Before Prime Video’sReacherchronicled the adventures of the eponymous drifter and former military policeman in a serialized format, Reacher was previously brought to life in a pair of live-action movies, withMission: Impossiblestar Tom Cruise charged with playing him in 2012’sJack Reacherand 2016’sJack Reacher: Never Go Back. Based onLee Child’sReachernovels, the television show has been warmly received by fans and critics alike, with many lauding Alan Ritchson’s pitch-perfect casting and the show’s serialized take on its long-running source material as notable highlights.
However, it hasn’t always been sunshine and lollipops for popular culture’s most famous crime-fighting hobo.Tom Cruise’s Reacher movies didn’t work for several reasons, a harsh reality that swiftly becomes apparent upon rewatching them in the wake ofReacher’shistoric and ongoing success.
10Tom Cruise Really Was Miscast As Jack Reacher
A Disastrous Casting Call
It wasn’t until the rave reviews for Alan Ritchson’s take on the character in Prime Video’sReachercame pouring in that it became apparent just how badlyTom Cruise’s casting as Jack Reacherhad been misjudged. A literal man mountain, the visual of the hulking Ritchson lent instant legitimacy to his new charge, a man described in Lee Child’s novels as standing 6'5", weighing more than 250 pounds, and possessing hands the same size as dinner plates.
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By contrast,Cruise’s diminutive build meant that he was a woefully misjudged choice to play Child’s behemoth drifter from the get-go.Even if one were to discount the comical disparity between the former MP’s description in the books and Cruise’s physical appearance, the actor was simply the wrong fit for Reacher’s personality as Child envisioned him. This state of affairs becomes even more apparent when contrasted with the textbook ease with which Alan Ritchson plays the character ofReacher.
9Cruise’s Casting Undermines The Movies' Credibility
Reacher’s Trademark Physicality Isn’t Believable In The Films
The star of franchises likeMission: ImpossibleandTop Gun, Tom Cruise is as close to a bona fide cinematic action hero as one is likely to find. As such, it may seem harsh to argue that his casting as Jack Reacher is so unbelievable that it notably detracts from the movie’s sense of legitimacy, but it’s the unfortunate truth.
Lee Child has a cameo appearance in 2012’sJack Reacheras a police officer.
Reacher’s borderline-superhuman physicality is inextricably linked with his sense of identity,providing him with an inimitable presence and aura that Cruise ultimately doesn’t possess.A terrifying vessel of strength and ass-kicking abilities who can’t be bullied or beaten, Reacher is supposed to be a presence who instantly commands the respect and attention of any room he enters. He’s every bad guy’s nightmare, which is something Cruise’s unassuming build simply fails to capture, particularly when compared against Ritchson’s physique.
8The Movies Have Aged Poorly Thanks To Prime Video’s Reacher TV Show
The Show Has Been Well Received By Fans And Critics Alike
Reception from theJack Reachermovies that ranges from lukewarm to dismal has been sharply juxtaposed against the response to Prime Video’s adaptation of Child’s novel series. A hit with fans and critics that appeals to new viewers and avid readers of Child’s source material alike,Reacherhas received consistently high reviews throughout its run to date.
…Reacherpresents an upgrade on the Jack Reacher story in virtually every conceivable manner.
From the polished manner in which the show brings Child’s stories to life toRitchson’s assured lead performance as Reacher,Reacherpresents an upgrade on the Jack Reacher story in virtually every conceivable manner.It’s great news for the iconic character but less so for the reputation of Cruise’s movies; every piece of positive feedback thatReacherreceives serves to overshadow them further.
7The Reacher Story Format Is Better Suited For Television
The Story Style Doesn’t Suit Feature-Length Adaptations
Another harsh reality that has made itself apparent sinceReacherbegan airing on Prime Video in 2022 was the fact that the format of Lee Child’s iconic novel series simply works better for television. The scale, scope, and standalone nature of the various stories and characters featured in theJack Reacherbooks meant that a serialized breakdown of his story was far more suitable than a full-length film.
Furthermore, Child’s novels are notorious for being jam-packed with minute detail, a trademark calling card of the author’s writing style. As such, there’s simply too much material to cram into a quality feature-length Reacher movie while doing the character’s source material justice. Ultimately,television has always served as a better medium for novel adaptations, and Cruise’s over-saturated pair of movies proved to be no exception to this status quo.
6The Movies Take Themselves Way Too Seriously
Cruise’s Films Lack The Show’s Tongue-In-Cheek Sense Of Self-Awareness
One ofReacher’s most impressive attributes to date has been how the show deftly balances its high-stakes and intense subject matter with a notably tongue-in-cheek approach to proceedings. There’s a lot of farcical material to be found in Prime Video’s adaptation, but the show is so self-aware that it handles any negative connotations that this might pose with a tasteful wink to the camera.
Jack Reacher movie adaptations by year
64%
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back(2016)
37%
On the other hand, theJack Reachermovies offer much of what one would typically expect from a run-of-the-mill action blockbuster, with Cruise playing Reacher like a mysterious drifter who just so happens to also be 007. The relentlessly serious movies arguably raise the stakes beyond any point of legitimate enjoyment while imbuing proceedings with such a grim atmosphere that it rapidly drains them of any semblance of entertainment.
