Jack Reacher, American Archetype
PJ Media,
by
David P. Goldman
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.
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.
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