Jack Reacher (1 Viewer)

[The Military Workshop]

Saw it without having ever heard of the books before I heard of the name of this movie. So the fact Tom Cruise is not 6ft 6" and blonde of absolutely no significance to me (reviewers I have heard seem fixated on this bit, probably so they can show off their knowledge of the books or maybe only the first reviewer has actually read them and all the others are following him{sm4} )

Opening scene a little confronting and I can understand why movie opening was delayed.

However a good action movie and might get me to read some of the books.

The bad guy played by another upcoming Aussie actor, Jai Courtney.

Brett

 

[Harper (aka Spitfrnd)]

When you have read several of the books of a series, especially a good one like this one, it is natural to become invested in the main character(s). Thus there would seem to be nothing surprising or wrong with criticism of a movie version that features a character that is so physically different (it would be hard to find one more different). Frankly, if a movie is going to trade on the goodwill of a successful book series, one could say it owes a bit to the fans that contributed so significantly to that goodwill. It may well be a decent or even good rendition of the theme of the series but it is simply not true to its spirit in significant ways. So it can be simultaneously enjoyed for what it is while being rebuked for what it is not.

 

[The Military Workshop]

Harper,
Took a few minutes on Google and here is a list of potential actors for Reacher based only on height.

John Corbett- 6′ 5″ (Big fat Greek Wedding)
Vince Vaughn- 6′ 5″
Liam Neeson: 6′ 4″
Owain Yeowan 6′ 4″ (Rigsby in The Mentalist)
Josh Duhamel 6′ 3½” (Mr Fergie)
Lee Pace 6′ 3″ (in the Hobbit)
Chris Hemsworth 6'' 3 (Thor)
Matthew Macfadyen- 6′ 3″ (Mainly Brit TV)
Hugh Laurie- 6′ 2½” (House)
Eric Bana- 6′ 2½” (Munich, Blackhawk Down and Hulk)
Clive Owen- 6′ 2½”
Ashton Kutcher: 6′ 2½”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan 6’2
Hugh Jackman 6′ 2″

Based on this list only I would go for Bana or Owen.

List just for fun. Probably some I have missed.

Still trying to find first book in series in a book shop.

Regards
Brett

 

[TomB]

Harper,
Took a few minutes on Google and here is a list of potential actors for Reacher based only on height.

John Corbett- 6′ 5″ (Big fat Greek Wedding)
Vince Vaughn- 6′ 5″
Liam Neeson: 6′ 4″
Owain Yeowan 6′ 4″ (Rigsby in The Mentalist)
Josh Duhamel 6′ 3½” (Mr Fergie)
Lee Pace 6′ 3″ (in the Hobbit)
Chris Hemsworth 6'' 3 (Thor)
Matthew Macfadyen- 6′ 3″ (Mainly Brit TV)
Hugh Laurie- 6′ 2½” (House)
Eric Bana- 6′ 2½” (Munich, Blackhawk Down and Hulk)
Clive Owen- 6′ 2½”
Ashton Kutcher: 6′ 2½”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan 6’2
Hugh Jackman 6′ 2″

Based on this list only I would go for Bana or Owen.

List just for fun. Probably some I have missed.

Still trying to find first book in series in a book shop.

Regards
Brett

Brett.......There are some nit pickers on this forum...Audi Murphy was 5ft 6incnes tall.....did he have to be a ..........6ft 3 inches....... John Wayne before he could be a REAL HERO....Who cares how tall the actor is...as long as he does a good job in the roll.....I have only seen one Tom Cruise movie......he played a hired killer running around in a cab (Taxi)...... I though it was a good movie...you dont have to be 6ft plus to fire a weapon....cheers TomB

 

[Jack]

So the fact Tom Cruise is not 6ft 6" and blonde of absolutely no significance to me Brett

Brett

Fortunately our wives do not look for these qualities in their leading men either!

Jack

 

[jager7080]

Brett.......There are some nit pickers on this forum...Audi Murphy was 5ft 6incnes tall.....did he have to be a ..........6ft 3 inches....... John Wayne before he could be a REAL HERO....Who cares how tall the actor is...as long as he does a good job in the roll.....I have only seen one Tom Cruise movie......he played a hired killer running around in a cab (Taxi)...... I though it was a good movie...you dont have to be 6ft plus to fire a weapon....cheers TomB

Tom ,

The Tom Cruise movie you are referring to was Collateral (2004) w/Jamie Foxx as the cab driver...
I also agree it was a very good movie IMO...Also IMO Cruise has onscreen ability for this type of role...Mission Impossible , MI 2 , MI 3 , MI - Ghost Protocol , & MI 5...

Joe

 

[The Military Workshop]

Have to agree on Collateral being a good movie. A bit different as Cruise was the bad guy.

TomB needs to watch Top Gun (for the sound track alone {sm4}) and Last Samurai for the final battle and cavalry charge.

Going back to the height issue I think it was probably not an issue for the movie producers compared to casting based on the ability to draw a crowd and hence the $'s. This would naturally have been good for the author and movie will have led to increased book sales.