Lines That Are Intended To Be Tough Sound Cheesy
In all fairness to theJack Reachermovies, even Prime Video’sReacherhas not proved to be exempt from a harsh reality traditionally associated with ass-kicking characters of Reacher’s ilk: cheesy dialogue. However, while Alan Ritchson’s take on the character has turned in more than a few corny one-liners throughout three seasons, they pale in comparison to the quality of dialogue on display in Tom Cruise’s pair of movies.
While the actor’s trademark panache and suave delivery saves some of his cheesier quotes from complete disaster,there’s only so much that Cruise’s star power can do to redeem a selection of laughably bad lines,hot off the clichéd action hero dialogue conveyor belt. It’s also worth noting that uncomfortable scenes like Reacher hurling an array of crude insults at a young woman in a bar unsurprisingly haven’t aged particularly well.
4The Movies’ Action Sequences Fail To Do Reacher Justice
The Drifter’s Trademark Style Of Brutal Violence Isn’t Captured
Cruise’s take on Reacher is decidedly no slouch when it comes to combat, frequently dispatching a host of villains through a combination of fists and firearms across two movie appearances. However, his slick fighting style is a far cry from what Lee Child describes in his novel series, something more suited to Cruise’s various spy movie credits.
He’s smashing people into literal pieces courtesy of his terrifying size, strength, and overall physicality.
Child’s version of Reacher is a wrecking ball given human form, a one-man army who batters his foes like a silverback gorilla hammering in a tent peg with its fist.He’s not whipping out the slick combat techniques that Cruise’s take on the character delights in,he’s smashing people into literal pieces courtesy of his terrifying size, strength, and overall physicality. As such, Cruise’s lack of these trademark attributes severely undermines Reacher’s aura in the movies, particularly in scenes where he’s involved in a fight.
3The Movies Adapted The Wrong Novel For The Sequel
Never Go Back Was A Poor Choice For Multiple Reasons
The eighteenth book in the Jack Reacher novel series,Never Go Backwas used asJack Reacher: Never Go Back’ssource material, a status quo reflected byReacherseason 3 swiftly moving to rule outany future readaptations. In terms of the chronology of Child’s canon, the book is set eight novels after the events ofOne Shot, the source material for 2012’sJack Reacher,writing off a considerable amount of the character’s story for further exploration as a result.
There’s also the fact that readingNever Go Backcan prove to be slightly confusing without having read the three books that precede it. The novel continues the storyline that began in61 Hoursand continued acrossWorth Dying Forand prequel offeringThe Affair, introducing the literary counterpart for Cobie Smulders' Major Susan Turner along the way. Accordingly, it’s hard to escape the notion that the movies could have chosen a different story to adapt with more organic results.
2The Movies Assume An Incredible Degree Of Background Knowledge
Many Of Reacher’s Nuances Go Missed
Prime Video’sReacherhas made a habit of drawing attention to the various nuances of Alan Ritchson’s eponymous character, from his creative alibis and use of second-hand clothing to a deep love for coffee that borders on the unhealthy. They’re small, but integral details of the man drawn from the pages of Lee Child’s novels, a vital element in creating a character of such enormous popularity and lasting cultural influence.
Seasons of Reacher by year
92%
98%
Season 3 (2024)
TBD
By contrast, theJack Reacherfilms either tend to gloss over the minutiae of Reacher’s habits and quirks entirely or simply shoehorn them into proceedings with very little in the way of actual background. Accordingly,anybody without a degree of pre-existing knowledge from Child’s books usually has a hard time keeping up with the movies' sketchy universe-building and character development,which likely alienated many prospective new fans.
1The Sequel’s Quality Fell Off Considerably
Any Momentum Jack Reacher Built Was Swiftly Squandered
2012’sJack Reacherpresented the pinnacle of success for Tom Cruise’s pair of Reacher movie adaptations. A production between Cruise and his longtime collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie, the cinematic adaptation of Lee Child’sOne Shotreceived largely positive reviews from critics. The movie clocked in with a respectable Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 64%, highlighting the promising potential for future adaptations centered on the character.
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Regrettably, the same could not be said for 2016’sJack Reacher: Never Go Back, a follow-up to 2012’s original that replaced McQuarrie with Edward Zwick. The sequel was largely panned by fans and critics, with the consensus labelingNever Go Backas vastly inferior to the original. This unenviable status quo was highlighted by a measly Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of just 37%, withNever Go Back’sfailure sounding the death knell for any futureJack Reachermovie adaptations.
Jack Reacher
Cast
After a mass shooting takes place, homicide investigator Jack Reacher digs into the case to hunt down the sniper who committed the heinous act. Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise as the titular character and was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. The success of the 2012 film led to a sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, releasing in 2016.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is the sequel to the 2012 original based on the Novel by Lee Child. Finally trying to meet face to face with his support over the years, Jack heads to Washington to meet Major Susan Turner, only to discover that she has been accused of treason and arrested. Jack quickly deduces that she is being framed - and after helping her escape, the two team up to get to the center of a deadly government conspiracy.
