Jack Reacher

Last updated

Jack Reacher
First appearance Killing Floor (1997)
Created by Lee Child
Portrayed by
In-universe information
NicknameReacher
GenderMale
Occupation
Family
  • Laurent Moutier (maternal grandfather, deceased)
  • William "Stan" Reacher (father, deceased)
  • Josephine Moutier-Reacher (mother, deceased)
  • Joe Reacher (brother, deceased)
Nationality American

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.

Contents

As of 24 October 2023 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 Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (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 February 4, 2022. The second season (from Bad Luck and Trouble), premiered December 14, 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[ who? ] 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. [1] 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:

The traditional Western was a fantasy about lawfulness: it was based on a longing for order among those who had been living without it for too long. The heroes conduct themselves according to strict rules of chivalry. They act— insofar as it is possible —with restraint. In the world we live in... we are overpoliced. Our contemporary fantasy is about lawlessness: about what would happen if the institutions of civility melted away and all we were left with was a hard-muscled, rangy guy who could do all the necessary calculations in his head to insure that the bad guy got what he had coming. That's why there are rarely any police in Reacher novels—or judges or courts or lawyers or any discussion or consideration of the law. [6]

Others are critical of the various implausibilities and contradictions present in the character and his behavior. The Washington Post journalist Kevin Nance said,

The unlikelihoods and outright impossibilities stack up. Ever a frugal sort... Reacher travels mostly by hitchhiking... even though the practice is roughly as current as bellbottoms and even though his appearance is, as previously established, notably simian... (A)lthough although he's a loner who seems never so happy—rather like Agent Cooper in "Twin Peaks"—as when sitting quietly in a diner with a cup of black coffee and a piece of pie, he has an uncanny knack for stumbling into the worst kinds of trouble, almost none of it connected to himself." [7]

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". [8]

Author's commentary and interpretation

Author Lee Child at Bouchercon XLI, 2010 Lee Child, Bouchercon 2010.jpg
Author Lee Child at Bouchercon XLI, 2010

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 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall and weighing 250 pounds in the novels, while Cruise is 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m). [9] [10] Child replied that "Reacher's size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force". [11] In physique and appearance, Child has compared him to rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio. [12]

Fictional biography

Jack Reacher was born on a military base in Berlin, on 29 October 1960. [11] 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. [13]

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 [14] during his tenure in the military police. His commanding officer, Leon Garber promoted Reacher twice in 18 months. [15] Reacher won numerous awards during his military service [16] After leaving the army, he became a drifter. [1] After the September 11 attacks, with restrictions on wire transfers in the light of fraud he was obliged to carry an ATM card [7] and photo ID in the form of a (generally expired) American passport. [17]

Demeanor and personality

Reacher, who has no academic training, 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. [18]

Habits and beliefs

Reacher has a love for music, especially blues. [19] 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. [20]

He is scathing in his dismissal of traditional religious proselytizing. [21]

In A Wanted Man Reacher admits that he is a bad driver. He doesn't have a driver's license. [22] In Without Fail Agent Froelich trawls various databases for Reacher, only to discover he is pretty much rendered untraceable because without a driver's license he has no photograph and no address. [23] He admits to indulging in casual sex. [11] [24] [25]

Physical appearance

Reacher is described as being 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall, weighing 210–250 pounds (95–113 kg) and having a 50-inch (130 cm) chest. [9] [11] 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." [26] In his youth, his physical appearance was likened to that of a "bulked-up greyhound". [27] He also reveals that his size is purely genetic; he says in Persuader [28] and Never Go Back that he is not much of an exercise enthusiast. [26]

He has various scars, including some roughly stitched scars on his abdomen caused by a bombing in Lebanon. [29] [30]

In other media

Film

Tom Cruise in 2012 Tom Cruise in Dec 2012 (2 av 3).jpg
Tom Cruise in 2012

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. [31] The film was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. [32] Cruise reprised the role in the sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back , an adaptation of the 18th Jack Reacher book, Never Go Back, which was directed by Edward Zwick and released 21 October 2016. [33]

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, 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, 250-pound man in the novels, while Cruise is a 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) tall brunet. [9] [10] 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." [34]

