Reacher

[andy-hughes]

Given Lee Child's utterly baffling endoresement of tiddly Tom Cruise playing his hero Jack Reacher - and the complete dog's breakfast of a film that was the result -

is it time for Liam Neeson to take over the role for the next one?

[joggerjayne]

Odd film. But quite entertaining.

[glasman]

He'll probably be busy on Taken 3, 4, and 5.

[maggiebee]

Haven't read any Lee Child's books but have met him. Dislike Tom Cruise, have never liked a film he was in. Now Liam Neeson..........bring it on!!

[andy-hughes]

OK maggie, if i tell you that a description of Jack Reacher has him as 6' 5", you can understand why fans like me were up in arms when the tiny weirdo was announced for the role!

[snags]

Should be Ralf Möller (the big guy from the movie Gladiator): right build, right height, right age, right look:

http://dadro.4t.com/RalfMoellerDestro.jpg

[joggerjayne]

6' 5" ?

Is that why he's called Reacher ??

[joggerjayne]

A perceptive and erudite analysis, triggy.

:0)

[chelle7272]

Liam Neeson was my vote for Reacher, thought the age is not right.
I still haven't got the words to express how I feel about the casting of Cruise, and so have not seen the film.

[bednobs]

they are making another one andy???
I am very surprised as it seemed to be universally panned (although i really liked it, and laughed all the way through, although this was possibly not what the director was going for!)

[andy-hughes]

Actually bednobs, I have read that they are not making any more, which is a shame.

There was a good franchise there to be enjoyed, but poisoned by that moronic loony and his bottomless pockets which are the reason why he was able to snare the rights and ruin the whole thing.

Oh well, maybe in a few years, when his debacle is consigned to history where it belongs, someone else will pick up the threads and move on.

I think Reacher deserves a decent film treatment, with a suitable actor in the role - this first film was very much neither of those.

Fingers crossed.

[DJHawkes]

as a purveyor of Lee Child's (seemingly never ending) series of Reacher novels for 4 and a half years now, i can certainly verify that the negative feedback about Tom cruise being cast as Jack Reacher was only surpassed in numbers by the negative comments following the film's release.

[bednobs]

agreed, but to be honest, the films of ANYTHING never live up to the books do they? The books are so much richer in context and so on, whereas film are not. I reckon no matter who had played him, it would have been a disappointment to die-hard reacher fans, don't you?
SOmeone made a great comment about TC on another reacher thread which i am going to shamelessly steal - he's not so short when he's standing on his wallet!

[andy-hughes]

I don't entirely agree bednobs - I, and others are firmly of the view that Liam Neeson would have done the role justice.

I have no problem with someone who is never going to be the mental picture of a bookc character, that is par for the course, but the ideda of an actor of Cruise's height and physique playing Reacher was never ever going to work in the eys of anyone, except those who sanctioned this vanity project in the beginning.

[bednobs]

Hmm, well we'll have to agree to disagree. Just contemplating some other books that i loved-turned-films that were disappointing, like golden compass or hunger games

[queenofmean]

I haven't read the Reacher books but after watching the film which I loved I really do want to read them. A book is what YOU make it Characters and all. The writer may give you a good description of the character but it is your mind that builds the character so whoever you visualise the main character it is never going to be the same as whoever ends up playing the part.

[mccfluff]

i actually thought the film was okish, no masterpiece but enjoyable rubbish,

As long as you had never read any of the books or had any idea about the character and looks of jack reacher.......

[andy-hughes]

mcfluff - indeed, but Mr Child has a legion of faithful fans who all know our Jack well, and however we visualise our hero, it's never going to the the persona of the wooden, android, detached, emotionless package that Tom Cruise has brought to all his roles for the last ten years.