As a fan of the books the earlier Tom Cruise versions are way off the mark. The character in the Reacher book series is almost cartoonish in his size, brutal fighting skill, strange food habits, lack of regard for clothing norms, and hobo lifestyle. Choosing Cruise as the actor for this character was way wrong. He is nothing like the character in the book.
On the other hand the actor used in the Prime series (Alan Ritchson) is built like a tank, brutally decimates anyone stupid enough to get in a fight with him, has the same eating habits as the book character, does the same throw away clothes thing and has the same drifter hobo lifestyle.
As I've read the books I have often tried to imagine which actor could capture the Reacher character. Maybe Schwarzenegger in his earlier days except for the accent, maybe Dolph Lundgren. Beyond them I can't think of anyone who could do this character justice.
The books are pure escapist fantasy and I read them with the knowledge that is all they are and expect nothing more than that from them. A quick fun read.
Anyway, as a fan of the books I doubt Hollywood or TV can come any closer to the spirit of the books or the Reacher character than this version.
If you've followed the books watch this version and skip the Cruise version completely. It may not be 100% perfect but its probably as close as we're going to get.
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