Television

Alan Ritchson in 2022 Alan Ritchson Photo Op GalaxyCon Richmond 2022.jpg
Alan Ritchson in 2022

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. [34]

Amazon was chosen to develop the series for Prime Video with Nick Santora as the showrunner. [35] On September 4, 2020, Alan Ritchson was cast to play Reacher. [36] The first season of the series, Reacher premiered on February 4, 2022 [37] with all episodes released simultaneously. On November 7, 2023, Amazon Prime Video announced that the first three episodes of Season 2 would be released on December 15 with more to follow in January 2024. [38]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Kirby</span> American comic book artist (1917–1994)

Jack Kirby was an American comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew up in New York City and learned to draw cartoon figures by tracing characters from comic strips and editorial cartoons. He entered the nascent comics industry in the 1930s, drawing various comics features under different pen names, including Jack Curtiss, before settling on Jack Kirby. In 1940, he and writer-editor Joe Simon created the highly successful superhero character Captain America for Timely Comics, predecessor of Marvel Comics. During the 1940s, Kirby regularly teamed with Simon, creating numerous characters for that company and for National Comics Publications, later to become DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Cruise</span> American actor (born 1962)

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV is an American actor and producer. Regarded as a Hollywood icon, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for four Academy Awards. His films have grossed over $4 billion in North America and over $11.5 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing box-office stars of all time. He is consistently one of the world's highest-paid actors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truman Capote</span> American author (1924–1984)

Truman Garcia Capote was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966). His works have been adapted into more than 20 films and television productions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artful Dodger</span> Fictional character from the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist

Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel Oliver Twist. The Dodger is a pickpocket and his nickname refers to his skill and cunning in that occupation. In the novel, he is the leader of the gang of child criminals on the streets of London trained and overseen by the elderly Fagin. The term has become an idiom describing a person who engages in skillful deception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher McQuarrie</span> American filmmaker (born 1968)

Christopher McQuarrie is an American filmmaker. He received the BAFTA Award, Independent Spirit Award, and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the neo-noir mystery film The Usual Suspects (1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Child</span> British thriller writer (born 1954)

James Dover Grant, primarily known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British author who writes thriller novels, and is best known for his Jack Reacher novel series. The books follow the adventures of a former American military policeman, Jack Reacher, who wanders the United States. His first novel, Killing Floor (1997), won both the Anthony Award and the 1998 Barry Award for Best First Novel.

<i>Cruising</i> (film) 1980 film by William Friedkin

Cruising is a 1980 crime thriller film written and directed by William Friedkin and starring Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, and Karen Allen. It is loosely based on the novel of the same name by The New York Times reporter Gerald Walker about a serial killer targeting gay men, particularly those men associated with the leather scene in the late 1970s. The title is a double entendre, because "cruising" can describe both police officers on patrol and men who are cruising for sex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Ritchson</span> American actor (born 1982)

Alan Michael Ritchson is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Aquaman / Arthur Curry on The CW superhero series Smallville (2005–2010), where he appeared as a guest star between the fifth and tenth seasons. Ritchson had a starring role in the Spike TV sitcom Blue Mountain State (2010–2012), a role he reprised in the 2016 film sequel. He also headlined the SyFy action series Blood Drive (2017), and returned to superhero television as Hank Hall / Hawk on the DC Universe / HBO Max series Titans from 2018 to 2021. He gained wider recognition for portraying the title character in the Amazon Prime Video action thriller series Reacher since 2022.

<i>One Shot</i> (novel) 2005 book by Lee Child

One Shot is the ninth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. The book title is based on "One shot, one kill," the military sniper's creed. The novel was adapted into the 2012 film Jack Reacher, starring Tom Cruise as the title character. This book is written in the third person.

<i>Bad Luck and Trouble</i> Book by Lee Child

Bad Luck and Trouble is the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in 2007, and written in the third person.

<i>Nothing to Lose</i> (novel) 2008 novel in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child

Nothing to Lose is the twelfth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published in the UK by Bantam Press in March 2008 and in the US by Delacorte in June 2008. It is written in the third person.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Lee</span> American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer (1922–2018)

Stan Lee was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which would later become Marvel Comics. He was Marvel's primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics and film industries.

