TOM CRUISE ONCE AGAIN AS JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK

It's a family affair this time for JACK REACHER Year: 2016

There's a sequel titled SON OF KONG so why not DAUGHTER OF REACHER? Well for the most part, it's not a foregone conclusion he's really the father. Either way, a tagalong kid (or teen) doesn't usually belong in an espionage/action flick...

Although in the original there was a troubled girl but this time it's closer, and personal. The first thing the icy asskicker has really cared about. He's the kind of (ex-Army) rogue hero bordering on anti-hero who knows the score before each maneuver. So there was a touch of slowburn Neo-Noir in the first picture, and now, one of that genre's major plot-lines is the core: Jack's a "Wrong Man," accused of, as the story goes on, several deaths along the path where he's already been...

"I'm taller than you Cruise"

On the run with returning ingenue Colbie Smuthers, also falsely accused but for being a traitor, JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK, unlike its title, only seems to move forward when it somewhat runs in circles...

Compared to its predecessor, the fights aren't as meticulous and suspenseful and occur sporadically: Fists flying like any action flick while nothing seems special about the man this time around. And yet, as a whole, it's not all that bad... 

Jack Reacher Never Go Back Movie Score: ***

Tailed by killers (connected to the military), there's a built-in excitement factor that leads the viewer to, at the very least, be curious about how things will turn out — despite being extremely predictable. Whenever a youngster's involved, they're wind up in serious danger — kidnapped or otherwise. For the viewer, it's about anticipating the inevitable do-or-die conclusion while enjoying the popcorn violence: Meanwhile, Jack waits around to do what he does best. Although this time, instead of taking complete control within the high octane maelstrom, he's simply along for a rather breezy ride.