Overlong and undercooked, the film fails to gain traction on any level. It's dramatically inert and relies on uninspired action sequences to provide "pop."
At 130 minutes, Jack Reacher is too long but it feels rushed and incomplete. It's obvious that subplots were truncated or cut and character arcs were abridged.
Tonal inconsistencies abound. There are times when Jack Reacher appears headed into romantic territory only to pull back and decide to make Helen and Jack's relationship professional.
Jack Reacher's centerpiece action sequences, which include a lengthy car chase and a shootout/fight, are shot in a clear, coherent manner but lack the content to make them noteworthy. They are generic staples and, because no sense of excitement or suspense accompanies them, they feel overlong and at times almost tedious. Jack Reacher is B-level material that has been given an A-level treatment. Despite all the talent involved both in front of and behind the camera, this would-be franchise launcher never achieves anything better than a decaying low orbit. I wouldn't bet the mortgage on there being a Jack Reacher 2.