<i>Jack Reacher</i> (film) 2012 action thriller film by Christopher McQuarrie

Jack Reacher is a 2012 American action thriller film written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, starring Tom Cruise and based on Lee Child's 2005 novel One Shot. Cruise portrays the title character and the supporting cast features Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog, Robert Duvall, David Oyelowo, Richard Jenkins, and Jai Courtney. The film entered production in October 2011, and was completed in January 2012. It was filmed entirely on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The musical score was composed by Joe Kraemer and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony.

<i>Never Go Back</i> (novel) Novel by Lee Child

Never Go Back is the eighteenth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was published on 3 September 2013 in the United States. The book continues the storyline covered in the novels 61 Hours, Worth Dying For and A Wanted Man. The novel, like a majority of the Jack Reacher novels, is narrated in third-person point of view.

<i>Lord John</i> series Mystery novels by Diana Gabaldon

The Lord John series is a sequence of historical mystery novels and shorter works written by Diana Gabaldon that center on Lord John Grey, a recurring secondary character in the author's Outlander series. Secretly homosexual "in a time when that particular predilection could get one hanged," the character has been called "one of the most complex and interesting" of the hundreds of characters in Gabaldon's Outlander novels. Starting with the 1998 novella Lord John and the Hellfire Club, the Lord John spin-off series currently consists of six novellas and three novels.

<i>Make Me</i> (novel) 2015 novel by Lee Child

Make Me is the twentieth book in the Jack Reacher series written by Lee Child. It was initially published on 8 September 2015 by Delacorte Press.

<i>Jack Reacher: Never Go Back</i> 2016 film directed by Edward Zwick

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a 2016 American action-thriller film directed by Edward Zwick, written by Zwick, Richard Wenk, and Marshall Herskovitz, and based on the 2013 novel Never Go Back by Lee Child. A sequel to the 2012 film Jack Reacher, the film stars Tom Cruise and Cobie Smulders, with the supporting cast featuring Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, Danika Yarosh, Holt McCallany, and Robert Knepper. The plot follows Reacher going on the run with an Army major who has been framed for espionage, as the two reveal a dark conspiracy.

Jack Reacher is a series of novels, novellas and short stories by British author Jim Grant under the pen name Lee Child. As of January 2022, the series includes 28 books and a short story collection. The book series chronicles the adventures of Jack Reacher, a former major in the United States Army Military Police Corps now a drifter, roaming the United States taking odd jobs and investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations, some of which are of a personal nature. The Reacher series has maintained a schedule of one book per year, except for 2010, when two installments were published.

<i>Reacher</i> (TV series) American TV series

Reacher is an American action crime television series developed by Nick Santora for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the Jack Reacher book series by Lee Child, it stars Alan Ritchson as the title character, a self-proclaimed hobo and former U.S. Army military policeman with formidable strength, intellect, and abilities. During his travels, Reacher crosses paths with dangerous criminals and is forced to do battle.

<i>No Middle Name</i> Anthology book by Lee Child

No Middle Name is an anthology book from the Jack Reacher series by British writer Lee Child. It is a collection of two novellas and ten short stories.

