Jack Reacher 4K Blu-ray Review & Comments

Casimir Harlow

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Thanks for the great Review, Cas. Personally, being a big fan of the Books, however good the adaptation was, Tom Cruise as Reacher always sat wrong with me: In the Reacher confrontation and fight sequences in the books his physical size and strength was an important part of the way things went, it was not just forward planning & skill. I always thought Josh Brolin would have made a great Jack Reacher.
But anyway I watched it when it first came out, & I will definitely get this 4K version on rental whenever it makes it to that.
EDIT: Just checked, & it is already 4K DV on iTunes - perfect!
 
Another great review Cas, enjoyed this film immensely. :smashin:
 
Josh Brolin is pretty short as well to be fair.

Yep the height thing is STILL a problem, I agree - though Brolin can play a big, tall guy very well :)

Actually, for true physical fit, I guess Patrick Warburton would be pretty close - now that could be an interesting casting! :)
 
Josh Brolin is pretty short as well to be fair.

There is a very good reason why Arnold Schwarzenegger avoided being on the same stage as, let alone next to, Ralf Möller. I forget the film, one of the Hollywood classics, but there is a scene where the lead actress walks alongside the leading man and they actually dug a trench for her to walk in so as to maintain the illusion he was taller!
 
I forget the film, one of the Hollywood classics, but there is a scene where the lead actress walks alongside the leading man and they actually dug a trench for her to walk in so as to maintain the illusion he was taller!

I believe that was Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman
 
I believe that was Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart & Ingrid Bergman

Could well have been. There is certainly another with her and Claude Rains in which, at the end, they kiss. She is in flats, he is wearing custom-built shoes, which they try to disguise with the ends of his trousers, in vain, and it still doesn't work.
 
Can someone please get Lionsgate to release The Way of the Gun on blu/4K? It's one of the most perfectly pitch black comedy thrillers in decades and perfectly captures the spirit of latter period Peckinpah. The scene in the sperm back in classic McQuarrie. And that final act shoot out is epic. Jumping from gun fire only to land in a pile of broken glass is still the most wince-inducing gag I've seen in a film.

Ray Stevenson would have been my choice as Reacher, but Cruise did alright. Got the iTunes version, so hope the audio is upgraded to 7.1 Dolby Digital plus.
 
Can someone please get Lionsgate to release The Way of the Gun on blu/4K? It's one of the most perfectly pitch black comedy thrillers in decades and perfectly captures the spirit of latter period Peckinpah. The scene in the sperm back in classic McQuarrie. And that final act shoot out is epic. Jumping from gun fire only to land in a pile of broken glass is still the most wince-inducing gag I've seen in a film.

Ray Stevenson would have been my choice as Reacher, but Cruise did alright. Got the iTunes version, so hope the audio is upgraded to 7.1 Dolby Digital plus.

It's been out for a few years now. Lionsgate Region A locked US Blu-ray.

You can pick it up from Amazon US through Amazon UK for £7 plus a hefty £5 postage; but at least it's Amazon UK, and £12 is nothing for this masterpiece.

Amazon UK link

Given how long it took them to put it on BD, I think it's safe to say there will never be a 4K release. At least not while there are films like National Lampoon for Lionsgate to release.

Way of the Gun is one of the greatest underrated gems in existence and one of my all-time favourite films.

I might knock up a review to coincide with Fallout if I get the chance; McQuarrie has never been better than in this debut, and what a debut!
 
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It's been out for a few years now. Lionsgate Region A locked US Blu-ray.

You can pick it up from Amazon US through Amazon UK for £7 plus a hefty £5 postage; but at least it's Amazon UK, and £12 is nothing for this masterpiece.

Amazon UK link

Given how long it took them to put it on BD, I think it's safe to say there will never be a 4K release. At least not while there are films like National Lampoon for Lionsgate to release.

Way of the Gun is one of the greatest underrated gems in existence and one of my all-time favourite films.

I might knock up a review to coincide with Fallout if I get the chance; McQuarrie has never been better than in this debut, and what a debut!

In total agreement with you on this one, Cas: it's one people should definitely see. Not only the scene where they jump into the fountain but also the one in the car with the last words. Genius.
 
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I remember loving it at the time. Saw it 3 times at the cinema during its short run. Haven't seen it for years. Definitely need to get it in before fallout which I'm really looking forward to.
The mission impossible films have become my go to for modern James Bond at this point as the last 2 Craig efforts were terrible.
 
Great review and I'm hoping mine arrives tomorrow so I can watch it. Bargain for a tenner (bogof on Zoom's Tom Cruise day)
 
Just been watching JR in DV using an LG C6 and LG UBK90. It's out off sync, audio is slightly ahead. First disc I've watched in my new player so unsure if it is the disc or hardware. I will play it using my xbox tomorrow to see if I can replicate it........
 
What's frustrating is the snobbery associated with this film. Jaws was very different to the novel, The Shining was equally at odds with the original text.

