Jack Reacher - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Jack Reacher

Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
With The Mission Impossible series getting re-released in 4K UHD it only makes sense that 2012’s Jack Reacher would as well. Why you might ask? Is it because it was a Tom Cruise film and would make a perfect tie in? Mostly likely, but it also may be due to the fact that Jack Reacher was directed and written by Christopher McQuarrie, who just so happens to have directed/written Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and also has the same responsibilities for the upcoming Mission Impossible Fallout coming out this summer. If anything, Jack Reacher was king of an audition for Rogue Nation, as it starred Cruise already, and was basically a slight derivation of the formula for the before mentioned franchise, just with a different name (something that annoyed many of the long time Lee Child aficionados, who were vocally opposed to the direction Jack Reacher took vs. the novels). Either way, I welcome the addition to the 4K UHD fold, as I really really enjoyed the film and thought it was one of the more underrated action movies of 2012 (the sequel, not so much sadly).

Jack Reacher was met with some critical conflict when it was initially release. You either loved the movie or hated it, there seemed to be very little in the way of moderate takes on the film. Most of the negative press stemmed from the fact that Tom Cruise really wasn’t very much like the Jack Reacher character at all. In the books Reacher was a giant 6.5 foot character who weighed over 300 lbs and could choke slam a marine through a door. He was also a simple man who couldn’t drive a car and was very methodical. Cruise’s representation was a bit more like Ethan Hunt with a calmer, more military, attitude. He’s short, cool as a cucumber and was basically Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise in an action movie (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I’m a big fan Cruise). I had initially rather tepid about the movie due to a mediocre trailer, but I ended up having a blast with the film, especially due to the fact that I wasn’t a reader of the Lee Child books, and just took the action movie at face value.

Our introduction to the movie is seen through the eyes of a mysterious sniper, cutting down a handful of random people on the steps of a courthouse area. The police hunt down the clues and all of the evidence seems to point to one James Barr (Joseph Sikora), an ex-army sniper who had a history of extreme violence. With an open and shut case that seems to be extremely clear cut, the district attorney (Richard Jenkins) and the police feel that they have this in the bag. The fly in the ointment comes in the form of the district Attorney’s daughter, who just happens to be Barr’s defense attorney. Barr had specifically asked for an ex army military police officer Jack Reacher (Tom Cruice), a man with a hard sense of justice, and his attorney (Rosamund Pike) does exactly that. However, wherever the drifting Jack Reacher goes, chaos is sure to follow as Reacher doggedly pursues his targets to the ends of the earth.

Reacher doesn’t really think that Barr is innocent, as Barr had once been guilty of a brutal military crime some years ago, and really had no love for the man. But with Barr in a coma after a brutal take in, Reacher has no way to find out except through more investigative means. Digging deeper unveils a whole new conspiracy, with a villain who will stop at nothing to cover his tracks and one who has set up Barr to be the fall guy for their nefarious ends.

Jack Reacher is basically a mixture of your typical action movie coupled with a police procedural mystery, combining hard hitting action/adventure sequences, with more subdued investigative digging. Cruise fits the role quite well (even though he doesn’t fit the book character very much from what I’ve gathered), and does what Tom Cruise does best. Basically be a cool and calculating character that gets stuff done and kicks butt in the process. Reacher himself is quite the compelling man. He’s not dominated by hate, anger, or self serving. Instead he’s a man driven by justice, compelled to do the right thing, even if he hates the man he’s defending. His search for justice will lead him down many a dark path, but it also gives him a sense of humanity and honor, being a man who will stop at nothing to do what is just.

The fight scenes are quite a lot of fun, with some great choreography (except for that end battle between Cruise and Jai Courtney. It just looked sloppy compared to the more stylish ones in the earlier parts of the movie), and some solid acting. Cruise is...well… Cruise, but I was really surprised at Jai Courtney. Jai is about as wooden as a board in most of his films, but his cold and emotionless portrayal of the assassin works well, as the assassin is meant to be that way. A man who says little is seen less of a fool, and that gives Courtney an advantage, being that if he had spoken much more, the man’s poor acting could have seeped through and ruined the character. Rosamund Pike is solid enough, but the movie is squarely carried by Cruise and a really fun minor character with Robert Duvall.

