Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Edward Zwick and written by Zwick, Richard Wenk and Marshall Herskovitz, and based on the novel Never Go Back by Lee Child. A standalone sequel to the 2012 film Jack Reacher, It is the second installment in the Jack Reacher film series, the film stars Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders with supporting roles by Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh, Holt McCallany and Robert Knepper. The plot follows Reacher going on the run with an Army Major who has been framed for espionage, as the two reveal a dark conspiracy.

Principal photography began on October 20, 2015, in New Orleans, and the film was released on October 21, 2016, in IMAX and conventional formats. It grossed $162 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot
After busting a human trafficking ring led by Sheriff Wood, Jack Reacher returns to his old military headquarters to meet Major Susan Turner, whom he has been working with during his travels and has become his closest friend – only to learn from Colonel Sam Morgan that Turner has been accused of espionage and detained.

Turner's attorney, Colonel Archibald Moorcroft, reveals that there is evidence that Turner is involved in the murders of two soldiers in Afghanistan, but Reacher believes she is being framed. Moorcroft also reveals an old acquaintance of Reacher, Candice Dutton, has filed a paternity suit against him, claiming he is the biological father of her 15-year-old daughter, Samantha Dutton. Reacher tries to reach out to Samantha, but she rebuffs him, believing he is after her biological mother due to her past as a prostitute.

Moorcroft is later killed by an unknown assassin known as the Hunter. Reacher is framed for Moorcroft's murder and arrested and transported to the prison where Turner is being detained. Two hitmen arrive to kill her, but Reacher neutralizes them, rescues her and they escape to Morgan's house, having deduced he is involved in the conspiracy, to extract information. After they leave, the Hunter, revealed to be working with Morgan, kills Morgan and frames Reacher which he learns about from a friend, Sergeant Leach, when he asks her to investigate a military contractor.

Reacher and Turner uncover surveillance pictures of Samantha and surmise she is in danger, arriving at her home to find her foster parents dead and Samantha hiding in the kitchen. Reacher and Turner decide to escort Samantha to Turner's old private school for protection, but discover that she has her mobile phone with her and that the enemy probably knows exactly where they are. They discard the phone and make a quick exit, during which Samantha steals a backpack from one of the students to use the credit cards.

Reacher, Turner and Samantha travel to New Orleans in search of Daniel Prudhomme, the only eyewitness to the murders for which Turner has been framed. Upon landing, Reacher admits to Samantha he might be her father. Reacher and Turner then find Prudhomme in a derelict warehouse filled with drug addicts and learn that Prudhomme is connected to Parasource, a private military organization that is trying to cover up the murders. Reacher contacts Turner's friend, Captain Anthony Espin, to move Prudhomme into custody, but they are ambushed by assassins and Prudhomme is killed, while Reacher rescues a wounded Espin and finds out that the assassins are Parasource contractors. Parasource's CEO, General James Harkness, then sends the Hunter to capture Samantha after she uses a credit card from the backpack she stole to order room service.

Reacher and Turner, along with Espin, acting on information provided by Prudhomme, intercept a flight of weapons due to enter the country, where they confront Harkness and his men and accuse them of corruption. Upon opening the crates, however, Espin finds AT4 anti-tank weapons as declared in the flight manifest. Before Turner can be re-arrested, Reacher opens up one of the anti-tank weapons and discovers that they are filled with pure opium. They learn that Harkness framed Turner, who had been investigating his activities, for the murders of two soldiers who discovered that Harkness was selling weapons to insurgents and smuggling pure opium into the United States. Espin and his men then arrest Harkness, clearing Reacher's and Turner's names.

The Hunter and his men locate and chase Samantha through the streets to lure Reacher into a confrontation. Turner kills one of the assassins, whilst Reacher takes out another one on the rooftop. The Hunter captures Samantha and threatens to kill her, but she manages to escape and steal his gun. Reacher then tackles the Hunter onto another rooftop, briefly incapacitating both of them, and they have a vicious fight that culminates with Reacher breaking the Hunter's arm, leg and neck, before dropping him off the rooftop.

Following Harkness' arrest, Turner is reinstated in her old position and goes back to her office, where her colleagues and a recovering Captain Espin all welcome her back. Reacher promises to keep in touch before meeting Samantha at a diner to meet Candice, Samantha's mother, whom Reacher surmises he will recognize, as he remembers every woman he has slept with. Samantha reveals that the waitress that had been serving him is in fact Candice, and that Reacher cannot be her father, as neither had recognized each other. Reacher and Samantha then reluctantly part.

