Post New Article

Jack Reacher, American Archetype

Original Article

Posted By: Dreadnought, 2/12/2022 12:46:24 AM

Over the years I’ve managed to read a couple of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels. It’s yet another iteration of the American Story repeated endlessly in American fiction high and low, from Huckleberry Finn to Dashiell Hammett, and from John Wayne to Clint Eastwood: A stranger wanders into town, rights the wrongs, wins the girl, leaves the girl, and continues his wandering. It’s John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, but without the reception in the Celestial City. America from the outset has been caught in a recurring dream (sometimes a nightmare) of a journey that cannot end but only begin again.

Post Reply

Reply 1 - Posted by: clipped wings 2/12/2022 12:53:53 AM (No. 1069483)
The Reacher series is worth reading
22 people like this.

Reply 2 - Posted by: sanspeur 2/12/2022 1:26:13 AM (No. 1069485)
the tv series only hints at the melancholy introspection Jack revellals in the books .The casting is all wrong , the female character has more charisma and depth than the too heavy , football player actor , Jack possesses . As for the American journey no one better revealed it than Toqueville . The country was founded upon religious quests and might very well be destroyed by religious fanatics who worship death , pure power or mannon . Not an American journey but the crushing of our communal experience i to tribal selfishness ..
7 people like this.

Reply 3 - Posted by: jdh 2/12/2022 1:41:01 AM (No. 1069487)
People! Get real! It's a TV show. It's fiction. If it overwhelms you, turn to a cooking channel.
19 people like this.

Reply 4 - Posted by: Zeek Wolfe 2/12/2022 1:49:42 AM (No. 1069490)
Want to learn about America? No need for blood and gore, the seeming unending Chinatown of modern politics. Settle into any novel by Willa Cather but end with her My Antonia.
6 people like this.

Reply 5 - Posted by: EJKrausJr 2/12/2022 2:15:37 AM (No. 1069498)
The Reacher Books are good. The current Reacher episodes on Amazon Prime are good, better than the Tom Cruise films. When the modern day lefties prefer the bad guy rules the world, there's nothing wrong with the good guy saves the day. Reacher is that guy. The left hates Reacher.
33 people like this.

Reply 6 - Posted by: Rob_NC 2/12/2022 2:31:48 AM (No. 1069502)
I throughly enjoyed the books and movies..and will continue to follow...and that is the American way...it's my pursuit of happiness...
19 people like this.

Reply 7 - Posted by: FJB 2/12/2022 3:22:29 AM (No. 1069513)
Incredibly, we watch the first two episodes of the new series last night. That, plus reading this article and these posts reminds these Toby Keith lyrics: Oh, justice will be served And the battle will rage This big dog will fight When you rattle his cage And you'll be sorry that you messed with The U.S. of A 'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass It's the American way Too bad a Reacher movie can't feature Jack beating the bejesus out of China Joe, George Soros, and the Deep-State Crime syndicate while we still have America!
29 people like this.

Reply 8 - Posted by: Trigger2 2/12/2022 3:42:45 AM (No. 1069519)
I quit reading the Reacher books when the author designated Tom Cruise for the movie. The book puts Reacher as well over 6 feet, big hands, big body, while Cruise is merely a wimp. You can't read the book without envisioning a wimp.
9 people like this.

Reply 9 - Posted by: udanja99 2/12/2022 7:36:24 AM (No. 1069617)
#8, Cruise bought the film rights and cast himself in the role. You should go back to reading them again - they never disappoint. But I agree with you on Cruise being the absolute worst person to play Reacher, being only about 5’8” to Reacher’s 6’5”, blond hair and icy blue eyes. I’ve always thought that, in his younger years, the best person to play Reacher would have been Nick Nolte. I’ve read every single book, usually in a matter of hours because I can’t put them down. And I have re-read some of them. They are the best escape entertainment ever. But I didn’t need all of the philosophical mambo-jumbo in this article to tell me that Reacher is an American archetype, at least of the kind we used to have.
26 people like this.

Reply 10 - Posted by: Hugh Akston 2/12/2022 7:56:03 AM (No. 1069636)
I, too, have read them all. Or I will by tonight when I finish the latest book. Alan Ritchson in the series - watched all 8 episodes - completely washes the image of Tom Cruise out of your mind. At least he fits one's image of Reacher. He read all the books before filming started to get the character. And season 1 follows book 1 fairly well.
18 people like this.

Reply 11 - Posted by: CivilServant 2/12/2022 8:14:42 AM (No. 1069658)
Sadly, Jack Reacher died. He died the day that Lee Chiilds, in an interview stated that his character, JR would vote for Barack Odestroyer. Liberalism delenda est.
11 people like this.

