Honestly, I find Tom Cruise miscast in just about anything where he's not playing a high school student,but casting him as Jack Reacher is egregiously wrong. Lee Child must have really needed the money to go along with this Hall of Fame of Stupid decision.

Cruise wouldn't have been my first choice either but I didn't think he did a particularly
bad
job. There are many instances where I felt like the lead character was miscast but the actor still managed to do a decent job. Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, Johnny Depp in Donnie Brasco are some examples.

little tommy bought the movie rights.
I'm sure it's a sale Lee Child wishes he could take back.

jack Reacher in the Lee child books is a huge fearsome man , that is the whole point of the character , to give the role to little Tommy Cruise was as the op suggests the miscast of all time . I think it had something to do with little Tommy financing the movie . Lee Child must have been mad to agree to Cruise playing the lead role .

Here's another one - Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone even though Stone in the book is meant to be about 30 years younger than Stone in the movies.
I've read a few of the Jack Reacher books and Tom Cruise as Reaher didn't bother me at all.

People complain because TC wasn't tall enough for the character. But I thought people hated clichs these days.
You want to play the game, you'd better know the rules, love.
-Harry Callahan

There really should be a poll regarding Jack Reacher. There are a ton a people that never heard of the book character and only knew about Jack Reacher because it was a Tom Cruise flick.
Same goes for Katniss. What's her face doesn't remotely sound like the Katniss in the book but she's doing a hell of a job in the movie, even though I can't remember her name right now and I'm too lazy to look it up. Jennifer something., LOL.
_
Every person that served can be called a veteran, but not every veteran can be called a Marine.

It's more to Reacher being big and brute than just being tough.

You really think big equates to tough? You watch much martial arts? You ever watch Samurai movies? Ever hear of Zatoichi? Size is good for
absorbing
punishment, but reflex & speed count for doling out punishment. I think Cruise did a fine job. He always has the right attitude which is what counts most on-screen. BTW, Bruce Lee was the same height as TC.

You are so right, this idiot ruined Reacher.

This.
A thousand times this.

Tom Cruise
Height 5ft 7in
Weight 166 lb (76 kg)
A nose that only his mother could love.
Jack Reacher
Height 6ft 5in., a full 10" taller
Weight 220-250lbs (~ 110kg), up to 50% heavier
Physically intimidating, perfect nose and teeth as a badge of honour for never being physically bested.
Reacher from the books needs to be re characterised/re written for Cruise. Who is physically intimidated by a bloke who is 5' 7" until AFTER he demonstrates a capacity for violence? It is inevitable that other characters and the audience would perceive him differently and behave differently towards him. The different relationship between the characters requires the stories to be altered by necessity because the motivations and interactions of other characters to Reacher in numerous situations cannot be the same.
IMO it is not about Cruise's abilities, likeability or performance. His casting requires the character of Reacher to be reimagined. This doesn't mean that they can't make decent movies with Cruise, but he is physically incapable of playing the role as written in the books. This is simply disrespectful to established fans of the novels and no attempted rationalisation can overcome this. Instead of BS spin, Cruise and the studio should just acknowledge this and say "we like Cruise for his physicality and we will do our level best to tell the story of Reacher with integrity, and to best honour the established fans of the books".
If the series is successful, they will need a "young Reacher" for some of the stories.
An intelligent studio/producer/rights holder would start an online competition or viewer poll to engage the fan base.

I've tried on many posts, but you've given the best description of Cruise's part in this movie.
Fighting a religious war is like fighting over whose imaginary friend is better.

I think Child, being originally an advertising person, could see the attention that Cruise's attachment to the film would bring, and so help him as well. I've also read Child's rationalisations of his approval of Cruise [90% of the size, 100% of the character, etc] which besides being inaccurate, as Cruise is perhaps 75% of Reacher's size, are just rationalisations. Cruise brought the options as a vehicle for himself bad call. A bit like him turning down 'Salt' to do 'Day and Knight.'
One of the things that Cruice can't deliver is the hard personal qualities of Reacher, who shows merciless attitiude to those that piss him off [or hurt women]. He just doesn't have the nonchalant-yet-cruel demeanour tro deliver it in the tough guy role, however he can act it other contexts, such as in Collateral, where size and physical toughness were not givens.

If you have read the series, there is one thing that is constantly mentioned, and that is his size. So having a small man like Cruise playing him is ridiculous.
Lee Child said Reacher has three defining characteristics: his intelligence, his determination and his size. Finding an actor who could successfully convey the first two whilst retaining the character's physical build was practically impossible, so Child and the producers agreed early on that Reacher's size was not a deal-breaker for the film(s).

If you have read the series, there is one thing that is constantly mentioned, and that is his size. So having a small man like Cruise playing him is ridiculous.

I agree totally, he was.
He played a great role in this film. I had not even heard of the film, It just came on by chance on sky, I have to admit i was hooked on it, and tom cruise was bloody great.
I loved the cast I mean what else do you want!!!!?

There is more to Reacher than his size, if you want to see a 6'5 brute hammering thugs go watch any generic 80s action film. Cruise was great in the role.

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How about somebody taller and more believable as an ass kicker? Countless other actors could've fit the mold better
GMG Man

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agreed I cant see him in anything without thinking of Medea

spacey in The Shipping News
his IBM scene is beyond embarrassing

Agree with jdavisii. Tyler Perry's Alex Cross was horrible.
Movies vs. MiniSeries. That.