posted
Casting Tom Cruise proves to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that the studio entirely missed the point of the character Jack Reacher (who's actually 6'5"). I've read every book, but will be giving this movie a giant PASS!
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Sa'eed: Is the title character's height that crucial to the story?
The character's fighting style is to throw massive knock out punches (then kick people in the face when they're down). So it'd be nice if the actor looked like a heavy weight boxer.
It also affects the way others look at him.
The other change - inevitable for a Hollywood movie, I guess - is that Reacher wears one set of clothes from Goodwill for three days, then junks them and buys another set.
It's better to have your movie hero dressed in a cool leather jacket rather than an old wal-mart t-shirt.
The changes aren't that big of a deal. Mostly what I'm curious about is the fighting style: Reacher fights dirty in a way that movie heroes usually do not. He occasionally kicks guys in the groin. Really hard.
Posts: 1515 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Sa'eed: Is the title character's height that crucial to the story?
His height? No. His physical presence (height, breadth, physicality) are crucial, yes. We're talking about 30 books here, and every single one of them makes extensive mention of his physical presence, especially with regards to how it shapes both his personality and his fighting style. It's a major plot point in at least a dozen of the books.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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quote:The trailer looked kinda awesome at the last 10 seconds there. What's wrong with Cruise? He was great in Moneyball.
I believe you're confusing him with Brad Pitt (and even if they were the same, the type of performance given in Moneyball probably isn't comparable to the performance you'll be seeing in this type of movie). Maybe you're confusing him with Jonah Hill but then I think you're kind of beyond help.
posted
Why don't you spend some time yourself and see whether or not it's true if you don't believe it. Feel free to look up any of the big words.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
I'm literally asking. How much does it extend beyond his fighting style. I'm not saying that's meaningless, but some of you sound like there's more to it. He sounds relatively similar to a Frank Castle (The Punisher) type character, but I would never call his size a plotpoint per se. The plotpoints are his lack of sympathy, willingness to torture, fight dirty, and his ability to make other vulnerable (which isn't limited to his size)
Cruise low blows a grunt in that trailer.
And I don't feel like it. We are talking about 30 books here.
Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Sa'eed: Is the title character's height that crucial to the story?
Crucial to the character. Characters are crucial to the story.
Reacher is intimidating to look at. That is part of his personality. Tom Cruise is not intimidating to look at.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
When Peter Jackson & Co. shot The Lord of the Rings, they used computerized digital graphics to reduce the size of all the Hobbits, and the dwarfs. Maybe they will use computerized digital effects to enhance the stature of Tom Cruise playing Jack Reacher.
The Jack Reacher character of the Lee Childs series of novels was a big, tough man, a former Military Policeman (who reached the rank of major). His size is one of his primary characteristics in all the stories. This is a role made for John Wayne--too bad the Duke is no longer with us.
Posts: 3742 | Registered: Dec 2001
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quote:Originally posted by umberhulk: I'm literally asking. How much does it extend beyond his fighting style. I'm not saying that's meaningless, but some of you sound like there's more to it. He sounds relatively similar to a Frank Castle (The Punisher) type character, but I would never call his size a plotpoint per se. The plotpoints are his lack of sympathy, willingness to torture, fight dirty, and his ability to make other vulnerable (which isn't limited to his size)
Cruise low blows a grunt in that trailer.
And I don't feel like it. We are talking about 30 books here.
Yeah, Frank Castle - especially Garth Ennis' version - is a good comparison. The main difference is that Reacher is also a keen detective, whereas Castle is just a juggernaut.
I don't think having Cruise in the role is a major problem. An ability to make others feel vulnerable is, as you say, the main point, and Cruise should be able to pull that off.
It's just jarring for readers of the books, is all.
Posts: 1515 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I read all of Child's Jack Reacher books. They are simple as hell and I love them still. I dunno about Tom Cruise- he sure look nothing like Reacher, but still, in this trailer he looks ok.
I hope they don't ruin it all and make him booklike. With his coffee, black, no sugar, and his convertible toothbrush and two-day-max clothes, no driver's licence and all.
And I hope there'll be something about that brigadier general chick he has in this particular book...
Posts: 723 | Registered: Dec 2004
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The two Reacher books I've read were not cliche, and I thought the one that this movie appears based on showed an almost poetic sense of movement and scene.
I agree with JT. Cruise does not project the menace that Reacher has to project in order to be Reacher. While this may be fun, I'm not inclined to think it is canon.
Posts: 14554 | Registered: Dec 1999
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posted
One thing that looks silly in the trailer: the voice over saying something to the effect of "Reacher's a ghost, you'll never find him." It makes the guy sound like some kind of ninja, when he's actually just a hobo.
Posts: 1515 | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
Whoa whoa. Just realized that the director and screenwriter of this Jack Reacher film also wrote "The Usual Suspects" and also wrote/directed "The Way of the Gun," a very original, dark and nasty thriller released a dozen years ago that has always stayed with me. He had an eight year gap following that film and he started getting a bunch of work four years ago--lots of mainstream stuff, including the next Wolverine film. Hollywood careers are fascinating!
Posts: 668 | Registered: Aug 2010
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