Just as rumors spread about action star Tom Cruise’s Paris Olympics closing ceremony stunt, the Jack Reacher films hit streaming. Coincidence? Maybe. But what better time than now to tune into the bestselling novels’ first film adaptations, Jack Reacher (2012) and its sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016). Plus, how else will you pass the time before witnessing whatever cliff Cruise flies off next? 

The first film — from the director of the last three Mission: Impossible films, Christopher McQuarrie — stars Cruise as ruthless justice-seeker Jack Reacher, after he’s called upon to run an independent investigation to find the true identity of a deadly sniper. The sequel, from The Last Samurai director Edward Zwick, follows Reacher as he, in an attempt to exonerate a friend from being framed, gets targeted by law enforcement and ends up on the run before discovering a massive conspiracy. 

When will the Jack Reacher movies be available on streaming?

Stream Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back now.

Who’s in the cast of Jack Reacher?

• Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One) as Jack Reacher, a former investigator in the US Army
• Rosamund Pike (Saltburn) as Helen Rodin, a defense attorney
• Richard Jenkins (Dahmer) as Alex Rodin, Helen’s father and Pittsburgh’s district attorney
• Joseph Sikora (Power Book IV: Force) as James Barr, a former US Army sniper
• David Oyelowo (Lawmen: Bass Reeves) as Detective Calvin Emerson, who’s investigating Barr along with Alex Rodin
• Filmmaker Werner Herzog as Zek Chelovek, aka The Zec, the leader of a Russian gang
• Robert Duvall (The Pale Blue Eye) as Martin Cash, a former Marine Corps sergeant 
• Jai Courtney (Kaleidoscope) as Charlie

Jai Courtney and Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher

What happens in Jack Reacher?

After a sniper kills five people in Pittsburgh, evidence leads police to ex-Army sniper James Barr (Sikora). Faced with the death sentence, Barr solicits the help of Jack Reacher, a former Army detective. When he arrives to do his own investigating, Reacher is thwarted by Detective Calvin Emerson (Oyelowo) and District Attorney Alex Rodin (Jenkins), who refuse Reacher access to any of the evidence against Barr. So Reacher teams up with a defense attorney and Alex Rodin’s daughter, Helen (Pike). Together, they find inconsistencies in the case that lead them to uncover a conspiracy.

Is Jack Reacher based on a book?

Yes, it’s based on Lee Child’s 2005 novel One Shot, the ninth book in the author’s Jack Reacher series. 

Where does Jack Reacher take place?

The film takes place in Pittsburgh. 

Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Who’s in the cast of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back?

• Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher
• Cobie Smulders (Stumptown) as Major Susan Turner, the head of Reacher’s old Army unit
• Aldis Hodge (City on a Hill) as Captain Espin, Turner’s friend 
• Danika Yarosh (Greenhouse Academy) as Samantha
• Patrick Heusinger (Absentia) as The Hunter, a mercenary
• Holt McCallany (Mindhunter) as Colonel Sam Morgan
• Robert Knepper (Prison Break) as General James Harkness, the CEO of Parasource, a shady private military operation

What happens in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back?

In the sequel to Jack Reacher, Reacher’s friend and colleague Army Major Susan Turner (Smulders) has been accused of treason after her alleged involvement in the deaths of two soldiers. When Reacher finds out, he’s convinced she’s been framed, and he heads to Washington, DC, to help clear her name. After arriving in DC, Reacher has a brush with the law and ends up escaping, with Turner by his side. While on the run, the two uncover a sprawling, lethal government conspiracy.

Is Jack Reacher: Never Go Back based on a book? 

Yes, it’s based on Child’s 2013 novel Never Go Back, the eighteenth book in the Jack Reacher series. 

Where does Jack Reacher: Never Go Back take place?

The sequel takes place in Washington, DC. 

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