Movies are escapism, so I'm here to tell you that it's just fine if your favorite film genre of all the genres is "Tom Cruise kicking ass." He'll be doing that again in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back , in theaters Oct. 21. Cruise is reprising his role as the former Army criminal investigator in this sequel to the 2012 thriller Jack Reacher. The character was adapted for the screen from a series of action-packed novels by author Lee Childs, starting with 1997's The Killing Floor. The 21st novel to feature Reacher as a protagonist is due out in November, so this guy has been around. At the movies, Reacher will be teaming up with Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), a colleague who's been accused of spying against the US. If Never Go Back follows the path set by the original movie, you're looking at a stern Cruise, lots of gun play and explosions, and corrupt government operatives getting their due. You may be looking to catch up on the consultant's adventures before you see this new movie. So, is Jack Reacher on Netflix?
Sorry, Netflix subscribers: Jack Reacher is not currently available to stream. But if you still receive DVDs from the service, you can rent the disc. There are some other options if you want to access the movie right away. Amazon has the HD version to rent at $3.99 and to purchase for $7.99. You can also download the film from iTunes for that same $7.99 price. The physical DVD will only set you back $5.99 on Amazon, and if you're a Prime member, you can have it in two days. (There are several cheaper, used copies on sale by other sellers as well.)
The first Jack Reacher movie co-starred Gone Girl's Rosamund Pike as a defense attorney who seeks out Reacher when her client, a former Army sniper on trial for his life, demands that he get on the case. Any comparisons to Jason Bourne are reasonable, since Reacher also doles out his own brand of justice when law and order get in his way. 2012's Jack Reacher only holds a 62% on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes; it's a mildly exciting popcorn movie that lets Cruise lean into his current career position as a reliable "action hero with a past." I haven't seen the new Jack Reacher yet, but I assume that it stands completely on its own. Reacher is the only main character who carries over from the first movie, and the plot is completely separate but for him.
Netflix doesn't have Jack Reacher, but you can stream some action movies that will get you in the mood for Never Go Back. Check out Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart in 2016's London Has Fallen; watch Ben Affleck take on Reacher's fellow literary spy hero Jack Ryan in The Sum Of All Fears; or get a Cruise fix with Top Gun or Mission: Impossible III. Rest assured, the "Tom Cruise kicking ass" genre will never leave you hanging.
Image: Paramount Pictures
