Jack Reacher (2012)

Dave

Dave

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I just saw this on pay-for-TV download but it is coming to DVD soon. Not Science Fiction, but a pretty good detective thriller with more than the usual twists and turns.

A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who seemingly shot five victims at random.

I'd recommend this if you like this kind of thing. I've seen it compared to Bourne but that wouldn't be my choice. More like A Few Good Men mashed with Dirty Harry. Based on the Lee Childs book.

Tom Cruise does know how to pick the good ones. I can't think of a film he was in that I didn't like much (well maybe War of the Worlds and Knight and Day were a bit weak.)
 
Heh, have been avoiding this so far on the grounds that my sister-in-law is a big Lee Child's reader, and she's furious that Cruise got the role when even Arnold Swarzenegger would have been too small and wimpy to the character of Reacher described in the book. :)
 
I've not read the books, so I couldn't comment. However, there is a scene where he is taken outside to be worked over by five men. Obviously, he is ex-services and skilled in hand-to-hand combat. I thought it was quite believable. If he had been Arnie instead, I doubt that the five men would have tried at all.

There is another scene where he tries not to stand out in a crowd (you have probably seen it because it was used in the film promos.) Arnie would be too tall not to stand out, but we all well know how short Cruise really is, so he must have been standing on a box or something in that scene.
 
Well, I love Lee Child's writing and I've whinged elsewhere about 6 feet 5 inch Reacher being played by midget Cruise, but I went to see the fim. All I'd say is: it's a decent action movie, but it sure as hell ain't Jack Reacher... what a shame, because we'll be stuck with Cruise until the audience figures fall.
 
Dave said:
Tom Cruise does know how to pick the good ones. I can't think of a film he was in that I didn't like much (well maybe War of the Worlds and Knight and Day were a bit weak.)
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I like the films he is in but I don't like Tom Cruise. :(
 
There is already a Tom Cruise thread here somewhere that says much the same thing.

I don't believe everything I read, but given that there is no smoke without fire, he doesn't appear to be a likeable person. Ex-wives are probably not the best references, however.

I don't see any problem with your statement. I could probably say the same about several other actors and many singers. I don't like this new celebrity worshipping at all. They are human like anyone else. I respect them as artists for their body of work.
 
I said:
even Arnold Swarzenegger would have been too small and wimpy to the character of Reacher described in the book. :)
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I think that is a good reason to not mind who plays Reacher as far as physicality goes. There really isn't anyone who would have been able to 'look' the part and be able to act well.

As far as physicality in characters, unless it is absolutely vital to the character, get over it. Does anyone have an insurmountable problem with Will Smith in "The Wild Wild West" or when they change an actor in a film series? I go with what works. If the change is worth it, then the appearance doesn't matter. Again, some traits might be integral. You wouldn't want a white actor to play a runaway slave from America's 1840's.

Short of that, size, color, sex shouldn't matter as long as the character's substance is not changed.
 
Tom Cruise actually made a good Jack Reacher. The fight scenes were well done and the eff you attitude was well portrayed. It also has a good story with nifty twists. You guys should try it.
 
The movie was surprisingly better than I imagined it would be. I was highly entertained, but, one little scene bothered me.

Hidden spoiler alert: The scene that bothered me was when Jack (Tom C.) was eluding the police and stepped into a crowd. The people who were standing there (waiting for a bus), helped Jack who was a stranger to them, hide from the cops. I know I wouldn't do that for a stranger who was chased by the police, he could be a notorious criminal. Perhaps the producers or writers thought that would be a funny moment? It just didn't sit well with me.

Overall, it was still a good movie.
 
That's the same scene I mentioned earlier, Starbeast, but it bothered me for different reasons to yours.

I enjoyed it and would recommend it, but then I haven't read the books and had them spoiled by the film.
 
I liked this movie. Tom Cruise was great, as always, and the story was fine, too.
 
Starbeast said:
The movie was surprisingly better than I imagined it would be. I was highly entertained, but, one little scene bothered me.

Hidden spoiler alert:
Click to expand...

As far as that scene, I didn't mind it. Primarily, it was there for humor, as people are saying. Also, I was a cop and you would be surprised (since this scene didn't sit well with you) how much 'us v. them' mentality there is in the average person. We were constantly stymied by random people who would go out of their way to help someone elude us or to interfere directly with us. It shocked me at first, then I got used to it.

Rant --- A small version is the 'flashing lights to alert people of cops on the road ahead,' but it goes stronger than that. The mentality is the same - Cops are bad, I'll help these guys out to give them a break.

Unfortunately, flashing your lights gives a drunk driver the warning they need to temporarily straighten up and get by a traffic cop so they can possibly get in a wreck and kill someone further down the road. --- End Rand
 
I thought it was a decent movie with a few problems (were do they use parking meters in parking garages?).

The one main issue I had was since I live in Pittsburgh, the car chase scene was completely ruined for me because I knew where are the roads were that they used, so I was like, "YOU CAN"T GET ON THAT ROAD FROM THE TUNNEL!" or "THAT'S IN OAKLAND AND YOU CAN"T GET TO DOWNTOWN FROM THERE!" lol.
 
Reacher should have been played by someone huge, like a young Arnold, not a midget like Cruise. Reacher is 6 foot 5 and almost 30 pounds, described as half gorilla.

Also not sure why they used One Stop as the first film.

I'm guessing Cruise will be making at least 2 more of these to have a Reacher trilogy.

Die Trying would make a good second film. Not sure which one I'd choose for the third yet. Give it some thought.
 
Dave said:
There is already a Tom Cruise thread here somewhere that says much the same thing.

I don't believe everything I read, but given that there is no smoke without fire, he doesn't appear to be a likeable person. Ex-wives are probably not the best references, however.

I don't see any problem with your statement. I could probably say the same about several other actors and many singers. I don't like this new celebrity worshipping at all. They are human like anyone else. I respect them as artists for their body of work.
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I don't like Tom Cruise because I found his acting boring. I don't have much idea or interest about his personal life, I think the last I heard is that he divorced Kidman (why film stars ever bother to get married I don't know. :confused:)

Anyways, just watched the film and felt it's a decent thriller. I didn't read the book so Tom Cruise's built didn't bother me. I just had to fast-forward the car chase scene because it is the same as all the car chase scenes in too many thriller movies - boring.
 
Dave said:
Tom Cruise does know how to pick the good ones. I can't think of a film he was in that I didn't like much (well maybe War of the Worlds and Knight and Day were a bit weak.)
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Well, I've just found one - Tropic Thunder (Blunder)
Even Cruise's OTT performance and dancing in bald wig and glasses could not hope to raise this pile of dogs doodah!
 
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