Reply 12 - Posted by: G-Tom 2/12/2022 8:54:52 AM (No. 1069706)
BULL CRAP! Reacher Would NEVER vote for for that KOMMIE wuuss. Clint WALKER WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT
13 people like this.

Reply 13 - Posted by: Yuban 2/12/2022 9:08:51 AM (No. 1069713)
Sorry, but I stick to real life and don't mix entertainment with reality. I enjoy a good book or a good movie for what it is , entertainment. In real life there is no Jack Reacher. There is just you and me and we are failing in real life. Until we come back to reality, we will continue to decline as a Nation. Don't look to fiction action figures or the corrupt Government to save the day. It is up to you and me, not Jack Reacher.
11 people like this.

Reply 14 - Posted by: cor-vet 2/12/2022 9:26:14 AM (No. 1069735)
A tedious article. Jack Reacher, the Amazon Prime Jack Reacher, like the Man with No Name or the Pale Rider, are just momentary escapism. It's great entertainment and a temporary respite from the daily foibles of the present administration. It's nothing more than that.
9 people like this.

Reply 15 - Posted by: davew 2/12/2022 9:29:50 AM (No. 1069741)
Like a lot of people, I have always enjoyed what I call "revenge porn". Jack Reacher, John Wick, Jason Bourne, Dexter Morgan, Joe (Fistful of Dollars), Dirty Harry, Paul Kersey (Death Wish) etc. Even Batman and similar superheroes fall into this category. What is attractive is the clarity of their will and the unambiguous finality of their actions. There is no doubt that they are in the right and that ultimate justice has been served. The problem is that the real world is full of people who have their own distorted and biased ideas about who are the victims and who are the evil ones. As humans we make selfish mistakes, like Dexter Morgan did, to satisfy our own self-interests an in doing so become what we wish to avenge. The line from "Unforgiven" fits. When Will Munny (Clint Eastwood) is asked if the men he killed in cold blood "deserved it?" he replied, "We all deserve it".
9 people like this.

Reply 16 - Posted by: doublesharp 2/12/2022 11:07:30 AM (No. 1069889)
Matt Dillon was the original Reacher
4 people like this.

Reply 17 - Posted by: MindMadeUp 2/12/2022 11:20:59 AM (No. 1069904)
The situation in the small town Reacher enters is a good metaphor for our current situation nationwide with violent criminal cartels from outside the country controlling corrupt private citizens and government officials while buying the support of common people by pretending to operate for their welfare and tossing them crumbs. In the show, the only possible solution in the face of such ingrained corruption is to kill them all...
10 people like this.

Reply 18 - Posted by: Catherine 2/12/2022 2:11:25 PM (No. 1070042)
I've read almost all the Reacher books and enjoyed them. The actor in the series looks like a giant Patric Swayze. The series was okay. The acting a bit wooden but still entertaining. The books go into Reachers mind and we understand many of the things he does. At times during the series, he just looked like a bully. But I can see it getting better over time, at least I hope they keep producing them.
1 person likes this.

Reply 19 - Posted by: MickTurn 2/12/2022 3:14:54 PM (No. 1070102)
The videos are pretty good, he beats the Nasty out of lots of people...You Tube has them, haven't found them elsewhere except Amazon Video.
1 person likes this.

Reply 20 - Posted by: watashiyo 2/12/2022 10:43:31 PM (No. 1070352)
I enjoyed DIRTY HARRY, Lt. Callaghan. I think he retired and lives in Okinawa.
0 people like this.

Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "Dreadnought"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by Dreadnought"
Key US-Canada bridge reopens after police
clear protesters
4 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/14/2022 12:51:20 AM Post Reply
Windsor, Ontario — The busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing reopened late Sunday after protests against COVID-19 restrictions closed it for almost a week, while Canadian officials held back from a crackdown on a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa. Detroit International Bridge Co. said in a statement that “the Ambassador Bridge is now fully open allowing the free flow of commerce between the Canada and US economies once again.” Esther Jentzen, spokeswoman for the company, said in a later text to The Associated Press that the bridge reopened to traffic at 11 p.m. EST. The crossing normally carries 25% of all trade between the two countries,
Ivan Reitman, ‘Ghostbusters’ Director,
Dies at 75
4 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/13/2022 11:20:10 PM Post Reply
Producer-director Ivan Reitman, whose wildly successful comedies of the ‘70s and ‘80s included the blockbuster spookfest “Ghostbusters,” died in his sleep on Feb. 12, his family confirmed to the Associated Press. He was 75. The cause of death was not released. “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” his children, director Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said via a joint statement. “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams Declares
War on Drill Rap
20 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/12/2022 10:07:48 AM Post Reply
There’s a vibrant, exciting music scene happening in New York City — and newly elected mayor Eric Adams isn’t happy about it. In remarks to members of the press Friday, Adams expressed concerns about drill rap, the musical subgenre that has flourished in his home borough of Brooklyn over the past half-decade. He characterized the music as “alarming,” linking it to gun violence, and appeared to put further blame on social media companies. “We pulled Trump off Twitter,” Adams said. “Yet we are allowing music, displaying of guns, violence.
Jack Reacher, American Archetype 20 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/12/2022 12:46:24 AM Post Reply
Over the years I’ve managed to read a couple of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels. It’s yet another iteration of the American Story repeated endlessly in American fiction high and low, from Huckleberry Finn to Dashiell Hammett, and from John Wayne to Clint Eastwood: A stranger wanders into town, rights the wrongs, wins the girl, leaves the girl, and continues his wandering. It’s John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, but without the reception in the Celestial City. America from the outset has been caught in a recurring dream (sometimes a nightmare) of a journey that cannot end but only begin again.
Masks off? Democrats try for a pandemic pivot 16 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/10/2022 11:13:53 PM Post Reply
Democrats are making a U-turn on mask mandates, just in time for the midterms. It’s happening among the party’s governors, several of whom are easing up their masking rules as Covid’s Omicron wave fades. And it’s happening on the Hill, where Democrats are suddenly lining up to call for rollbacks of the nation’s most noticeable pandemic-era rule. Their pandemic pivot comes as they brace for a brutal November election in which the virus — and the culture war that’s accompanied it — is shaping up to be Democrats’ biggest blind spot.
How the GOP got out ahead of inflation
as a potent political issue (and why Dems
are panicking)
8 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/10/2022 11:03:08 PM Post Reply
The NY Times just published a story about how Republicans got out ahead of Democrats on the inflation issue. The story credits Rep. Elise Stefanik for noticing last year that prices were creeping up at the grocery store. Back when economists were still promising inflation would be transitory, Stefanik thought this could become a big issue for the GOP. Early last year, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, who was then campaigning to become the No. 3 Republican in the House, began to notice that the prices of fruit, bacon, milk and eggs were creeping up.
Polling gets Democrats to finally begin
their COVID retreat
5 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/10/2022 10:56:37 PM Post Reply
Since early days, Democrats have pushed increasingly onerous regulations in response to the Wuhan coronavirus. Lockdowns — which the World Health Organization disavows except in very narrow, short-term circumstances and which are unsupported by science — have dragged on and on. Teachers unions kept schools closed month after month in blue states, and even children as young as 2 are being forced to mask despite no scientific support for doing so. Indeed, masking has become a political statement, to the point that Democrats routinely report wearing masks outdoors
Oh my: Biden job approval falls below
40% in RCP aggregate
21 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/9/2022 10:35:07 PM Post Reply
Here’s a question for alert readers: when was the last RCP-tracked poll that put Joe Biden’s job-approval deficit in single digits? Contemplate that for a moment before I answer it, especially in light of today’s numbers. Byron York noticed that Biden’s floor is now officially below 40%: That 15-point gap didn’t come out of nowhere. The last national poll tracked by RCP with a single-digit gap in Biden’s job approval came last week from the Economist/YouGov tracking poll (45/49). If that was the good news, relatively speaking, the bad news is that the same tracking poll
White House Says It Never Planned to Fund
Distribution of Crack Pipes