A short time later, while Reacher is walking along a road, he is surprised when a phone Samantha had slipped into his pocket rings. He finds a text message from her reading, "Miss me yet?". Reacher smiles as he sticks out his thumb to hitch a ride.

Cast

 * Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, a former military investigator-turned-vigilante drifter
 * Cobie Smulders as Major Susan Turner
 * Aldis Hodge as Captain Anthony Espin, Turner's friend
 * Danika Yarosh as Samantha Dutton, the girl Jack Reacher protects
 * Patrick Heusinger as the Hunter
 * Holt McCallany as Colonel Sam Morgan
 * Austin Hebert as Daniel Prudhomme
 * Robert Catrini as Colonel Bob Moorcroft, Turner's attorney
 * Robert Knepper as General James Harkness
 * Jessica Stroup as Lieutenant Sullivan
 * Madalyn Horcher as Sergeant Leach
 * Jason Douglas as Raymond Wood, a sheriff who is secretly behind a human trafficking ring
 * Teri Wyble as Mrs. Prudhomme
 * Lee Child as TSA Agent

Production
While Jack Reacher was intended to be a tent-pole for a film series, it was initially reported that a sequel would be unlikely due to its lackluster run at the North American box office. However, in February 2013, a sequel became more likely after the film surpassed a gross of $200 million worldwide. On December 9, 2013, it was announced that Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media were moving forward with the development of a second film, reportedly based on the 2013 Jack Reacher novel Never Go Back.

On May 14, 2014, it was reported that Tom Cruise would reprise his role as Jack Reacher.

On May 19, 2015, Deadline reported that Edward Zwick would re-team with Cruise, and direct the film. Zwick wrote the script along with Marshall Herskovitz, and also Richard Wenk. Zwick and Cruise had previously worked together on The Last Samurai. On August 14, 2015, Cobie Smulders was added to the cast to play the female lead. On September 15, Danika Yarosh signed on to star in the film, on September 17, Aldis Hodge was added to the cast, and on September 22, Patrick Heusinger was cast in the villain role. On October 20, Holt McCallany joined the film, as did Austin Hebert. On November 12, 2015, Robert Catrini joined, and on January 20, 2016, Robert Knepper was cast as General Harkness, a retired general, and CEO of a private military firm.

Principal photography on the film began on October 20, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana. On November 23, 2015, filming took place in Baton Rouge, and in January 2016, filming also took place in St. Francisville.

Henry Jackman composed the film's music, making this Zwick's first film since Blood Diamond (2006) not to be scored by James Newton Howard.

Theatrical release
On June 14, 2016, Entertainment Weekly premiered a preview of the first trailer, with Cobie Smulders introducing the footage. The official Jack Reacher Twitter account announced that a full trailer would be released on June 22, 2016. A browser game, titled Jack Reacher: Never Stop Punching, was also released to promote the film.

In September 2015, Paramount set Jack Reacher: Never Go Back a release date of October 21, 2016.

Home media
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was released on Digital HD on January 17, 2017, and on Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray and DVD on January 31, 2017.

By May 2018, the film had made $14.5 million in domestic region video sales.

Box office
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back grossed $58.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $103.4 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $162.1 million, against a production budget of $96 million.

In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside Ouija: Origin of Evil, Keeping Up with the Joneses and Boo! A Madea Halloween, and was projected to gross around $20 million from 3,780 theaters in its opening weekend, with the studio expecting a debut of about $17 million. It earned $1.3 million in midnight showings at 1,850 theaters, slightly above Oblivions $1.1 million and under Edge of Tomorrows $1.8 million. For the weekend, the film opened to $23 million, finishing in second place, behind ''Boo! A Madea Halloween''. In its second weekend, the film dropped by 58.2%, grossing $9.6 million, and finishing third at the box office, behind A Madea Halloween ($16.7 million) and newcomer Inferno ($15 million).

Outside North America, the film was released in 42 countries in conjunction with its United States and Canada debut, representing about 75% of the film's total marketplace internationally.

In 30 markets, the film posted the biggest opening in the series. Outside of the United States and China, the United Kingdom and Ireland ($3.3 million), France ($2.8 million), Australia ($2 million), Russia ($2 million), Indonesia ($1.9 million), Taiwan ($1.6 million) and the UAE ($1.3 million) posted the top openings.

Critical response
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back received mixed reviews from audiences and critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 37%, based on 219 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Monotonously formulaic, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is one action-thriller sequel whose title also serves as a warning." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score 47 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while the first film received an "A−".