Generally the same type of film as The Accountant, the second Jack Reacher adventure tries very hard to entertain, but it cannot match The Accountant‘s wit, charm or payoff, not to mention those of its own predecessor, Jack Reacher.  In the first JR film the ex-military pursuer of justice (Tom Cruise) was an enigma, yet he was clearly someone to root for as he single-handedly solved the case of a sniper killing people in Pittsburgh.  This time two women try to humanize Reacher, and they do, but it is a painful process to watch.  Usually films benefit from humanizing their antiheroes, but not this time.  Reacher was far more interesting when he was enigmatic and secretive.

Edward Zwick’s film is a by-the-numbers action thriller wherein a framed Army major (Cobie Smulders) is rescued by Reacher before she is to be killed, then they fight to get to the truth and solve a huge conspiracy.  I’ve liked Zwick films before, particularly Glory, Courage Under Fire, Blood Diamond and Defiance, but he seems the wrong choice to direct this.  Or maybe it’s the material, which is familiar, obvious, generally uninteresting and overproduced.  Also present is one whopper of a plot hole, one which took me completely out of the story once it is revealed, involving the second female, a 15-year-old girl (Danika Yarosh), who may or may not be Reacher’s long-lost daughter.

Lots of bone crunching and explosive action cannot make this material very interesting.  It’s a shame, because I felt the first film was pretty strong.  There are rumblings about a third adventure, but after this one I don’t know if the effort would be worth the trouble.  This film plays more like a “Billy Jack” revenge flick than a stylish action-adventure.  I cannot recommend it; watch The Accountant instead.  ☆ ☆.  9 November 2016.