41 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/9/2022 10:26:06 PM Post Reply
So, it looks like the White House is doing damage control on CrackPipeGate. After The Washington Free Beacon published a report on a grant being offered by the Department of Health and Human Services that would fund, in part, the distribution of crack pipes to “underserved” communities, the Biden administration faced outrage coming from conservatives and others. Even Snopes tried to come to the White House’s rescue. The Free Beacon reported: The $30 million grant program, which closed applications Monday
Poll: Joe Biden Job Approval Rating Crashes
to 38 Percent
15 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/8/2022 11:01:24 PM Post Reply
The freefall of President Joe Biden’s job approval rating continued this week, dropping to 38 percent over the past month. Surveying 1,355 adults between February 2-4, the IBD/TIPP poll found the president’s job approval rating stood at 38 percent with a disapproval rating of 48 percent of adults, with another 14 percent undecided. The presidential leadership index, which tracks how the president is “viewed when it comes to leading the country,” put the president’s approval at 44.4 percent.
White House Defends Rights of Canadian
Trucker Protesters As Justin Trudeau Smears
Freedom Convoy
10 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/8/2022 10:38:51 PM Post Reply
The White House on Tuesday backed the right of Canadian truckers to protest Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the overbearing coronavirus restrictions and vaccine mandates. “We of course support as you know the right to freedom of speech and protest,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during the daily briefing on Tuesday. “Everyone can peacefully protest, we fully support that,” she added. The White House response differs from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who smeared Freedom Convoy protestors as a “fringe minority” with “unacceptable views” and described them as racist.
Tow truck companies unwilling to help
police dismantle convoys, officials say
21 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 2/8/2022 10:32:15 PM Post Reply
Tow truck companies are unwilling to help police haul away the vehicles that have blocked border crossings in Coutts, Alta., and gridlocked Ottawa’s downtown core, according to officials in both jurisdictions. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki told reporters during a briefing about the blockade that had formed near the Canada-U.S. border near Coutts that the towing companies fear for their livelihood if they get involved.
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Oldest half-time show ever! Dr. Dre, Mary
J Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent
- who have a combined age of 286 and $983m
between them - play VERY old school set
for Super Bowl's first ever hip-hop show
34 replies
Posted by Imright 2/13/2022 9:22:50 PM Post Reply
The Super Bowl half time show was for the first time a celebration of West Coast hip hop, with veteran rappers and performers thrilling with their classic hits. Los Angeles-born Dr Dre opened the show, and was supported by his fellow Angelenos Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar.The Californian trio were accompanied by Mary J. Blige, Eminem and 50 Cent. The six have a combined age of 286, making this year's Super Bowl show one of the 'oldest' - and yet also one of the best received. They also have a combined wealth of $983 million
'Gender equity': Hillary Clinton to receive
Forbes Lifetime Achievement Award
34 replies
Posted by Imright 2/13/2022 3:51:29 PM Post Reply
Hillary Clinton will receive the Forbes International Women’s Day Lifetime Achievement Award at the March inaugural "Forbes 30/50 Summit" in Abu Dhabi, Mika Brzezinski announced Tuesday on Morning Joe. The award is in recognition of Clinton's "leadership and influential voice on the global stage in advancing the cause of women and fighting for gender equity.""I am thrilled to announce former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will headline the next month's 30/50 summit in Abu Dhabi," said Brzezinski. "I will interview Secretary Clinton as she receives the Forbes International Women's Day Lifetime Achievement Award."
'If we flip Texas, we flip the country':
AOC says it's inevitable the Lone Star
State will turn blue as she campaigns
for two Democrat candidates in the 2022 midterms
34 replies
Posted by Imright 2/13/2022 3:44:41 PM Post Reply
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hit the campaign trail in Texas this weekend where she told the crowd that the Lone Star State flipping blue is 'inevitable' while endorsing two Democratic candidates there.'Texas turning blue. Inevitable. Inevitable! It will happen. The only question is when,' the New York progressive representative said on Saturday. 'We are going to fight for a living wage. We're going to make sure we unionize the hell out of this state,' she continued,
Prince Harry's bombshell book will 'shake
the monarchy to the core' and lay bare
feelings towards Camilla... as he STILL
hasn't publicly congratulated his stepmother
on being next Queen
34 replies
Posted by zephyrgirl 2/13/2022 11:54:21 AM Post Reply
Friends of Prince Harry have warned his no-holds barred book will lay bare his true feelings towards his step-mother Camilla and is likely to 'shake the monarchy to its core'. The Duke of Sussex, 37, is set to publicly spill all on his relationship with his estranged family in an explosive £14.7million ($20million) memoir due to be published later this year. The Royal Family has been left deeply concerned by Harry's decision to secretly collaborate with Pulitzer-winning ghostwriter JR Moehringer on what his publishers described as 'the definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him'.
Clinton campaign paid tech workers to
dig up Trump-Russia connections: Report
27 replies
