# Jack Reacher vs Ethan Hunt **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 25, 2012, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057 "2012-11-25T12:36:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/21 "2012-11-28T03:36:17Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Travis McGee! Word. šŸ†’ ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/22 "2012-11-28T07:26:19Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Thereā€™s an entire [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=653875&highlight=jack+reacher) of outrage that I started quite some time ago. Well, the outrage is mostly mine, as people defend the choice of Cruise because heā€™s good box office. Apparently the author has no problem with it either, the whore. Reacher would twist off Huntā€™s tiny little head, stuff it down a cannon barrel, and launch it up Huntā€™s own ass. Lee Child has written a lot of engrossing books, but I bet heā€™ll make more off a successful Tom Cruise movie than he did off his first dozen books combined. I look at it as an overdue payday for Childā€™s body of work. Theyā€™re gonna fuck up the Reacher movie, you know theyā€™d find a way even if they hired a suitable actor. Look at the trailers: The clothes, the car - theyā€™ve already screwed the pooch even without Cruise. Iā€™m just hoping for an entertaining action flick at this point. Hell, maybe theyā€™ll hire an all little-person cast so he looks huge. Iā€™m personally looking forward to Shia Labeouf being cast in the inevitable Harry Dresden movie. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/23 "2012-11-28T14:35:15Z")
I really donā€™t get all the Reacher love. I read the first two books, forcing my way through the second. I think it took about 10 minutes total. The only characters more uninteresting than Reacher were his antagonists (which, for the second book, were the same characters from the first with different names). Iā€™m going with Hunt in anything other than a brawl, but donā€™t discount a well-trained small man over a trained big man. Partly because I am a Mission: Impossible fan from way-back-when. Partly because Iā€™ll always pick brains over brawn. If Labeouf is Dresden, who gets to be Murphy? Thomas? Personally, I thought Bob was the best adaptation of the short-lived series (which was good in that it got me to read all the books). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/24 "2012-11-28T14:55:55Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Iā€™m going with Hunt in anything other than a brawl, but donā€™t discount a well-trained small man over a trained big man. Partly because I am a Mission: Impossible fan from way-back-when. What, back when they brought Willy Armitage along to beat the hell out of people? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/25 "2012-11-28T20:03:05Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > What, back when they brought Willy Armitage along to beat the hell out of people? šŸ˜‰ Basicallyā€¦Jack Reacher. šŸ†’ ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/26 "2012-11-29T00:29:44Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > If Labeouf is Dresden, who gets to be Murphy? Thomas? Personally, I thought Bob was the best adaptation of the short-lived series (which was good in that it got me to read all the books). They did a great job with Bob. As for the other questions, well, Iā€™ve just eaten, and just the idea of Lebeouf as Dresden makes me nauseous. I couldnā€™t possibly flesh out a suitable cast to surround him at this time and also keep my dinner down. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/27 "2012-11-29T00:49:31Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Nitpick:Economy size is usually a larger size package that costs less per measure. > > Cruise is more like travel size. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/28 "2012-11-29T00:51:42Z")
The question, asked here rhetorically a few times, ā€œWhose bright idea was it to cast Tom Cruise?ā€ misses the point. Tom Cruise bought the rights to _One Shot_ because he wanted to play Reacher. And as has been mentioned, Child had no problem with selling the rights to Cruise. I will see the movie soon after it opens. Iā€™ll probably hate it, but Iā€™ll see it. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/29 "2012-11-29T21:13:12Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I really donā€™t get all the Reacher love. I read the firsqt two books, forcing my way through the second. I think it took about 10 minutes total. The only characters more uninteresting than Reacher were his antagonists (which, for the second book, were the same characters from the first with different names). > > Iā€™m going with Hunt in anything other than a brawl, but donā€™t discount a well-trained small man over a trained big man. Partly because I am a Mission: Impossible fan from way-back-when. Partly because Iā€™ll always pick brains over brawn. > If Labeouf is Dresden, who gets to be Murphy? Thomas? Personally, I thought Bob was the best adaptation of the short-lived series (which was good in that it got me to read all the books). I donā€™t think you could describe Reacher as mere brawn . One of the parts I look forward to in the books is where he provides an almost Holmesian analysis of the situation . When he fights, he usually provides an outline of his tactics. Itā€™s not just random violence. So Iā€™d back Reacher ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/30 "2013-01-09T21:50:22Z")
Purely based on the Reacher movie, both are intelligent, analytical, cunning. Both are skilled at fighting. Both are good marksmen. Not sure who would be the best in long distance shooting. Both seem capable of solving puzzles, but Reacher seems quicker on the uptake. Hunt seems to have to find more information, and gets surpised quite often by the inside man. Pure physical fight is unclear. If it were novel Reacher, that would be clear cut, but with movie Reacher size is not in the equation, so itā€™s just some loose evaluation of their abilities. Reacher fared better in his confrontations than Hunt, but he was fighting much less capable opponents. The one trained opponent he takes on is a hard fight. Meh, Iā€™ll let people who care finish the evaluation. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057/31 "2013-01-09T22:31:53Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Purely based on the Reacher movie, both are intelligent, analytical, cunning. Both are skilled at fighting. Both are good marksmen. > > Not sure who would be the best in long distance shooting. From Wikipedia(because I couldnā€™t remember it exactly: > [@](#): > > [Reacher is] the only non-Marine to win the Marine Corps 1000 Yard Invitational rifle competition, he also won the US Army Pistol Championship and served as a pistol instructor. But thatā€™s from the books, of course. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jack-reacher-vs-ethan-hunt/642057.md?page=1)