References

Explanatory notes

    Citations

    1. 1 2 3 4 Curtis, Bryan (20 December 2012). "The Curious Case of Lee Child: Before Tom Cruise could become Jack Reacher, Jim Grant had to become Lee Child". Grantland . Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2015.
    2. 1 2 White, Claire (2001). "A Conversation With Lee Child". The Internet Writing Journal. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    3. ↑ Cornwell, Bob. "Lee Child Interview". TwBooks. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    4. ↑ Otto Penzler (editor) The lineup: the world's greatest crime writers tell the inside story of their greatest detectives. Little, Brown (2009)
    5. ↑ Martin, Andy (January 2015). "Lee Child on Jack Reacher: How the best-selling author writes his mysteries". The Independent . Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
    6. ↑ Gladwell, Malcolm (9 September 2015). "The Lawless Pleasures of Lee Child's Jack Reacher Novels". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
    7. 1 2 Nance, Kevin (14 December 2012). "Why is the character of Jack Reacher so popular?". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
    8. ↑ Cavacini, Michael (2014). "An Interview With International Best-Selling Author Lee Child". Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    9. 1 2 3 Kellogg, Carolyn (21 December 2012). "Reader reactions to 'Jack Reacher': The fans are furious". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
    10. 1 2 Sachs, Andrea (September 2012). "Lee Child on His New Thriller, Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher and Wandering Heroes". Time . Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
    11. 1 2 3 4 Stansfield, James (22 November 2012). "Who is Jack Reacher?". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
    12. ↑ Studio 10 (18 November 2018), Author Lee Child Talks 'Jack Reacher' TV Series | Studio 10, archived from the original on 14 November 2019, retrieved 13 February 2019{{citation}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    13. ↑ Child (2004). The Enemy.
    14. ↑ Bad Luck and Trouble. p. 11.
    15. ↑ Child, Lee (2000). Tripwire. Jove Books. ISBN   978-0515128635.
    16. ↑ Child, Lee (2010). 61 Hours . Random House Publishing. p.  22. ISBN   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.
    17. ↑ Drummond, Steve (20 October 2011). "Lee Child's 'The Affair': Sixteen Books In, Has Jack Reacher Still Got It?". NPR.org. National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
    18. ↑ Child, Lee (2005). "Chapter 12". One Shot . Transworld Digital. ISBN   0-385-33668-3.
    19. ↑ Child (1997), Killing Floor, p. 522.
    20. ↑ Child, Lee. "Chapter 7". Gone Tomorrow .
    21. ↑ Child, Lee (2007). "Chapter 4". Bad Luck and Trouble. Random House. p. 15. ISBN   9780440336853.
    22. ↑ Child, Lee (2007). "Chapter 22". Bad Luck and Trouble. Random House. ISBN   9780440336853.
    23. ↑ Child, Lee (2003). "Chapter 1". Without Fail . Jove Books. ISBN   9780515135282.
    24. ↑ Child, Lee (2009). The Enemy . Random House Publishing. ISBN   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.
    25. ↑ Child, Lee (2004). "Chapter 5". The Enemy. Transworld Publishers. ISBN   0-553-81585-7.
    26. 1 2 Child, Lee (2013). "Chapter 35". Never Go Back. London: Transworld Publishers. ISBN   9781409030805.
    27. ↑ Child, Lee (2013). High Heat. Delacorte Press. p. 41. ISBN   978-0-345-54664-7.
    28. ↑ Child, Lee (2003). "Chapter 3". Persuader. I never work out.
    29. ↑ Child, Lee (1999). Killing Floor. 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.
    30. ↑ Child, Lee (1999). "Chapter 83". Killing Floor.
    31. ↑ Fleming, Mike (15 July 2011). "Tom Cruise Locked To Play Jack Reacher In 'One Shot' For Paramount And Skydance". Deadline. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
    32. ↑ McWeeny, Drew (20 October 2010). "Why hasn't Paramount started making Jack Reacher movies?". HitFix. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
    33. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (19 May 2015). "Ed Zwick In Talks To Direct 'Jack Reacher' Sequel". deadline.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
    34. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (14 November 2018). "'Jack Reacher' TV Series In The Works". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
    35. ↑ "'Jack Reacher' TV Series in the Works at Amazon". The Hollywood Reporter. 15 July 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
    36. ↑ Andreeba, Nellie (4 September 2020). "'Jack Reacher': Alan Ritchson Cast As Title Character In Amazon TV Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
    37. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (2 December 2021). "Big News: 'Reacher' TV Series Starring Alan Ritchson Gets Premiere Date, Trailer". Deadline. Archived from the original on 1 February 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
    38. ↑ {{cite web |last1=Surette |first1=Tim |title=TV Guide: Reacher Season 2: Latest News, Release Date, Trailer, Source Material, and More |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/reacher-season-2-release-date-cast-and-more/ |website=TV Guide |date=14 December 2023 |access-date=30 December 2023

    Jack Reacher (book series)

    Further reading

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.