7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims. Based on a book in Lee Child's crime series.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, Werner HerzogAction | 100% |
Thriller | 38% |
Crime | 15% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Who the hell is Jack Reacher?
Jack Reacher may a simply-titled tale of a quasi-mysterious lead procedurally solving a crime and getting his hands a bit dirty along the way,
but behind the
simple premise, and the even simpler title, is a layered and exceptionally well-constructed movie of the sort that really isn't made all that often, one
that's as smart as it is slick, one
that's as mentally engaging as it is outwardly entertaining. It's a picture that refuses to give in to too much convention, eschewing a
typical blockbuster-fiendly approach for a style that's more substance-based than it is concerned with the raw entertainment value of the material,
which only enhances the entertainment value at the end of the day. It's
a smart thinking man's sort of film, one with robust and beautifully realized action supporting, not supplanting, a layered plot that unravels in a pure,
well-conceived "whodunit and why" premise that's fresh rather than flawed, riveting rather than recycled. Based on the novel One Shot by
Lee Child, the ninth in the "Reacher" series, the film adaptation surpasses all expectations and should, hopefully and given this film's success, clear the
path for future Reacher installments in the near future.
At the range.
Paramount's new release films are usually as pristine as the format allows, and Jack Reacher is no exception. The high definition transfer reveals a gorgeous film-ike texture. Light grain remains over the entirety of the film, gently helping to accentuate details and preserve that sought-after cinematic flavor. Details are unsurprisingly spectacular. The image is very clean and naturally sharp, resulting in facial and clothing textures that are as crisply defined as any other 35mm release on the Blu-ray medium. Impeccable definition remains even in long-distance shots. There's nary a shot throughout that's not perfectly clear and visually robust. Colors are perfect, revealing every nuance across the entire palette, offering a lifelike brilliance in brighter scenes and a sense of accuracy in darker scenes. Black levels are consistently pure, deep and accurate and never even lightly bright, purple, or gray. Flesh tones, too, never come up lacking. No surprise, the print is flawless, showing not a trace of wear, and there's no evidence of unwanted digital tinkering or artifacts. In short, this is Blu-ray perfection and a fine example of how fantastic new filmed material can look for home consumption.
Jack Reacher features a wonderful DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack that's amongst the most precise and exciting on the market. The picture begins with a clear, well-defined, robust, and naturally spaced musical presentation that's seamlessly real, the sort that melts away the speakers and that, if one were to shut his or her eyes, might trick the mind into believing the orchestra is in the room. Such balance and clarity remains through the rest of the film. Before the shooting at the beginning, listeners are treated to a very well-engineered sound effect in which the shooter's controlled breathing flows out of the back channels as he gazes through his riflescope, effectively putting the viewer behind the trigger and simulating the sensation of peering through the magnified lens at the targets. The gunshots ring out powerfully and authentically, as they do for the rest of the movie. The end shootout in particular is a thing of sonic marvel, a reference-level sequence if ever there was one. Gunfire, without the interference of music, excess dialogue, loud screaming, or other surrounding sound effects, almost literally tears through the stage. Each shot hits hard, whether from the heavy caliber M1A or the smaller caliber full auto weapons. The entire stage becomes the quarry, and from every speaker flows potent, realistic shots that hit hard and naturally reverberate around the location and, by extension, the soundstage. The car chase sequence from earlier in the picture is just as sonically intense. The revving engine fills the stage with amazing power and precision, and the crashes and squealing tires and all of the other elements play in perfect harmony and with faultless spacing. The track also handles lesser elements wonderfully. Light city ambience, background music at a crowded bar, or light sounds of nature out in the middle of nowhere at the shooting range bring the film's various locations to life. Dialogue is accurate and smooth, flowing evenly from the center channel. This is a fantastic soundtrack, one of the year's finest, and easily one of the best ever on a Blu-ray release.
Jack Reacher contains a healthy assortment of extras, including two commentary tracks (or, really, one commentary track and one half
commentary/half isolated score track) and a lengthy making-of.
Jack Reacher might not, from a distance, look like a movie worthy of abundant praise, but it's an extraordinarily well-done film in every regard. The source material is great, yielding a plot that never settles into a routine and keeps the audience and the characters guessing and deducing in tandem. The picture is structurally sublime, and the absence of score in key action sequences only heightens the intensity and realism rather than subtract from them. Tom Cruise is terrific, as is his supporting cast, making Jack Reacher one of the best blockbusters of 2012. Paramount's Blu-ray contains a good amount of extra content to support flawless video and audio. Very highly recommended and a candidate to appear on the year-end "best of" Blu-ray list.
Slipbox w/ novella
2012
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2012
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1976
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2002
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The Dirty Harry Collection
1973
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2012
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1992