Breaking Down Why Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher Was So Disappointing Compared To Alan Ritchson

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher has seen a popular resurgence thanks to the Amazon Prime Video TV series, and the show exposes all the reasons why the Tom Cruise movies failed. Child published the first Reacher novel in 1997 (Killing Floor), and has penned a new book in the series every year since.

Across the 29 Jack Reacher books thus far, the ex-MP has smashed his way through various dangerous odd jobs, dispensing his own form of justice along the way. The hulking hero seemed like a natural fit for the big or small screen, but it took until 2012 to see the character finally make his debut.

Tom Cruise played Reacher in the eponymous film, and returned for the 2016 sequel. The first film was a box office smash that enjoyed decent if unspectacular reviews. However, the sequel made significantly less in theaters and was lambasted by critics across the board. The character faded into the background for years, before returning in the Amazon TV series.

Alan Ritchson’s performance as Reacher is a breath of fresh air, and the TV series clearly understands the novels much better than the duology of feature films. Nearly a decade after the short-lived Tom Cruise franchise ended, the new Reacher TV show has exposed all the fatal flaws that kept the movies from ever being great.

Tom Cruise Was Miscast As Jack Reacher

Tom Cruise looking distressed and bloodied in Jack Reacher Never Go Back

Though Tom Cruise is often box office gold for any franchise, the biggest problem with the two Reacher movies was that he was woefully miscast in the role. The books describe the character as standing nearly six-and-a-half feet tall, and having mᴀssive rippling muscles. On the flip side, Cruise himself is quite small, and is nothing like the book character.

By contrast, Alan Ritchson is reported to be six feet three inches tall.

The casting was problematic, mostly because of the glaring differences from the books. Naturally, the Reacher movies were going to diverge from the books, but some aspects of Child’s writing were non-negotiable. The wild difference between the book character and Cruise was a distraction, and anyone who had read a Reacher novel knew he was miscast.

Reacher’s size isn’t just some throwaway detail, but is actually integral to his character. Like James Bond’s tuxedo, Reacher’s bulk is his signature look, which explains why he is such an effective mercenary. When Jack Reacher takes on a group of baddies with only his bare hands, it’s more convincing when he’s actually a humongous brute.

The films work around the obvious size difference, and that actually robs them of the charm and excitement of Child’s books. The movies bent details to make Cruise fit into the role, which didn’t work out over the long run. By contrast, Alan Ritchson fits neatly into the Reacher mold, so the stories can shine without too many unnecessary changes.

Cruise’s Jack Reacher Movies Take Themselves Too Seriously

Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher looking upset — Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher

Cruise’s miscasting was the first major strike against the Reacher movies, but it was hardly the only reason that they failed. Unfortunately, the scripts of the 2012 and 2016 Reacher movies didn’t understand Lee Child’s writing to any degree, and they ended up falling into the category of generic action thrillers. By contrast, the books are actually quite funny, and benefit from a delightfully tongue-in-cheek tone.

Amazon’s Reacher TV show has a much firmer grasp on this all-important quality. Alan Ritchson can toss criminals through windows and deliver a glare so intense it evaporates water, but he can also discuss the merits of cat poop coffee beans and crack jokes about women only wanting him for his body.

Child never tries to hide the fact that he’s writing literary popcorn, so the Reacher books revel in their own silliness. As befitting Tom Cruise’s status as a serious star, the movies tossed all that aside in favor of a painfully earnest delivery. Without the substance to back up that earnestness, it all fell very flat.

The Jack Reacher Movies Feature Lame Dialogue

Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher on the Phone with a Cut on His Face in Jack Reacher Never Go Back-1 — Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher on the Phone with a Cut on His Face in Jack Reacher Never Go Back

One of the unfortunate byproducts of the Jack Reacher movies taking themselves too seriously is that they sometimes stumble into unintentionally hilarious territory. A lot of the dialogue in the two films is somewhat lame, despite very sincere attempts by Cruise to deliver it convincingly. It sounds like Child’s writing, but the tone of the language doesn’t match the film.

One particularly rough line of dialogue came in 2012’s Jack Reacher, where the тιтular character threatens someone by saying he’s going to “beat you to death and drink your blood from a boot.“ Unfortunately, that threat is never fully fulfilled, but it shows just how disconnected the writing is from what is actually happening on screen.

Reacher is a bombastic hero who is literally larger-than-life, and the dialogue was written for that man, not the more realistic figure that Cruise played. It’s a testament to the actor’s ability that the movies aren’t worse, but even Tom Cruise can’t sell some of the clunkers from the screenplay. When paired with his miscasting, it all falls apart.

Jack Reacher Has Worked Better As A TV Show

Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 2

Before the premiere of Reacher on Amazon Prime Video in 2022, the issues of the two Jack Reacher movies didn’t seem as glaring. However, the brilliant action show has exposed those faults by doing all the right things instead. Alan Ritchson was born to play the тιтle character, and the writing finally matched Child’s playful tone.

Beyond that, Jack Reacher is better suited for a TV show because the format allows for a deeper exploration of the stories and characters. The movies were forced to condense the novels into two hours, so excellent details were inevitably cut. Each season of Reacher is based on one book, so the writers can really dig into Child’s stories.

Tom Cruise’s time as Jack Reacher was a noble experiment, but it ultimately failed. Thankfully, the character has been granted a second chance, and is grasping it with both hands. Regardless, Cruise proved audiences wanted to see the character onscreen, so his movies still deserve credit for paving the way for the TV series 10 years later.