Jack Reacher

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  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,152
    'Promise me you won't end up in another holding cell.'
    'No.'
    :D
  • edited December 2021 Posts: 12,837
    Cruise really surprised me in the role, and I did enjoy the first film, but I always struggled to warm to that casting. I’m usually fairly free and easy about appearances when it comes to adaptations, because usually I don’t think it matters that much. But Reacher’s physicality is one of his defining traits, in the same way Bond's good looks and upper class British snobbery are. Most of the time in more grounded thrillers and detective stories like that, the huge guys are just brutes and heavies. So, I loved the idea of a highly intelligent and fiercely moral detective in the body of a Bond henchman. A man with twice the strength of normal people who’s decided to do the right thing with that gift. Without that, I thought they’d lost something that made him unique compared to others in the genre.

    Having said that though, the new guy hasn’t won me over yet. They’ve got the physique right this time, but he seems a bit chirpier than I’d ever pictured the character. Cruise may not have looked the part, but I do think he nailed the demeanour. Hopefully that’s just the tone of the trailer throwing me off though (I don’t think the music helped), because I’m still quite excited. The fight scenes look great, and I think going to streaming was a smart call. The longer format probably suits the character better, and grounded, mid budget thrillers aren’t as successful at the cinema as they used to be. Not sure something like Jack Reacher could compete with all the mega budget blockbusters.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    edited December 2021 Posts: 12,480
    Guys, I should clarify that I will never watch Cruise in a movie ever again. Period.
    And no, I am not missing out on anything. I had no interest anyway due to being cast wrong against type.

    I do look forward to hearing your opinions on the tv series. Yes, "too chirpier" kind of nails what I was getting. But I hope that all improves.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited December 2021 Posts: 16,425
    Guys, I should clarify that I will never watch Cruise in a movie ever again. Period.
    And no, I am not missing out on anything. I had no interest anyway due to being cast wrong against type.

    Well you are, because it's a cracking thriller. And if you're interested in Reacher-style thrillers, then you'd likely enjoy this one. It's a bit like being a James Bond fan and refusing to watch a (brilliant) Jason Bourne film because he's a spy and has the initials JB. Just pretend he isn't playing Reacher but a similar character and enjoy it.
    Cruise really surprised me in the role, and I did enjoy the first film, but I always struggled to warm to that casting. I’m usually fairly free and easy about appearances when it comes to adaptations, because usually I don’t think it matters that much. But Reacher’s physicality is one of his defining traits, in the same way Bond's good looks and upper class British snobbery are. Most of the time in more grounded thrillers and detective stories like that, the huge guys are just brutes and heavies. So, I loved the idea of a highly intelligent and fiercely moral detective in the body of a Bond henchman. A man with twice the strength of normal people who’s decided to do the right thing with that gift. Without that, I thought they’d lost something that made him unique compared to others in the genre.

    Totally fair enough, I can see that: like a human Hellboy (a young Ron Perlman would seem a good fit as I understand it). But it's a great thriller all the same.
    Having said that though, the new guy hasn’t won me over yet. They’ve got the physique right this time, but he seems a bit chirpier than I’d ever pictured the character. Cruise may not have looked the part, but I do think he nailed the demeanour.

    Yeah, it might just be the particular scenes they chose, but he does seem to be quite one-note in his delivery, and as you say: he seems to be enjoying himself more than (what I understand of) Reacher should be. Isn't he a bit more Eastwood Man-With-No-Name? This one seems to be a bit more Roger Moore Bond judging by this trailer.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,812
    I liked the Cruise Reacher films and was conscious he didn't match the description from the books, which I have not read.

    Can understand not watching Cruise as the character, that's an easy sell for me. Or not watching simply because it's Cruise as well. All understandable.