So what if Cruise isn't over 6 foot? It's a good film, can't we judge it as that?

Incidentally, I'm not suggesting this is as good as the classics I mentioned in the first paragraph!
 
What's frustrating is the snobbery associated with this film. Jaws was very different to the novel, The Shining was equally at odds with the original text.

So what if Cruise isn't over 6 foot? It's a good film, can't we judge it as that?

Incidentally, I'm not suggesting this is as good as the classics I mentioned in the first paragraph!

I feel that "snobbery" is a bit off the Mark. We aren't talking about the plot, & we aren't talking about an adaptation of a stand-alone Novel. Here we have THE Central Character of a series of 23 Books whose Build is totally different from Tom Cruise. One of the key points of Reacher in the Novels is that his sheer size intimidates people, & on the other side sometimes provokes characters who fancy they can beat him to take him on. That whole part is gone as soon as you have ANY Actor who isn't built like a Brick .... House playing Reacher.
I enjoyed the first film a lot as it is, but I have to watch it as a Film that happens to use a Similar plot as a Jack Reacher Novel, rather than a Film version of that Novel.
Just my way of watching it; doesn't mean I am right! :)
 
Maybe Dolph Lundgren should have played Jack Reacher would have been more intimidating.
 
I feel that "snobbery" is a bit off the Mark. We aren't talking about the plot, & we aren't talking about an adaptation of a stand-alone Novel. Here we have THE Central Character of a series of 23 Books whose Build is totally different from Tom Cruise. One of the key points of Reacher in the Novels is that his sheer size intimidates people, & on the other side sometimes provokes characters who fancy they can beat him to take him on. That whole part is gone as soon as you have ANY Actor who isn't built like a Brick .... House playing Reacher.
I enjoyed the first film a lot as it is, but I have to watch it as a Film that happens to use a Similar plot as a Jack Reacher Novel, rather than a Film version of that Novel.
Just my way of watching it; doesn't mean I am right! :)
At the time of watching the first film I not read any of the Jack Reacher books and thoroughly enjoyed it and still do after reading a couple of the series, but I'm with you on your point that the character is not fully what in the books. It's a bit like taking Batman out if the comics for the first time and not having a bat costume and only wearing normal clothes and just having a mask over the eyes. You may get the story and action right but not the essence of a major characteristic of the character.
 
I feel that "snobbery" is a bit off the Mark. We aren't talking about the plot, & we aren't talking about an adaptation of a stand-alone Novel. Here we have THE Central Character of a series of 23 Books whose Build is totally different from Tom Cruise. One of the key points of Reacher in the Novels is that his sheer size intimidates people, & on the other side sometimes provokes characters who fancy they can beat him to take him on. That whole part is gone as soon as you have ANY Actor who isn't built like a Brick .... House playing Reacher.
I enjoyed the first film a lot as it is, but I have to watch it as a Film that happens to use a Similar plot as a Jack Reacher Novel, rather than a Film version of that Novel.
Just my way of watching it; doesn't mean I am right! :)

Agreed. And it is not just the build, which plays a defining role in the novels, it is the character himself. Enjoy the film, and I did, enjoy some of the novels, and I did, but they are not the same. If memory serves, the first film is cobbled together from several of the novels.
 
Agreed. And it is not just the build, which plays a defining role in the novels, it is the character himself. Enjoy the film, and I did, enjoy some of the novels, and I did, but they are not the same. If memory serves, the first film is cobbled together from several of the novels.

Memory doesn't serve you well really.

The first film is based on 'One Shot'. What's interesting about the book is that its probably the weakest of all the Reacher books (yes I have read them all). The film is actually better than the book. Unlike Never Go Back where the book is better than the film which isn't great unfortunately.

Look at it another way though - no Cruise would mean this film would never have been made. And Im still struggling to think of an actor who can match up physically to the Reacher of the books but also have everything else - which Cruise did supply to be fair.
 
Memory doesn't serve you well really.

The first film is based on 'One Shot'. What's interesting about the book is that its probably the weakest of all the Reacher books (yes I have read them all). The film is actually better than the book. Unlike Never Go Back where the book is better than the film which isn't great unfortunately.

Look at it another way though - no Cruise would mean this film would never have been made. And Im still struggling to think of an actor who can match up physically to the Reacher of the books but also have everything else - which Cruise did supply to be fair.

Didn't they use three of the novels for the first film? It's not often the film is better than the source material. It can be as good as, but different, but often worse. I saw The Witches Of Eastwick then read the novel; chalk and cheese.

You are right, without Cruise's name and weight it probably would not have got made, and he made a smart move by securing himself a franchise like this: after all, M:I cannot go on forever. The only actor big enough, literally, would be Dwayne Johnson. I'm not sure how big Vin Diesel is but he is off the radar at present. Ralf Möller? Now it's getting silly! I enjoyed the films and am not hung up on the difference between the written and screen characters. Equalizer 2 is coming shortly and I've long since ceased comparing Denzel Washington with Edward Woodward.
 
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