmmaking, it is just that the story felt predictable that its execution was marginal and does not offer anything original or exciting. And, that is a shame because this is a Tom Cruise action movie that we are watching.

Police arrive at a scene in which four people have been beaten down to the ground and an onlooker tells the officers that one man pummeled them all within seconds. Sheriff Raymond Wood (Jason Douglas) and his deputy enter the diner to find Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) sitting by the counter all bloodied. They cuff him and prepare to take him away until Reacher says that in 90 seconds, the phone will ring and Wood will be wearing handcuffs for kidnapping and selling undocumented immigrants on military soil. Well, the phone rings and then military police takes them away.

Reacher arrives at the military HQ and finds Col. Morgan (Holt McCallany) sitting by the desk where Reacher was expecting to find Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), who saves Reacher from being arrested. Morgan informs him that Turner has been arrested for possible espionage. Reacher tries to get some help to clear Turner's name. Then, later, Col. Moorcroft (Robert Caprini) brings up a paternity suit to Reacher that claims that he is the father to a daughter named Samantha (Danika Yarosh). Reacher is being watched by a man known as the Hunter (Patrick Heusinger) who is hired to kill him.

I was very disappointed by the outcome of this movie because there was nothing surprising by the movie's plot, characters, side story or villain. The action is well choreographed and produced with some good one-liners by Cruise but the dialogue surrounding the plot and in conversation is baffling. The character development did not feel thought provoking because the story felt like it was a 90s script from a TV show. This is more like a pilot episode to a 13-episode series and then we have to wait to see if the studio is willing enough to renew it. The movie is more serviceable to the Tom Cruise fans who want to see him just be there.

Speaking of which, it is still awesome to see Cruise kick some butt, however, his character is sort of sleepwalking and just strutting like he is one calculated, cool character. Cruise does not provide any heft or personality this time around. And, he and Cobie Smulders have no chemistry whatsoever as they are just side by side or one character's story has to pause in order for the other's story to overlap on so we can have a by-the-numbers climax. Yarosh who plays the daughter is fine and the villains are weak this time around and they may be a few of the weakest villains in an action movie in a long time.

What is happening with director Edward Zwick? He has made four bad movies in a row: Defiance, Love and Other Drugs (Hathaway's and Gyllenhaal's chemistry was sweet but the story was uninteresting), Pawn Sacrifice (boring) and this movie. He was one of the most competent filmmakers and he has gone downhill with his works. There are a few stagnant signature action moments that fits his filmmaking style but there is nothing original brought on to the screen. I can predict about everything almost 30 minutes away from when the scene will be presented like its climax and what will happen to the characters. I'm afraid that this is one of Tom Cruise's worst movies and this will be an air of dust a year from now once we get his next movie and also another Mission: Impossible movie.

*1/2