  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    edited December 2021 Posts: 3,152
    mtm wrote: »
    Just pretend he isn't playing Reacher but a similar character and enjoy it.
    That's precisely what I did! ;) The disconnect would've been too much otherwise.
  • edited December 2021 Posts: 17,759
    That's what I did watching Jack Reacher too, sort of imagining Cruise as a "Jimmy Bond" type instead of portraying the actual character. To be fair though, I had only read a couple of books of the series by the time the movie came out, so I probably wouldn't have been that bothered about it anyway.

    Side note: How does the second JR film compared to the first? I understand it's not as good, but how much of a drop in quality is it?
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited December 2021 Posts: 16,425
    That's what I did watching Jack Reacher too, sort of imagining Cruise as a "Jimmy Bond" type instead of portraying the actual character. To be fair though, I had only read a couple of books of the series by the time the movie came out, so I probably wouldn't have been that bothered about it anyway.

    Side note: How does the second JR film compared to the first? I understand it's not as good, but how much of a drop in quality is it?

    It’s fine, it’s just that the first one has a bit of secret sauce that makes it feel like a 70s thriller. The second one doesn’t have that (and the sauce is MacQuarrie) and so it just feels like a pretty ordinary film. It’ll entertain you enough, but you’ll get to the end and wonder why anyone bothered making it.
    Let’s face it, the source material is not really an extraordinarily original idea but fairly derivative, so it needs to be made with a lot of style to make it feel good. If you make Reacher without adding something then you can end up with TV Movie stuff, and that’s why this TV show worries me slightly.
  • Posts: 17,759
    mtm wrote: »
    That's what I did watching Jack Reacher too, sort of imagining Cruise as a "Jimmy Bond" type instead of portraying the actual character. To be fair though, I had only read a couple of books of the series by the time the movie came out, so I probably wouldn't have been that bothered about it anyway.

    Side note: How does the second JR film compared to the first? I understand it's not as good, but how much of a drop in quality is it?

    It’s fine, it’s just that the first one has a bit of secret sauce that makes it feel like a 70s thriller. The second one doesn’t have that (and the sauce is MacQuarrie) and so it just feels like a pretty ordinary film. It’ll entertain you enough, but you’ll get to the end and wonder why anyone bothered making it.
    Let’s face it, the source material is not really an extraordinarily original idea but fairly derivative, so it needs to be made with a lot of style to make it feel good. If you make Reacher without adding something then you can end up with TV Movie stuff, and that’s why this TV show worries me slightly.

    Thanks! It's been on my to-watch list since it's release, but I've never got around to watch it. Not missing out then, I guess; might give it a watch if it pops up on a streaming service I already subscribe to.

    Good point re. the source material. I like the Reacher books, but it takes a bit of effort to make them stand out on screen, that's for sure. The first Reacher film did have that secret sauce you mention @mtm, and I was pleasantly surprised it turned out the way it did. I hope the TV show manage to capture some of what the first film did well, and it does have the advantage of a longer running time.
  • Posts: 1,631
    I liked Cruise in the role. Other than the physical appearance of the character, which is admittedly a big part of what makes the character in the novels, I thought he really nailed the part aside from that. I've read a good number of the books, although certainly not all of them, but was able to get past the size difference and enjoy it for what it was.

    The first Reacher film was really good. The second, not so much. I could have gone for a third Cruise film, but at the same time, I think that this series looks like it could be pretty good. I like that they're adapting Killing Floor, which was one of the novels that I really remember enjoying. Looking forward to it.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    I liked the Cruise Reacher films and was conscious he didn't match the description from the books, which I have not read.

    Can understand not watching Cruise as the character, that's an easy sell for me. Or not watching simply because it's Cruise as well. All understandable.

