Jack Reacher Explained

Jack Reacher
First:Killing Floor (1997)
Nickname:Reacher
Gender:Male
Family:
  • Laurent Moutier (maternal grandfather, deceased)
  • William "Stan" Reacher (father, deceased)
  • Josephine Moutier-Reacher (mother, deceased)
  • Joe Reacher (brother, deceased)
Nationality:American
Creator:Lee Child

Jack Reacher is the protagonist of a series of crime thriller novels by British author Lee Child,[1] a 2012 film adaptation, its 2016 sequel, and a television series on Amazon Prime Video. In the stories, Jack Reacher was a major in the US Army's military police. After leaving the army, Reacher roamed the United States, taking odd jobs investigating suspicious and dangerous situations, and resolving them.

there are 28 novels and short stories in the Reacher series. Four of the novels were adapted for cinema and television. Two of the adaptations are films starring Tom Cruise as Reacher: Jack Reacher (2012) from the ninth novel, One Shot, and (2016) from the eighteenth novel, Never Go Back. The third adaption, Reacher, is a television series on Amazon Prime Video, starring Alan Ritchson.

The first season which is adapted from the first novel, Killing Floor, premiered on 4 February 2022. The second season (from Bad Luck and Trouble), premiered 14 December 2023. The series was renewed for a third season.

Character development and perception

Lee Child was unemployed when he wrote Killing Floor after being fired as a presenter for Granada Television.[1] [2] [3]

Some have said that the character is an antidote to stereotypical male antiheroes. Otto Penzler wrote that Reacher's character reflects the chivalrous knight errant of medieval lore, as opposed to an anti-hero tormented by addiction and haunted by past misbehavior.[4]

The character's name first came to Lee Child while he was in a supermarket when an old lady, noting the span of Child's arms, asked for his help in reaching a can of pears. Many have commented on similarities between Lee Child and his fictional character. Child tends to agree with such observations: "I was huge as a kid and Reacher's stature is me translated as a kid."[5] Malcolm Gladwell, in an article for The New Yorker, perceives a difference in the Reacher character and the traditional Western characters in terms of the symbolism they represent to the general public:

Others are critical of the various implausibilities and contradictions present in the character and his behavior. The Washington Post journalist Kevin Nance said, Michael Cavacini concurred, saying unlike traditional whodunits, where a detective "simply solves a problem because it's his job", Reacher has no formal reason to be involved in anything and consequently "seems to always wind up in a situation where something goes wrong and he must make right".[6]

Author's commentary and interpretation

Child views Jack Reacher as a "happy-go-lucky guy. He has quirks and problems, but the thing is, he doesn't know he's got them. Hence, no tedious self-pity. He's smart and strong, an introvert, but any anguish he suffers is caused by others."[2] He was asked about the casting of Tom Cruise in the role of Jack Reacher. Cruise's casting as Jack Reacher was met with criticism from fans of the book series, primarily because the disparity in their heights. Reacher is portrayed as 6inchesft5inchesin (ftin) tall and weighing 250 pounds in the novels, while Cruise is 5inchesft7inchesin (ftin).[7] [8] Child replied that "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force". In physique and appearance, Child has compared him to rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio.

Fictional biography

Jack Reacher was born on a military base in Berlin, on 29 October 1960. His mother, Josephine Moutier Reacher (née Moutier), was French. Jack speaks some French. His maternal grandfather was at the Battle of Verdun in the First World War and in the French Resistance in the Second World War.[9]

Lee Child said that he drew inspiration from his own life as he developed stories for Jack Reacher's accomplices and family.

Reacher's father was in the military, and Reacher ultimately enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point attaining the rank of major[10] during his tenure in the military police. His commanding officer, Leon Garber promoted Reacher twice in 18 months.[11] Reacher won numerous awards during his military service[12] After leaving the army, he became a drifter. After the September 11 attacks, with restrictions on wire transfers in the light of fraud he was obliged to carry an ATM card and photo ID in the form of a (generally expired) American passport.[13]

Demeanor and personality

Reacher, who has no background in studying genetics, claims that he is genetically predisposed to a vagrant lifestyle in Never Go Back. He says that some populations have a 'natural wanderlust' such as the British Empire, the Vikings, and the Polynesians. He recognizes the economic reasons for their voyages but argues that "some of them could not stop" traveling. He believes when prehistoric humans lived in small bands a gene evolved to prevent inbreeding. As a result "every generation and every small band had at least one person who had to wander" leading to "mixing up of gene pools" being "healthier all around."

Skills

Reacher is proficient in hand-to-hand combat. While not a master in any discipline, he tends to incorporate moves from various styles. He also has strong deduction skills and is known as an exceptional investigator. He led a special unit which was tasked with difficult cases.

