MovieChat Forums > Jack Reacher (2012) Discussion > Guarantee this would be rated 8.0+ if yo...

Guarantee this would be rated 8.0+ if you discounted fans of the books

posted 10 years ago by thawk325
38 replies | jump to latest

I'll start by saying that I've never read them, and I don't plan on reading them because I don't have the time or the interest. That being said, I am aware of what his physical appearance is in the book and how it is directly contradicted by the casting of a 5'8"ish Tom Cruise. All I can say about that is... I really don't give a damn. I watch movies to be entertained, and god damn did this movie accomplish that and more. I mean, the car chase scene alone was enough to warrant 8 stars. You just don't see them being produced and shot in that fashion. It was so organic and the director captured it in such a unique way, thanks to Cruise's skills as a professional driver, for his desire to do as many of his own stunts as possible, for his love cinema, and his love for his fans. I'd venture to say that nobody does and gives more than Tom Cruise when on a set of an action/adventure film. The guy is just wholeheartedly committed to satisfying his fans and because of that, I think the casting was a terrific one.

[–] tuba-aka-odtu 9 years ago

I have watched Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit before this one and it's such a shame that this film got only 7 while Jack Ryan got 6 something. This is so much better than Jack Ryan. I didn't like Jack Ryan.

About Jack Reacher; I didn't read the book either but the ones who read them should accept that it's a matter of interpretation. One can't expect 100 percent correlation between a film adaptation and a book. The directors keep some core features and play with the rest.
I have watched Nolan's Batman triology and I'm a very big fan of them. I have also played Batman Arkham game series and I'm a huge fan of those too but still, even between the said games and films, I can point out to many differences(also along with the comics). It has to happen. Every person interprets the art forms differently. This is as normal as breathing. I'm just saying that the book fans should look at the film with a little more open-mind. They should give it a chance really although there may be some mistakes about the film quite naturally. Because apart from some minor problems, I found the film very good as a someone who hasn't read the book.

[–] paynespnz 9 years ago

This isn't a matter of interpretation. The author was so specific about the height and build of Jack Reacher in EVERY SINGLE BOOK. This miscasting is like having Hellboy or Conan played by Tom Cruise. You know it wouldn't make sense at all and nobody would ever even consider casting him in a role like that. I'd argue that Jack Reacher's size is even more essential to the story than that of Conan, Hellboy or almost any other literary or comic book character for that matter. Would you cast a fat guy to play the Flash? Of course not. Jack Reacher's stature is really that essential to the story.
For all the people who like to mention that Lee Child spoke out in support of Cruise in the movie and that he said later that Reacher's size wasn't important. You should keep in mind that he only ever said that after the movie was suck in limbo for years until Tom Cruise stepped in to help produce it. Of course he won't insult the guy who essentially wrote his pay check.

[–] tuba-aka-odtu 9 years ago

I see your point but as I said before I liked the film as someone who doesn't know the book. Then we can say it's a good film but not a good adaptation. (I don't want to have quarrel over it.) But I still think it's a matter of interpretation; in this case with some problems 'according to you.'

[–] Beauq81 9 years ago

Conan, actually, isn't very tall in the original books. The comics and the movies made him a giant.

Fighting a religious war is like fighting over whose imaginary friend is better.

[–] sarahallen2 9 years ago

Harry Potter was repeatedly mentioned to have spiky, messy, black hair and green eyes. You were beaten over the head with it ad nauseum throughout the entire series. Rowling rarely went more than a few chapters without mentioning one or the other. Daniel Radcliffe has straight, flat, brown hair and blue eyes. Katniss Everdean was supposed to be unhealthily skinny and biracial, and Jennifer Lawrence is a healthy weight and is a blue-eyed, blonde-haired white girl. Tris Pryor is supposed to be tiny, flat-chested, and blonde. Shailene Woodley is 5'8", large-chested, and a brunette. Wolverine is supposed to be 5'3". Hugh Jackman is 6'2". Nick Fury is supposed to be white. He's currently being played by Samuel L. Jackson. The main characters of Double Dragon were supposed to be identical twins. In the movie, one was white, played by Scott Wolf, and the other was a darker-skinned Asian American, played by Mark Dacascos. In the new Fantastic Four movie coming out, the very white Kate Mara is supposed to be the sister of black Michael B. Jordan.

The point is, who cares?

[–] paynespnz 9 years ago

And I actually have a problem with some of those cases. I think that Katniss being unhealthy skinny was fairly important to the story to convey the dire situation of the district. The fact of the matter though is that the majority of those differences are strictly aesthetic. With the exception of maybe the siblings but in a movie as god awful as Double Dragon that's the least of the problems. In Fantastic Four it does have an effect on the story. Sue and Johnny are supposed to be brother and sister. Obviously something in there story has to be changed to retcon the race difference. For most cases I don't feel that race is an issue unless race is an important part of the story line. Things like eye and hair color are completely inconsequential to the narrative.
As for Reacher though, his size actually plays a huge part in the story lines. No pun intended. He's meant to be the kind of person who intimidates by just being in the room. The type of person who is so physically imposing that you wouldn't question that he could kill a person with one punch but also exudes a sense of honor and gentleness that makes people feel they can trust him. I understand that it might have been hard to find an actor to pull that all off but when Lee Child claimed that they needed someone who could play intelligent, confident, kind and what not and there just isn't any large actor out there who can do that, it just sounded like another back pedal. There are plenty of actors out there with dramatic range far superior to that of Tom Cruise who also happen to be much bigger than he is.
You say "the point is Who cares?" and the obvious answer is, A lot of fans of the books.

[–] WhenGreyjoysCry 9 years ago

Probably. Just as bad as the book purists on the Game of Thrones board.

"Gold buys a mans silence for a time. A bolt to the heart buys it forever"

[–] dbvirago 9 years ago

Watching this for the 2nd time. It's a good movie and Cruise did a good job, but many of us watched it because we are fans of the book and it doesn't measure up. I can forget the size difference, but there are too many other things that don't remotely resemble any of the books. The little bits of comic relief aren't found in the books. It was a good car chase, but there has never been a car chase in any Reacher book. He barely drives. It was a good movie, but it wasn't Reacher. Hopefully the next one is better.

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[–] MZupcak-136-186936 9 years ago

I'm a huge fan of the books but I LOVED the movie. Granted, I felt Tom Cruise was a poor choice for the fact that he's nowhere near 6'6", but how many 6'6" actors are there, anyway? And honestly, I like Tom Cruise and enjoy a lot of his acting. I think it's just been "cool" to hate Tom Cruise the last 10 years because of that couch-jumping thing on Oprah. I'm really looking forward to more Jack Reacher movies. I hope they make excellent casting choices for cameos, like Robert Duvall. His involvement in the movie was a large part of the reason I liked it. Imagine if you just had some average schmuck actor no one knew play that part? It would have sucked!

[–] Stenzer21 9 years ago

Here's my opinion of the movie as someone who's read the book. This movie opened up like a really boring episode of crime TV. Nothing like the tension-filled adrenaline-rush of the book at all. People seem to like this movie though so I'll give him that.

[–] DracTarashV 9 years ago

I for one, appreciate the movie on its own merits. Now I guess I can understand the outrage over Cruise's casting, but at the end of the day, book fans are very hard to please anyway. In any case, with Hollywood's remake and reboot obsession... there's a good chance fans of the books will get what they want in a few years.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!