The movie does have SOME flaws, but very few. Rosamund Pike was nothing spectacular, and even though she does a decent job, her English accent kept trying to bleed through and it got a bit distracting. The main bad guy was a bit of a disappointment as well. His setup was incredible, and his persona was chilling, but the big explanation as to WHY he does what he does near the end just fell a bit flat. It didn’t match the epic buildup and feels like it pulled some of the gravitas out of the situation if you know what I mean.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for violence, language and some drug material




4K Video: Video:

The 2.39:1 HEVC encoded 4K disc makes a solid improvement over the excellent 1080p disc, giving us some nice textural and HDR based increases in quality to enjoy on our 4K displays. The 2012 disc was excellent, but comparing the two discs side by side, it’s pretty easy to see the 4K UHD disc edging it out. Shot on actual 35mm film and given a 2K master in 2012, I can only assume that the 4K UHD disc is using the same source master, as Paramount hasn’t announced a new 4K transfer. The disc shows us the typical increases in clarity and resolution with said 2K upscales, and it’s more than impressive if you have both discs to compare. The colors are warmer, the textural details around faces and backgrounds are sharper, and the use of the HDR gives the black levels a deeper and more intimate look. Shadows are less prone to looking milky (something the Blu-ray had an issue with), and the HDR really does add some serious pop to Cruise’s car that he steals, as well as things like the red light bulb at Robert Duvall’s gun range. The disc does look mildly soft, but it’s not egregiously so, making it a good quality upgrade over the Blu-ray, but not one that will be the epitome of perfection.







Audio:

Jack Reacher is another in the list of Paramount releases that carries over the same audio track as the Blu-ray, so no “upgrade” there. Still, not a horrible thing as the 7.1 DTS-HD MA track from the Blu-ray was stellar back in 2012, and is still stellar today. Robust and clean, it shines on all levels. Bass is deep and powerful, ripping through the mix with great aplomb. Dialog is smooth and clean, and locked up right in the center of the channel, with great use of the surround channels. Gunshots, cars roaring through town, and fisticuffs all fill out the side channels quite easily. The Low end magnifies these situations impressively, adding power and weight to each punch, and a thunderous power to the bullets (even though they’re mainly using .223 or 5.56, even in “high powered” sniper rifles). The rain at the very end in the quarry is incredibly immersive, as it makes you feel like there’s actual rain coming down over the top of your head. Simply put, it was a great track back in the day, and still a great track today, even without the trappings of Atmos or DTS:X






Extras:

4K UHD
• Audio Commentary by Tom Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie
• Audio Commentary by Composer Joe Kraemer

Blu-ray
• Audio Commentary by Tom Cruise and Director Christopher McQuarrie
• Audio Commentary by Composer Joe Kraemer
• When the Man Comes Around
• You Do Not Mess with Jack Reacher: Combat & Weapons
• The Reacher Phenomenon

Final Score: ​

Seemingly a boring and innocuous police procedural, Jack Reacher slipped under my radar until I decided to go with a friend to the theaters. Luckily I was more than happy with the result, as Jack Reacher is a fun action movie that really delivers the good. It isn’t really very faithful to the books, but I can live with that as I’m personally viewing it as a standalone entity and have no prior attachments to the series (those who read the books may feel differently). The audio and video were fantastic for the Blu-ray, and the 4K UHD is quite impressive as well. It carries over the same extras and audio track as the Blu-ray, but the 4K video is a nice improvement over the excellent Blu-ray. Highly recommended.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jai Courtney, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie (Screenplay), Lee Child (Book)
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, German, Spanish, French, French Canadian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Norwegian, Swedish
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 130 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: June 26th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will check this one out.

 

[Jon Liu]

I ended up picking this up to replace my blu-ray. I didn't think I would, but I was already in store to get the Mission Impossible titles so I figured why not. It had been a while since I watched this film and I forgot just how much I enjoyed it! There's just so much nuance to the film that is indicative of Chris McQuarrie's work. I'm also a fan of Rosamund Pike, however I don't think she was well-suited for her role in this movie.

The video transfer for the UHD was a very, very solid upgrade over the already-good Blu-ray. HDR wasn't exorbitant, but it still added a good amount of depth to the image. I was pleasantly surprised at the increased detail. It's not a sharp film, inherent of being shot on 35mm, however, there's a lot more detail throughout every scene. I'd say this is a solid, solid release that other studios should take note on and follow suit, especially for catalog titles.