Reacher is a skilled marksman and the only non-Marine to win the US Marine Corps 1000 Yard Invitational rifle competition.[14]

Habits and beliefs

Reacher has a love for music, especially blues.[15] That affinity inspires Reacher to get off the bus at the start of Killing Floor. He speaks of it to detectives investigating an early morning suicide on a near-deserted New York subway near a blues club on Bleecker Street.[16]

He is scathing in his dismissal of traditional religious proselytizing.[17]

In A Wanted Man Reacher admits that he is a bad driver. He doesn't have a driver's license.[18] In Without Fail Agent Froelich searches various databases for Reacher, only to discover he is rendered nearly untraceable because, without a driver's license, he has no photograph or address in government records.[19] Reacher admits to indulging in casual sex.[20] [21]

Physical appearance

Reacher is described as being 6feet tall, weighing 210lb250lb and having a 50inches chest.[22] In Never Go Back, he is described as having "a six-pack like a cobbled city street, a chest like a suit of NFL armor, biceps like basketballs, and subcutaneous fat like a Kleenex tissue."[23] In his youth, his physical appearance was likened to that of a "bulked-up greyhound".[24] He also reveals that his size is purely genetic; he says in Persuader[25] and Never Go Back that he is not much of an exercise enthusiast.

He has various scars, including some roughly stitched on his abdomen following a bombing in Lebanon.[26] [27]

In other media

Film

See main article: Jack Reacher (film) and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. The 2012 action thriller film Jack Reacher was adapted from the 9th novel, 2005's One Shot, and stars Tom Cruise in the title role.[28] The film was directed by Christopher McQuarrie.[29] Cruise reprised the role in the sequel, , an adaptation of the 18th Jack Reacher book, Never Go Back, which was directed by Edward Zwick and released 21 October 2016.[30]

Tom Cruise's casting was met with criticism from fans of the book series, primarily because of the disparity in their heights, with Reacher portrayed as a blond, 6inchesft5inchesin (ftin) tall, 250-pound man in the novels, while Cruise is a 5inchesft7inchesin (ftin) tall brunet.[7] [8] In 2012, Child commented on Cruise's casting, "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way."[31]

Television

See main article: Reacher (TV series). On 14 November 2018, Child announced a deal with Skydance Television and Paramount Television to produce a Jack Reacher series based on Child's novels and that there would be no more Reacher films. He also said that Tom Cruise would no longer portray the character and that another actor would be cast in the role, citing the height difference between the fictional character and Cruise remarking that he was going to try and find the perfect guy.

Amazon was chosen to develop the series for Prime Video with Nick Santora as the showrunner.[32] On 4 September 2020, Alan Ritchson was cast to play Reacher.[33] The first season of the series, Reacher premiered on 4 February 2022[34] with all episodes released simultaneously. On 7 November 2023, Amazon Prime Video announced that the first three episodes of Season 2 would be released on 15 December with more to follow in January 2024.[35]

See also

References

Explanatory notes

Citations

Jack Reacher (book series)

