Tom Cruise, "Jack Reacher": Is This Suitable for Seven-Year-Olds?

Today, I saw Tom Cruise's latest flick, "Jack Reacher," or at least part of it. For reasons of exhaustion and jet lag, and having nothing to do with the film, I swiftly drifted into a deep slumber, and notwithstanding my youngest son's valiant attempts to awaken me, I missed much of its beginning. Bottom line? We were presented with an imaginary hero, whose vigilante tactics are accompanied by relentless gore. On the other hand, the movie is certainly aided by rousing car chase scenes. I suppose you need to be a Tom Cruise fan.

But more to the point, a collection of seven-year-olds populated the first two rows of the theater. Should these youngsters, some of them plainly hyperactive, be allowed to watch a young women be punched in the jaw, suffocated, and then left with the trash? Then, too, there were headshots (not of the cinematographic variety) galore.

My views on gun control certainly do not comport with those of the National Rifle Association. On the other hand, I have repeatedly inquired whether it is possible that the graphic violence routinely foisted upon impressionable minds has made it that much easier for persons with violent inclinations to pull the trigger as a matter of course.

Notwithstanding the impact on Hollywood's profit and loss statement, this needs to be better controlled.

The National Rifle Association is not the only villain out there.