Why Cruise worked.

Rating: 10/10 (26 December 2012)

He wasn't the right size for the book, but he was the right size for the screen. Could you really see average sized guys picking a fight with 6'5", 250 lbs of twisted steel? Of course not. That's the only thing that kept Cruise OK with me in this role.
I've read the vast majority of the novels, starting with Gone Tomorrow and then going back to the beginning and reading through in order. I read One Shot again when I heard it was coming to the big screen. I was, of course, devastated when I heard Cruise was going to be Reacher. I never once said I would skip out because I've been looking forward to an on-screen version since I got hooked on Reacher. So I held my breath and said "one for Reacher" (I refuse to call Reacher by Jack Reacher).
What a great movie! I knew it was going to be good despite the size difference, but it definitely surpassed my expectations. In the end, the fact that Reacher was dropped to Cruise's stature made for more believable fight scenes.
The scars shown in the movie will hopefully be played out in a host of prequels and sequels. Just as Child wrote his stories in and out of order, I'm hoping that we'll see a franchise drummed out of previous and later novels. There are many good stories to draw on, but this was a great one to start with.
What an extremely great action movie! I can't wait to own it for myself.