4K Blu-ray Review: Jack Reacher Steelbook

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We’re heading towards the 10 year anniversary of Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise, and to celebrate Paramount is giving fans the gift of the film on 4K and in a sleek Steelbook to top it off. Jack Reacher is an awesome mystery thriller that’s packed with loads of top tier Cruise action and it’s the movie that kicked off Cruise’s ongoing partnership with Director Christopher McQuarrie. Since then the pair have worked on four Mission: Impossible sequels, with Rogue Nation and Fallout having already been released, and part seven and eight both on deck. It’s no surprise that Cruise wanted to continue working with McQuarrie, as the two truly do just click when it comes to delivering high-calibre entertainment, as Jack Reacher proves with ease.

The Steelbook itself is simple, yet effective in capturing the vibe of the film, with Reacher front and center, the Jack Reacher title horizontally placed right across the center with Cruise’s name in the marquee position just above. The case itself is a rich black, and Reacher has a greyish, metallic look to him on the left side, with fiery embers coming up from the bottom on the right side, lighting up that half like a man enraged. It looks great, and it matches nicely with Paramount’s recent Shooter Steelbook cover, which shares a similar look stylistically.



On the back of the case we’ve got Reacher’s classic badass line, “You think I’m a hero? I am not a hero,” line that’s perfectly chosen. It continues with the black, darker case that matches the front, though the lettering has a look that’s much more fiery, or ablaze than the simple embers found on the front. It helps the words pop against the backdrop and looks really nice all around, with great spacing, and all the right words getting the larger font treatment to give them the proper delivery impact when re-enacting the line yourself any time you peek at the back.



The inside has Reacher standing next to his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. The car isn’t fully shown, but it’s highlighted by being the only thing that’s colourized on the interior slip. It pops beautifully against the grey tones found within, and is a nice surprise once the discs are taken out. On the left side we’ve got Reacher with the look of a complete badass once again. Sure it’s a redundant description, but it’s fitting here and if you’ve seen the movie you know there isn’t really an overkill when it comes to describing Reacher as a badass.



As a whole this is a really nice Steelbook that captures the Reacher image from the movie poster and singles him out in true heroic fashion (even though he’d tell you he’s not a hero!) If you’re a Cruise fan, a Reacher fan or know someone who is either, there’s no better way to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the film than to treat them – or yourself – to this beauty of a Steelbook. Now, what about the film and 4K delivery? Let’s move on to those!



The film sees Cruise starring as Jack Reacher, a drifter with a distinguished past that includes being a former U.S. Military Police Corps officer. Years ago, Reacher went off the map, becoming a ghost with no way to trace his whereabouts. The law enforcement in Pittsburgh wouldn’t even know of his existence had the lead suspect in their current investigation not asked for him by name.

James Barr (Joseph Sikora) has been arrested for the murder of five people that were shot by a sniper in the middle of the day. The crime scene revealed evidence that pointed directly at Barr; however, we know that he’s not the one who pulled the trigger because the film starts with the killings being done by a man named Charlie (Jai Courtney). Charlie picks off his victims in brutal fashion, and leaves just enough evidence behind to get Barr convicted. What he didn’t account for was Barr asking for Reacher’s help.

When Reacher arrives he wants to help bury Barr due to a history the two share from their time in the military. It isn’t until Barr’s defense attorney, Helen Rodin (Rosamund Pike), persuades Reacher to look deeper into the case, and why exactly Barr asked for him to be involved that Reacher’s interest is piqued and he agrees to help out.

The story unfolds like a great crime novel because that’s what it’s adapted from. Based on the book “One Shot” by Lee Child, Jack Reacher is a wonderful film introduction to a beloved character that’s been the star of seventeen novels. With this built-in audience, it’s clear why studios thought franchise when it came to Reacher. While fans hesitated about Cruise taking on the role, Child himself stated that it’s silly to focus on the physical attributes of a character – especially height (in the books Reacher is a stout 6-foot-5) – when you have the chance to have the biggest movie star of all time take on the part.

Fans of the books can rest easy, as Cruise does the part justice and never looks small doing so. Writer/Director Christopher McQuarrie has great coverage throughout the entire film, really making Cruise look like a force to be reckoned with. He also really captures a gritty, brute world that translates beautifully during the action scenes. One thing McQuarrie wanted was to make things look real, and he succeeded there, as there are no Bourne Identity fast cuts, or shaky came during the hand-to-hand combat. While it isn’t abundant, what is there looks visceral and comes across as though a real, exhausting brawl is taking place. McQuarrie also captured the wit and overall badass charisma that Reacher has and translated it into one entertaining two-hour crime thriller.

