A huge Reacher Fan (not Cruise)

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2013)

I put my cards on the table. I am a big fan of the books and was horrified that Cruise, who I have despised since "Top Gun" got the role. So many other actors would have had a better look and not a big stretch to play the stoic personality of Jack. It was as bad a casting as "Mission Impossible", but as with it, I decided to watch with an open mind. While the casting failed, for me, in MI, Cruise's small stature and bloated ego was not as notable in JR. They must be learning something in camera shots or with costars to keep him from looking like a smart ass little kid. However, they could have done a better job of making him look like a man who drifts from town to town with one shirt and a toothbrush, no comb. The GQ look was a bit much, muss his hair up or something, but I digress. Like Jimmy Johnson's, that will never happen.
I rarely like a movie after reading the book but this was an exception. It was well done, kept me absorbed and the 2 hours flew by. Good action, likable good and bad guys and a fitting ending. And amazingly enough, Cruise's ego didn't dominate as in MI, TG and many of his other action flicks. The literary JR, while physically imposing, is highly intelligent. Cruise did that well and above all, he played it understated as it should be and was one of his better efforts. So, hopefully, if this becomes a series of movies and someone else isn't cast, Cruise will follow the same formula.