Posted by GustoGrabber 2/13/2022 3:35:04 AM Post Reply
Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign paid an internet company to “infiltrate” servers at Trump Tower and the White House in order to link Donald Trump to Russia, a bombshell new legal filing alleges. The Friday filing from a Department of Justice prosecutor tasked with investigating the origins of the FBI’s Russian probe served to throw cold water on Democrats’ longstanding allegations of collusion. Special Counsel John Durham filed a motion related to potential conflicts of interests in connection with the case of Clinton campaign lawyer Michael Sussmann, who is charged with lying to the feds
Questions Being Raised About the Severe
Head Trauma in Bob Saget's Death
25 replies
Posted by AmericaFirstAlways 2/13/2022 7:33:28 AM Post Reply
Bob Saget’s death in January was a very tragic thing, especially for someone who was still relatively young, was beloved by so many people, and who had contributed so much to the entertainment industry. But now, there are folks raising questions about the serious head trauma he suffered. His death was attributed to head trauma in an autopsy report released on Thursday, and it was assessed to be an accident, i.e. maybe he fell and then went to sleep, and then died. Now, the description of the head trauma is much more extensive than initially suggested, according to the NY Times.
Durham makes allegations that make Watergate
look like small potatoes
24 replies
Posted by Magnante 2/13/2022 3:26:50 AM Post Reply
On Friday, Special Counsel John Durham filed with the D.C. Federal District Court a what should have been a boring conflict of interest motion, but it hid a surprise: The Clinton campaign, through Perkins Coie, spied on Trump both before and after he was president. (snip) Durham alleges that Joffe was accessing internet traffic for “a particular healthcare provider” (speculated to be Spectrum Health), Trump Tower, Donald Trumps Central Park West apartment building, and “the Executive Office of the President of the United States (‘EOP’).”
Biden says NFL hiring more black head
coaches a question of ‘generic decency’
23 replies
Posted by Ribicon 2/13/2022 6:07:24 PM Post Reply
The NFL’s dismal number of black head coaches shows a lack of “generic decency” from a league that hasn’t kept its promises, President Biden said in an interview airing Super Bowl Sunday. “They haven’t lived up to what they committed to and lived up to being open about hiring more minorities to run teams,” Biden told NBC News, referencing the football league’s purported commitments to diversifying leadership. “The whole idea that a league that is made up of so many athletes of color as well as so diverse, that there’s not enough African American qualified coaches to manage these NFL teams, it just seems to me that it’s a standard
Flashback: Top Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett
Refuses to Answer if Obama Directed the
Criminal Spying on Trump (Video)
23 replies
Posted by Imright 2/13/2022 12:06:08 PM Post Reply
The Durham investigators uncovered evidence that shows Hillary Clinton’s team paid operatives to “infiltrate” the Trump Tower and then President Trump’s White House servers to link Trump to Russia.On Saturday it was reported at FOX News and on Twitter: (Tweet) The Durham team found evidence lawyers paid tech specialists, including university personnel to infiltrate Trump servers. This is not surprising. TGP reported on this in April 2019 based on our expert review.Back in 2019, The Gateway Pundit reported — A review of the data pertaining to the accusations in the phony Steele dossier about a Trump-Russia Bank connection
'Leading Scientists' Warn New COVID Variants
Could Cause 'Far Higher Number of Deaths'
22 replies
Posted by ladydawgfan 2/13/2022 11:14:08 PM Post Reply
In this episode of “The Neverending Story: COVID-Style”… “Shockingly,” as fears of the rational among us continue to subside over the yuugely-overhyped Omicron variant — not that we were all that fearful in the first place — “leading UK scientists” are now warning that new COVID strains could be “much more dangerous and cause far higher numbers of deaths and cases of serious illness than Omicron.” Joe Biden was last seen furiously nodding in agreement. Yep, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares to lift the final COVID restrictions in England, next week, as reported by The Guardian, “leading UK scientists” are (no doubt frantically) once again ringing the never-ending COVID alarm bells
Watch: ‘Why Is He Here’: The Rock
Gets Mocked After Cringe Worthy Super
Bowl Open
21 replies
Posted by Imright 2/13/2022 10:13:51 PM Post Reply
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson decided to take the field before Super Bowl LVI to fire up the crowd for the game. It did not have its intended effect. Moments before the Rams and Bengals got set to do battle a cranberry-clad Dwayne Johnson appeared with a microphone and proceeded to let fly with a dozen different cliche big game event opening lines.(Tweet/Video) Twitter did not take kindly to “The Rock’s” best Bruce Buffer impersonation. (Tweets.....)
Super Bowl Sewer: Halftime Show Features
Snoop Dogg – Who Fired Gun at Trump’s
Head in Video, Called Black Conservatives
“Coon Bunch,” Promoted Pot His Entire Career
21 replies
Posted by Imright 2/13/2022 7:06:14 PM Post Reply
Rapper, Snoop Dogg produced a rap video ‘BadBadNotGood’ back in 2017.Imagine if an ‘entertainer’ made a video like this about Obama? The outcry would be heard around the world and the Secret Service would have investigated. He depicts President Trump as a clown smoking a joint and ends up pointing a gun at his head. When he shoots the gun, a flash fires at Trump’s head and a ‘BANG’ flag pops out.Snoop Dogg has rapped about drugs and sexually abusing women for decades yet he depicts President Trump as a pot-smoking clown. FYI, Donald Trump doesn’t even drink alcohol…
Post New Article