    Thanks. Yes, for me it was both. So no way I will ever watch it; enjoyment not even possible; and I definitely did not miss out. I do, however, really hope the new series is good.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited December 2021 Posts: 16,425
    It's pretty impossible, by definition, for someone to know whether they missed out if they didn't experience it! :D

    It's an excellent film thriller, very enjoyable.
  • Posts: 12,526
    Reacher TV series trailer

    Certainly looks promising?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,217
    Hell yes.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,425
    Are those little pre-big fight warning lines from the books then? I thought they were a movie thing added by the Cruise versions.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I had heard and seen nothing from this until that clip and I’m sold. I can see what issues people had with Cruise’s stature now compared to this behemoth.
  • Posts: 12,526
    I really do like the look of this! :-bd
  • Posts: 17,759
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I had heard and seen nothing from this until that clip and I’m sold. I can see what issues people had with Cruise’s stature now compared to this behemoth.

    It really is night and day. Alan Ritchson is a way better casting – stature wise at least.
  • RyanRyan Canada
    Posts: 692
    Looks terrific and well shot. I'm sold!
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    edited February 2022 Posts: 25,160
    Reacher%20Season%201.jpg?89266387
    Just watched the first episode a good start, good casting. Alan Ritchson I have seen in other shows including Titans he has a good screen pressence.
    'I am not a ventriloquist, get off my lap'
    :))

    A particular scene was brutal.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2022 Posts: 16,425
    About halfway through the first ep and not sure I’ll make it much further. This is cheapo rubbishy stuff and the lead guy is a void. Makes you appreciate how good Cruise is.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,160
    mtm wrote: »
    About halfway through the first ep and not sure I’ll make it much further. This is cheapo rubbishy stuff and the lead guy is a void. Makes you appreciate how good Cruise is.

    I like Tom's two films especially the first one though he was miscast in the role.

    I liked the first episode I am intrigued to see where it goes next, will watch the second episode tomorrow.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,425
    That’s fair enough, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It sets up the mystery effectively.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,160
    I enjoyed episode 2, shock horror a consistently good TV show in the 2020's which is few and far between.
  • Posts: 1,632
    The lead looks thick as a brick...big, sure, but clever ? insightful ?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I still need to check this out when I get the time. The fights I've seen are great and he seems very threatening, not only in his size but in his words.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited February 2022 Posts: 8,217
    Since62 wrote: »
    The lead looks thick as a brick...big, sure, but clever ? insightful ?

    Five episodes in and he is struggling to sell the super clever detective aspect for me. However, with it being a TV show that doesn't have the budget of a film, there's a lot more telling rather than showing and that's partly a cause of it, too. Cruise's Reacher didn't have to spend considerable amounts of time during scenes explaining things; the film was able to show you him doing the detective work and visually get the findings across without dialogue.

    That aside, I'm still really enjoying it. There's been some great fights, some great dialogue, and the chemistry between characters has been strong. It's not reinventing the wheel nor does it have the atmosphere of the first film, but it's a really enjoyable watch.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2022 Posts: 16,425
    I'm not up to five episodes yet but that seems a good reading to me: it's watchable stuff and vaguely enjoyable stuff but style and cleverness-wise it's not close to the first movie, sadly. And the lead is fine but I don't see him being a star after this. If I compare to the similar Jack Ryan Amazon show it's that which has the proper star in the lead role. Overall it's not all that much different to some slightly cheap US import show which gets buried on the 5star channel here in the UK.
    And honestly his size feels a little overplayed, I don't think he looks quite as impossibly huge as every other character seems to react as him being: it feels a bit silly. Maybe he is in real life, but I don't think it really comes through the screen all that much.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    edited February 2022 Posts: 8,217
    I think it'll also be fair to anticipate that the series will probably be inconsistent in terms of plot quality considering they seemingly want to adapt the books very closely, and a lot of the books are predominantly Reacher just hitting people with his fists. One Shot was a true gem in that it had a great mystery at its centre, and it was wise to use it as the basis for the first film. It's why they struggled so much with Never Go Back and instead went straight for a more personal story (Reacher with a potential daughter, going back to the army etc).

    It's not quite the same as something like Bosch (which Amazon also did a great job with and was a selling point for them taking on Reacher for me initially), which was a wonderful detective show and made me want to go and read the books afterwards.
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