My favorite kill from the books has yet to make it into Amazon’s Reacher, but I hope season 4 finally makes good on it. The title character in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books is a 6-foot-5, hulking brute with muscles on top of muscles. For that reason, Tom Cruise’s casting as Reacher for the 2012 movie felt off.
His successor Alan Ritchson has proven perfect in the role, and will return for both the fourth series and the upcoming spinoff Neagley. The first Jack Reacher movie adapted the novel One Shot, though it had to streamline the plot and drop some passages. For the sake of credulity, it also cut an incredible death sequence.
I’m Still Waiting For Reacher To Bear Hug Somebody To Death
Both fans of the novels and show will know Jack is a very logical man, and when he has to attack somebody, he thinks through all his options. In One Shot, there comes a point when the former military police officer is stealthing his way into the lair of the villains, and has to get past two henchmen.
Needing to keep things quiet, Reacher stabs one in the neck before wrapping his arms around the other, named Vladimir. Jack lifts the equally strong Russian off the ground and begins to squeeze with all his might. Not only does this leave Vlad unable to fight back, it forces the oxygen from his lungs so he can’t yell for help.
So in essence, One Shot sees Reacher bear-hugging a man to death. It’s the kind of chapter only Lee Child could dream up, and it’s one of my favorite creative deaths in the series. Of course, it’s nowhere to be found in the 2012 film.
Why Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher Didn’t Use This OTT Death
While responding to fan complaints about Cruise’s casting at the time, Childs claimed there were simply no movie stars built like Jack Reacher in the books. That’s why they made the choice to approach a star who could convey Jack’s intelligence and intensity instead.
A logical approach, but it also meant dialing back on Reacher’s larger-than-life shenagians and feats of strength. It’s a good thing the film didn’t recreate the bear hug death, because the sight of Cruise crushing a huge Russian man to death with a hug would have been laughed off the screen.
I Hope Reacher Season 4 Will Finally Deliver On This Kill
A veiled reference to the events of One Shot during Reacher season 2 suggests Prime’s adaptation won’t readapt the 2005 book. This is smart, ultimately, as it would only invite comparisons between Cruise and Ritchson that don’t need to be made.
However, it also leaves One Shot’s bear hug kill up for grabs. I’d hoped to see it turn up in previous seasons, but alas, Reacher isn’t much of a hugger. That said, I hold out hope that season 4 (which adapts the book Gone Tomorrow) will make good on it.
In general, Reacher has done a nice job balancing the more grounded, procedural side of the franchise with the character’s more outlandish feats. This includes the entire Paulie fight from the season 3 finale, so if they could sell a scene that wild, the bear hug death is a must.
I’ve Waited 3 Seasons For Amazon’s Reacher To Deliver On The Franchise’s Most Outrageous Kill