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Curtis. Bryan. The Curious Case of Lee Child: Before Tom Cruise could become Jack Reacher, Jim Grant had to become Lee Child. Grantland. 5 September 2015. 20 December 2012. 29 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202159/http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8766396/lee-child-jim-grant-jack-reacher. live.
  2. Web site: White . Claire . 2001 . A Conversation With Lee Child . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190727093158/https://www.writerswrite.com/journal/aug01/a-conversation-with-lee-child-8012 . 27 July 2019 . 1 March 2016 . The Internet Writing Journal.
  3. Web site: Cornwell . Bob . Lee Child Interview . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150711233606/http://www.twbooks.co.uk/crimescene/leechildinterview.htm . 11 July 2015 . 1 March 2016 . TwBooks.
  4. Otto Penzler (editor) The lineup: the world's greatest crime writers tell the inside story of their greatest detectives. Little, Brown (2009)
  5. Web site: Martin . Andy . Lee Child on Jack Reacher: How the best-selling author writes his mysteries . . January 2015 . 5 March 2016 . 22 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170722150754/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/lee-child-on-jack-reacher-how-the-best-selling-author-writes-his-mysteries-9959227.html . live .
  6. Web site: Cavacini. Michael. An Interview With International Best-Selling Author Lee Child. 1 March 2016. 2014. 5 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305191635/https://michaelcavacini.com/2014/09/04/an-interview-with-international-best-selling-author-lee-child/. live.
  7. Web site: Kellogg . Carolyn . Reader reactions to 'Jack Reacher': The fans are furious . . 7 March 2016 . 21 December 2012 . 7 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164040/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/21/entertainment/la-et-jc-tom-cruise-jack-reacher-fans-react-20121220 . live .
  8. Web site: Sachs . Andrea . September 2012 . Lee Child on His New Thriller, Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher and Wandering Heroes . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180413184036/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/09/19/lee-child-on-his-new-thriller-tom-cruise-as-jack-reacher-and-wandering-heroes/ . 13 April 2018 . 5 March 2016 . Time.
  9. Child (2004). The Enemy.
  10. Book: Bad Luck and Trouble. 11.
  11. Book: Child, Lee. Tripwire. Jove Books. 2000. 978-0515128635.
  12. Book: Child, Lee. 61 Hours . registration. 2010 . 22. Random House Publishing . 9780440243694 . Reacher had been an army liaison officer serving with the Marine Corps at the time of the barracks bombing. He had been badly wounded in the attack... The wound had healed fast and completely. It had left what the army called a disfiguring scar, which implied a real mess..
  13. Web site: Drummond . Steve . Lee Child's 'The Affair': Sixteen Books In, Has Jack Reacher Still Got It? . NPR.org . . 20 October 2011 . 1 March 2016 . 17 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180117070236/https://www.npr.org/sections/monkeysee/2011/10/20/141548652/lee-childs-the-affair-sixteen-books-in-has-jack-reacher-still-got-it . live .
  14. Book: Child, Lee . . Transworld Digital . 2005 . 0-385-33668-3 . Chapter 12.
  15. Child (1997), Killing Floor, p. 522.
  16. Book: Child, Lee . . Chapter 7.
  17. Book: Child, Lee . Bad Luck and Trouble. Random House . 2007. Chapter 4 . 9780440336853 . 15.
  18. Book: Child, Lee . Bad Luck and Trouble. Random House . 2007. Chapter 22. 9780440336853 .
  19. Book: Child, Lee . Without Fail. registration. Chapter 1 . 2003 . Jove Books . 9780515135282 .
  20. Book: Child, Lee . The Enemy. registration. 2009. Random House Publishing. 9780440245995. [Joe] was probably the only other human on the planet who liked coffee as much as I did. He started drinking it when he was six. I copied him immediately. I was four. Neither of us has stopped since. The Reacher brothers' need for caffeine makes heroin addiction look like an amusing little take-it-or-leave-it sideline..
  21. Book: Child, Lee . The Enemy . Transworld Publishers . 2004 . 0-553-81585-7 . Chapter 5.
  22. Web site: Stansfield . James . Who is Jack Reacher? . Den of Geek . 22 November 2012 . 7 March 2016 . 7 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160307114639/http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/23502/who-is-jack-reacher . live .
  23. Book: Child, Lee . Never Go Back . Transworld Publishers . 2013 . 9781409030805 . London . Chapter 35.
  24. Book: Child, Lee. High Heat. Delacorte Press. 2013. 978-0-345-54664-7 . 41.
  25. Book: Child, Lee. Persuader . 2003 . Chapter 3 . I never work out..
  26. Book: Child, Lee. Killing Floor. 1999 . He had served thirteen years in the Army, and the only time he was wounded it wasn't with a bullet. It was with a fragment of a Marine sergeant's jawbone..
  27. Book: Child, Lee. Killing Floor. 1999 . Chapter 83.
  28. Fleming . Mike . Tom Cruise Locked To Play Jack Reacher In 'One Shot' For Paramount And Skydance . Deadline . 15 July 2011 . 17 July 2011 . 21 September 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055809/http://www.deadline.com/2011/07/tom-cruise-locked-to-play-jack-reacher-in-one-shot-for-paramount-and-skydance/ . live .
  29. News: McWeeny . Drew . Why hasn't Paramount started making Jack Reacher movies? . HitFix . 20 October 2010 . 31 January 2011 . 28 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110128034330/http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/why-hasnt-paramount-started-making-jack-reacher-movies . live .
  30. News: Fleming. Mike Jr.. Ed Zwick In Talks To Direct 'Jack Reacher' Sequel. 24 May 2015. deadline.com. 19 May 2015. 21 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150521182451/http://deadline.com/2015/05/jack-reacher-sequel-ed-zwick-director-paramount-1201429671/. live.
  31. 'Jack Reacher' TV Series In The Works. Andreeva. Nellie. Deadline Hollywood. 14 November 2018. 15 November 2018. 7 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190507224438/https://deadline.com/2018/11/jack-reacher-tv-series-no-tom-cruise-lee-child-1202502218/. live.
  32. Web site: 'Jack Reacher' TV Series in the Works at Amazon. The Hollywood Reporter. 15 July 2019. 2019-07-17. 17 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190717060241/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/jack-reacher-tv-series-works-at-amazon-1224429. live.
  33. Web site: 'Jack Reacher': Alan Ritchson Cast As Title Character In Amazon TV Series. Deadline Hollywood. Nellie. Andreeba. 4 September 2020. 4 September 2020. 4 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200904233930/https://deadline.com/2020/09/alan-ritchson-cast-jack-reacher-title-character-star-amazon-tv-series-lee-child-adaptation-1234570323/. live.
  34. Web site: Hipes . Patrick . Big News: 'Reacher' TV Series Starring Alan Ritchson Gets Premiere Date, Trailer . Deadline . 2 December 2021 . 2 December 2021 . 1 February 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220201050531/https://deadline.com/2021/12/reacher-premiere-date-trailer-alan-ritchson-amazon-prime-video-1234883655/ . live .
  35. Web site: Surette . Tim . TV Guide: Reacher Season 2: Latest News, Release Date, Trailer, Source Material, and More . TV Guide . 14 December 2023 . 30 December 2023.