Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 14, 2017

There's "by the book" and then there's "carbon copy of the book." Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is "by the book" in that it's, yup, by the book of the same name from Author Lee Child, creator of the Jack Reacher character, another one of these super-skilled government spook/military guys who have their own Thriller book series, like Mitch Rapp or Scot Harvath. But it's not "by the book" -- that other book, a.k.a. Hollywood's movie factory "book" -- in terms of a movie merely following "the formula" as laid out in "the book." No, there's too much wiggle room for creativity there, implying that the book is more a template than it is a Bible. Never Go Back is the dreaded "carbon copy of the book" instead, a movie with nary a smidgen of creative juice in its celluloid body. Bereft of originality in any way, shape, or form, it's a two-hour example of filmmakers more concerned with getting a product onto market and making a technically solid film but one that lacks any substance to go with it, and certainly not enough to live up to the expectations fans have for the character or the actor who portrays him, particularly after the first film's success.

One of Jack Reacher's (Tom Cruise) military contacts, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), has been arrested in connection with what the authorities believe to be her role in the deaths of two U.S. service members in Afghanistan. Reacher believes she's innocent but he, too, is arrested when yet another of his contacts, Colonel Bob Moorcroft (Robert Catrini), who is also Turner's attorney, turns up dead. Reacher is the primary suspect and is arrested, but he stages a jail break and also springs Turner. Prior to his death, Moorcroft further revealed that Reacher is the subject of a paternity suit, which brings the child in question, 15-year-old Samantha Dayton (Danika Yarosh), into the crosshairs as a potential target for those out to get Reacher and Turner. The three are forced to go on the run, fight to clear their names, and expose a much larger conspiracy around them.

Never Go Back may boast quality technical execution and adhere to core military thriller/heroes-on-the-run mechanics, but it's empty inside. It's surprising to find Edward Zwick, the man who directed Glory and Blood Diamond, attached to a product so deeply devoid of meaningful content. Zwick is more than a competent filmmaker (Glory is one of the best films of the past four decades) but, for whatever reason, has made a movie that falls into routine and cliché and never makes an effort to get back up. It's basic and crude, a run-and-chase-and-shoot type that tries to wrench in some greater characterization that winds up meaning precious little to the plot and certainly doesn't add anything to the stale action sequences, either. Never Go Back competently frames its action but favors a basic cadence that never sees the heroes in any sort of tangible peril. Sure bullets might whiz past their heads but Zwick, who co-wrote the screenplay adaptation of the Child source novel with Marshall Herskovitz and Richard Wenk, never leaves the viewer truly concerned for the characters' fates or, worse, the movie's outcome.

The cast doesn't seem overly enthusiastic about he project, either. Tom Cruise is such a prolific actor in terms of the quantity of films in which he appears and, usually, one can count on his starring in a quality film, too. But Jack Reacher: Never Go Back feels more like some sort of contractual obligation performance, a movie in which he stars out of necessity rather than passion for the project. Perhaps he's just a victim of a script that never gets off the ground or challenges him to reach (despite the character's name). He brings zero personality to the part of Reacher. From start to finish, it's easier to call this a "Tom Cruise" movie than a "Jack Reacher" movie. There's a good chance this will be the last for Reacher, too. It's hard to fathom that Paramount, or Cruise, for that matter, would want to return to the now-dry well for a third time, particularly when Cruise's star with Paramount is more closely tied to his Mission: Impossible films, anyway. The only "impossible mission" here is finding much that's positive to say about Never Go Back beyond praising its mechanics and craftsmanship, both of which carry the film well but also can't hide the black hole underneath.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was shot on film, and the end product translates extraordinarily well to Blu-ray. Grain is retained, a light, pleasing sprinkling that accentuates the inherent film qualities. Texturing and details are excellent, and even if it's becoming increasingly easy to notice the lack of finer definition that UHD provides, there's no mistaking this as a top-shelf Blu-ray. Skin textures push about as fine as the 1080p format allows. Clothing lines are wonderfully defined, environments are sharp, and clarity is constant. A few shots appear slightly softer and smudgier than others, but such are few and far between. Colors favor a pleasant neutrality. There's no problem with accuracy or nuance, and there's no sense of push, either intentional or unintentional, towards altered contrast. Black levels are pleasantly deep and inky without approaching crush. Flesh tones appear natural. No print flaws or encode issues are readily apparent. This is a high end new release from Paramount.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back's Dolby Atmos soundtrack delivers the sort of top-flight Action/Thriller sound presentations fans expect of a brand new release. While the overheads aren't seriously active in terms of raining down sound from above (even during a heavy rain sequence near film's start), there's a noticeably fuller sense of atmosphere to the movie compared to other tracks with a simpler 5.1/7.1 configuration. The overheads also capture more in the way of discrete effects as an airplane takes off around the 51-minute mark; listeners will feel like they're in the cabin. Various shootouts and action-heavy scenes offer enough bullet whizzing, heavy impacts, and chaos to please. Shots punch with authority, impacts hit hard, the low end doesn't take a second off, and every speaker in the configuration contributes to a couple of key shootouts. Music is rich and well detailed, spacious and evenly so, pleasing and accurate throughout the range and around the room. Smaller support details are finely and naturally integrated, whether buzzes and heavy sliding doors in a prison or street-level party din in New Orleans. Dialogue is clear and detailed, always well prioritized, and naturally positioned in the front-center channel.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back's Blu-ray contains a handful of fairly meaty features. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included with purchase. This release also comes with a small Jack Reacher novella/graphic novel, Lee Child's Everyone Talks. It's very thin and, dimensionally except for width, the size of the Blu-ray case. Slipcover fans should note that the slip is a bit oversized to accommodate the book, so the slip won't fit snugly over the Blu-ray case without it.

• Reacher Returns (1080p, 11:31): Cruise discusses what draws him to the character, Lee Childs and others flesh Reacher out, and the conversation continues with discussions centered on further building the character, choosing a book to adapt for the next film and the easy choice of selecting Never Go Back, narrative problems inherent to the book selection (even after the participants said chronology really doesn't matter), the Cruise/Zwick partnership, core story details, and more.
• An Unexpected Family (1080p, 14:31): A more detailed look at how the movie further explores the Jack reacher character vis-à-vis his relationships with Samantha and Major Turner.
• Relentless: On Location In Louisiana (1080p, 25:46): A lengthy piece that explores the film's shooting locations and set design contrasted against the film's budgetary constraints. Also explored is Tom Cruise's dedication to the craft and some details behind making several scenes.
• Take Your Revenge First: Lethal Combat (1080p, 12:42): This supplement explores Reacher's action-first persona against making the film's combat scenes and the actors' physical preparations for the key roles.
• No Quarter Given: Rooftop Battle (1080p, 8:13): Making the movie's critical finale.
• Reacher in Focus: With Tom Cruise and Photographer David James (1080p, 8:33): An interesting discussion of on-set still photography, a subject not often explored in supplemental content.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is one of those movies that could be reviewed in a simple word string: dull, tedious, cliché, the list could go on. It's also a competent movie. Technically, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just dramatically empty and so uncreative it almost hurts. That's a surprise coming from a quality director like Edward Zwick, an actor like Tom Cruise, and from a source like the Lee Child novels that aren't as mechanically contrived as the film. Paramount's Blu-ray does boast the expected high-end video and audio. Supplements lack a commentary or deleted scenes, but fans do get access to half a dozen in-depth features. A high yield technical Blu-ray just can't save the movie, though. Rent it.