And that’s exactly what Jack Reacher is: a crime thriller. While the ads originally focused on the Fast and Furious-esque chase scene, and climactic shootout, the film itself is so much more than that. There’s a mystery to be solved here, and Reacher is one cool cucumber to watch crack it. He’s just someone whose presence on screen makes you want to get into his head, and so much of that is just how great of a job Cruise does conveying the character.

The supporting cast also works well, with Courtney coming off as a worthy adversary. Pike also has some great chemistry with Cruise, as the two constantly get close enough where audiences will have no idea how they’re not all over one another. Richard Jenkins has some great scenes as Helen’s father – and the D.A. prosecuting Barr. There’s also a great performance by Robert Duvall, who plays Cash, the owner of a gun range who gets more than he bargains for from Reacher. And finally, Werner Herzog plays The Zec, who is the films “big baddie behind the curtain,” and he does some really intimidating work here that definitely set the stage for why his character is so feared.

Also of quick mention, the score by Joe Kraemer is magnificent, and really captures the atmospheric mood and overall feeling of the film. Kraemer’s work constantly adds suspense and tension where necessary, as well as grand, heroic type beats for the scenes that require them. Basically, Kraemer has the soundtrack covered on every level needed, and really hits a home run when it comes to capturing the feeling McQuarrie was going for.

With Cruise being arguably the biggest movie star remaining in Hollywood, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Jack Reacher by now; but if that’s not the case then that’s something you should definitely look to remedy in the near future. Jack Reacher is well worth your time and well worth owning if you’re a fan of Cruise, or just a fan of great crime thrillers in general.

4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review

The 4K boost of the film is a solid one, and the 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer adds a nice layer of detail and textures to the picture throughout, though the previous Blu-ray release was already top tier in this respect, so this just takes a gorgeous visual and makes it even better. So if you’ve yet to upgrade to 4K, it’s still a win win from the visual perspective, as this Steelbook comes with both the 4K and Blu-ray versions of the film, so you’ll be set until you do make the jump.

On the audio side of things we’ve got the previously released DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless track that absolutely rocks. As mentioned before, Kraemer’s score is superb and it is showcased wonderfully in this audio mix. The sound effects and dialogue work is also high level, with no need to constantly fidget with the remote to hear people in between gunshots that rock your eardrums.

Special Features

The special features are carried over from the previous Blu-ray release, though both commentary tracks are also available on the 4K disc, which is a nice option to have.

Audio Commentary with Tom Cruise and Writer/Director Christopher McQuarrie – Here’s a treat, as Cruise gives a commentary alongside his friend and the film’s writer/director McQuarrie. The two praise one another a lot (it’s clear to see why Cruise wants McQuarrie to direct the fifth Mission: Impossible with how highly he praises him throughout), while also giving insight to various ways scenes were shot, and how they had to work around the smaller budget the film had. Don’t miss this commentary track.

Audio Commentary with Composer Joe Kraemer – Kraemer talks about scoring the film, while the track itself focuses on bringing the score to the forefront for the listener to enjoy throughout.

When the Man Comes Around – This feature runs at just under 27 minutes in length and sees the cast and crew talking about how the film came to be, how Cruise got on board to play the part, what writer Lee Child thought of Cruise’s casting, and more. It’s definitely worth watching, and is a very well produced piece.

You Do Not Mess With Jack Reacher: Combat and Weapons – This feature runs at just over 10 minutes in length and McQuarrie and Cruise talk about the fighting style they were going for in the film. Cruise talks about his fight with Courtney, and how the two had to go into hot tubs between takes due to it being freezing cold and raining outside. This is an interesting quick watch that’s also worth checking out.

The Reacher Phenomenon – This featurette runs at just over 11 minutes in length and sees Lee Child talk about creating the character, the fans, his writing style and the series in general. Another fun, interesting piece to check out when you have the time.

Paramount Pictures Presents Jack Reacher Limited-EditionSteelbook. Written and Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie. Based off the novel by: Lee Child. Starring: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog, Richard Jenkins, Jai Courtney, David Oyelowo. Running time: 130 minutes. Rating: 14A. Limited-Edition Steelbook Blu-ray Released: April 8, 2022.

Brendan Campbell was here when Inside Pulse Movies began, and he’ll be here when it finishes - in 2012, when a cataclysmic event wipes out the servers, as well as everyone else on the planet other than John Cusack and those close to him. Brendan’s the #1 supporter of Keanu Reeves, a huge fan of popcorn flicks and a firm believer that sheer entertainment can take a film a long way. He currently resides in Canada, where, for reasons stated above, he’s attempting to get closer to John Cusack.