Brett

 

[Harper (aka Spitfrnd)]

For anyone new to the series I would recommend starting with the eighth book, The Enemy. Despite its publication number, it is actually a prequel that covers the character before he left the military. Of course now the author has inserted another prequel at number 16, The Affair, which follows the events in the first prequel and is set about 6 months before the events in the first published book. The first published book, Killing Floor, would then be the next one to read and the series can then be enjoyed in order of publication date. The movie is based on the ninth book, One Shot. The order really isn't that important however. I started with number 4, Tripwire, then read number 2, number 5, number 3 and number 1 before getting to the prequel and then back to published order. I have now read through nine but will turn to the second prequel, number 16 next.

 

[TomB]

Tom ,

The Tom Cruise movie you are referring to was Collateral (2004) w/Jamie Foxx as the cab driver...
I also agree it was a very good movie IMO...Also IMO Cruise has onscreen ability for this type of role...Mission Impossible , MI 2 , MI 3 , MI - Ghost Protocol , & MI 5...

Joe

Thanks for the movie title....I am not a Tom Cruise fan but I enjoyed that movie... ( first TC movie I have seen)okay...I am a dummy....what does IMO mean?...see it abit on the forum...will be looking at a few more TC movies now....TomB

 

[Harper (aka Spitfrnd)]

Tom ,

The Tom Cruise movie you are referring to was Collateral (2004) w/Jamie Foxx as the cab driver...
I also agree it was a very good movie IMO...Also IMO Cruise has onscreen ability for this type of role...Mission Impossible , MI 2 , MI 3 , MI - Ghost Protocol , & MI 5...

Joe

The MI series is really another genre. Reacher is not a spy but a drifter ex-MP investigator with a penchant for being in the right place at the right time to help someone out. He hates technology and simply doesn't like to run. Some aspects of Cruise's character in Collateral are actually closer to the mark.

 

[jager7080]

Thanks for the movie title....I am not a Tom Cruise fan but I enjoyed that movie... ( first TC movie I have seen)okay...I am a dummy....what does IMO mean?...see it abit on the forum...will be looking at a few more TC movies now....TomB

Tom ,

IMO = In My Opinion...Some people on the forum use IMHO which means = In My Humble Opinion...
If you want to check out another Tom Cruise movie as suggested by Brett...The Last Samurai would be a good one !

Joe

 

[TomB]

Tom ,

IMO = In My Opinion...Some people on the forum use IMHO which means = In My Humble Opinion...
If you want to check out another Tom Cruise movie as suggested by Brett...The Last Samurai would be a good one !

Joe

Thanks for that.....off to the video store for the jap movie and Topgun.....if it has airo planes ..I dont care who the actor is...cheers Tom

 

[The Military Workshop]

For anyone new to the series I would recommend starting with the eighth book, The Enemy. Despite its publication number, it is actually a prequel that covers the character before he left the military. Of course now the author has inserted another prequel at number 16, The Affair, which follows the events in the first prequel and is set about 6 months before the events in the first published book. The first published book, Killing Floor, would then be the next one to read and the series can then be enjoyed in order of publication date. The movie is based on the ninth book, One Shot. The order really isn't that important however. I started with number 4, Tripwire, then read number 2, number 5, number 3 and number 1 before getting to the prequel and then back to published order. I have now read through nine but will turn to the second prequel, number 16 next.

Harper,

Thanks for that. I wrongly assumed first book would be the start of the story. Might make my buying easier as
could not find Killing Floor but seen plenty of the others.

Tom,
We look forward to your mounted Samurai figures inspired by the charge scene !!!.

As for Top Gun I first saw it in Denmark when released (small town near Legoland). Only problem was it was in Danish with no subtitles !
Brett

 

[Ragnar]

Good flick really enjoyed...:salute::

 

[bradleyl30]

Bernard Cornwell's "Richard Sharpe" is the root cause of all my obsessions with historical fiction, real history and toy soldier collecting. He is supposed to be over 6 feet tall, dark hair and having a scarred face.

When I saw Sean Bean as the actor I did have an initial, "Hey, that's not right!" Of course, that lasted a few microseconds as Sean Bean is one of my favorite actors. Now he "is" Richard Sharpe (as well as Boromir and Ned Stark as well as many others!)

Also, Russell Crowe was not my idea of Jack Aubrey, nor was Paul Bettany even close to Stephen Maturin, but they both won me over very quickly.

I know there are some that are the other way around, but can't remember them right now.

 

[marco55]

A lot of people don't like Tom Cruise but IMHO^&grin he makes good movies.
Mark

 

[Harper (aka Spitfrnd)]

Bernard Cornwell's "Richard Sharpe" is the root cause of all my obsessions with historical fiction, real history and toy soldier collecting. He is supposed to be over 6 feet tall, dark hair and having a scarred face.

When I saw Sean Bean as the actor I did have an initial, "Hey, that's not right!" Of course, that lasted a few microseconds as Sean Bean is one of my favorite actors. Now he "is" Richard Sharpe (as well as Boromir and Ned Stark as well as many others!)

Also, Russell Crowe was not my idea of Jack Aubrey, nor was Paul Bettany even close to Stephen Maturin, but they both won me over very quickly.

I know there are some that are the other way around, but can't remember them right now.

Funny thing is that I felt the same for all of these and ended the same for each one. Cruise is totally wrong physically for Jack Reacher but .... he makes that largely irrelevent in Reacher and for the life of me, I couldn't help enjoying it despite this obvious difference from a book series to which I am rather addicted. I now find myself hoping for a franchise.:redface2: