Jack Reacher’s 7 Best Beatdowns, Ranked

Jack Reacher’s 7 Best Beatdowns, Ranked

Tom Cruise called stoicism, and some charisma, to Jack Reacher, even if the film departed from childish liberties of the books.

Without ever resorting to the violence that’s expected of him (thus appealing to those who enjoy a manly clobbering but are put off by the blood and gore), the choreographed action sequences that define the movies are as gripping and memorable as any since the days of Charles Bronson’s Death Wish. But what sets Jack Reacher apart is that he embodies the saintly attributes: the mind of a saint, the body of a Spartan warrior. He excels in conflict resolution in both his personal affairs and his cases.

The films might veer from the novels by casting changes, but the action scenes punch through, and the stories get their happy endings, too.

Both of the Jack Reacher movies have several great action set-pie better than others. The Jack Reacher films are based on the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child; the books are about an enormous (6ft 5in) loner hero, but one of the chief criticisms of the films is that they cast Tom Cruise. His shorter stature and somewhat lighter physicality are significant shifts for the character. All of this was despite the film being rather good drama when taken on alone from the books, and it’s easy to dissociate the two.

Tom Cruise, especially in his portrayal of Jack Reacher’s stoicism and knack for depriving the other guy of conversational space, is very good at illustrating the small man’s capacity for towering presence. He’s not quite as big as the original Jack Reacher, wherever you think that is, but he’s bigger than most action heroes. He commands enough space – his confidence and bearing is bigger than it needs to be – that, in almost every action sequence, it’s his commanding presence that makes various beatdowns from these movies famous.

7 The Garage Brawl

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

Near the halfway point of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, the eponymous character realises that some men are tailing him. Unlike almost any other protagonist in an action thriller, Jack Reacher doesn’t turn to run from his assailants nor does he fire back at them. He simply walks into a typical American garage and nonchalantly has a brief chat with them. As always, he makes sure to tell them ‘you might be making a mistake about me’. The men then ask him ‘How do you want to do it?’ He asks them if they want to take him on ‘one at a time, like a fight’, and even while one pulls out a gun and points it directly at the hero, Reacher remains unperturbed. He knows they can’t kill him.

But when the going does get tough, Reacher doesn’t hold back. He smashes bones and lungs. Finally the men realise who they’ve waded into, and someone draws a gun to shoot him dead. Unarmed, Reacher manages to stay ahead of them all, survivors diving for cover as he pummels or knees them senseless.

6 Reacher & Hunter’s Kitchen Fight

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

After their escape from prison in Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Reacher and Turner are locked in a kitchen by Hunter who informs them that they have nowhere to go. Reacher’s military combat mode is here activated at full throttle and, teaming up with Turner, initially attempts to fell Hunter single-handedly and almost succeeds until Hunter easily overpowers the pair of them.

… the stunt sequence in the film perfectly primes the audience for Reacher’s final climactic showdown with Hunter.

Much to his disappointment, the cops arrive on the crime scene and ask him to stand down before finishing off the victims. There might be a sense that, since Jack Reacher is supposed to be a superhuman character, he shouldn’t be taken down so easily by Hunter, but this sequence sets up the film’s final clash between Reacher and Hunter.

5 Jack Reacher & The Hunter’s Final Fight

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

At the climax of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Hunter has the initiative. She has a gang of goons. She has a gun. She has Reacher at a disadvantage and, with the rescue of Samantha, a weak point. Reacher and Turner fix that, kill all but three of Hunter’s gang, and decide to start walking down the street towards them. Then they mix it up. Now we are into action movie bravura. Hunter thinks she’s got Reacher in a corner. She could easily throw Sam off the roof of Hunter’s house to her death, right? Then Reacher wouldn’t get in her way (and she’d be rid of him once and for all.) But Reacher doesn’t flinch. In the world of the action movie, the only thing he might do is shrug and continue walking down the street. Instead, at the limit of the land, he flicks a paper clip he was holding, so that it unerringly embeds itself in Hunter’s chest.

The moment Sam manages to slip from Hunter’s grip, Reacher impales him off the roof and falls with him to the ground. The two men then fight it out one-on-one. At first Hunter manages to land a few good punches. But Reacher soon teaches him a lesson, crushingly breaking his arm, his neck, his leg and then pushing him off the roof to kill him. It is the short and violent cap to the film’s narrative. The only ‘big’ fight scene.

4 Reacher & Charlie’s Final One-On-One Fistfight

Jack Reacher (2012)

The final arc of Jack Reacher’s first movie brings the hero together with ex-United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Martin Cash (played by J K Simmons) to kill Zek’s henchmen. Then Reacher corners one Zek henchman in particular. After a brief taunting scene, Reacher can’t avail himself of a gun. Instead, he decides to fight this Zek clone hand-to-hand. Despite the fact that he’s so much taller than the thousand-fistciat Zek clone, our hero – Reacher – is far smaller in this movie than in the original character conceived by Lee Child, author of the series of novels featuring his eponymous hero. Thus our hero quite confidently challenges one particular Zek thug to what he calls a ‘square ring’ fistfight, confident that he’ll win.

… Charlie dwarfs Jack Reacher, yet it is still the Tom Cruise character who overpowers him through his superior muscle mass, mission-based zealotry and dedication to justice, and fistfighting skills.

The original Lee Child novels give Jack Reacher few enemies more imposing than himself, but to make Tom Cruise look good, these two movies go to lengths to make the hero seem diminutive among giant thugs. Even in the final fight of the first film, the towering Charlie weighs Jack Reacher down, but Reacher’s Tom Cruise manages victory by pounding him with biceps, ultrajustice, and martial arts.

While the first Jack Reacher movie adapts Lee Child’s One Shot , the second, as its title suggests, is based on the author’s Never Go Back

3 Fight Against Law Enforcers

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

In a typical opening arc of Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Reacher is arrested and subsequently cuffed after he’s framed for a murder. Knowing the only way to get Turner out is to get out of this prison, he knocks off the police officer (the kind who gives him a tour of everything and guides him to his room) and instead arises with an officer uniform. He opens the door to Turner’s cubicle and starts rounding up the hitmen in her cubicle, not wasting any time.

But Turner has felt it too, and she helps him reign in the wildness. Eventually, after consigning the two threats to the grave, he announces to Turner: ‘We kinda came for you to kill you.’ This is not where Reacher is demonstrated performing feats of effortless genius, but it demonstrates that he can fight his way into a situation, and this is in some ways the beginning of his partnership with Turner.

2 The Two-On-One House Showdown

Jack Reacher (2012)

Although most of the fight scenes throughout the Jack Reacher movies are self-important and dreary, this one is partly redeemed by including two ham-fisted bad guys As soon as he gets Jeb’s address from Sandy, Reacher goes to his house to look for fresh leads. But two men track him and try to trap him in the house. Even though they are Zek’s most trusted henchmen, the two wingmen of the piece are bumbling low-lifes incapable of hitting Jack Reacher.

When they finally decide to (attempt to) seize a measure of control, Cruise’s Jack Reacher tersely wades into the attackers to thrash them around like rag dolls. A third man materialises behind Reacher with a weapon pointed at him. However, just before the gunman can pull the trigger, Reacher grabs it away, pries the man’s keys from him, and warns him not to find himself on Reacher’s path again. At least partially due to its infusion of levity, this ranks among the best action sequences of the entire film franchise.

1 The Bar Beatdown

Jack Reacher (2012)

The bar fight in Jack Reacher starts with the titular character thinking about the leads he has collected for the central crime of mass murder. ‘You look like you could use a new friend,’ an intoxicated woman jumps in. Reacher responds by walking away, but the group follows suit. The maneuvre comes across as an attempted smooth-talking into a sexual assault. ‘Me?’ the woman asks repeatedly. As the sequence develops, it becomes clear that Reacher is being set up. The woman then starts complaining that the hero insulted her.

This action scene in

Jack Reacher

The epithet marvellously expresses just how overpowered and hardcore the eponymous character is relative to the common thugs and crooks.

Reacher admonishes them that they would regret it, before they try to take him on. ‘That’s what’s supposed to happen,’ one of the three men tells Reacher, grossly overestimating their chances to overcome the titular character who was working completely on his own. And when gives these three men what they wanted – an even fight – we get to witness one of the most Delightful Action Scenes of all the Jack Reacher novels.

Reacher’s straightforward honesty sets up this confrontation in the best way, as he reminds these three men what they’ve chosen: Yeah, like I said, this is your choice. Next guy: Jeb. Jeb said, this big four-eyes, he said, point right at me didn’t you Jack? Said you wan’t some we wan’ this what we get you.

Touring with a violin will get you robbed. This being Jeb’s choice, he wants to start things off. But as soon as Jeb takes his first swing, Reacher slips behind his back and within moments has knocked the last of breath out of him as the henchmen standing on either side of Jeb are bowled over as well. Then the police arrive. In this scene we get to witness how Reacher is both more overpowered and more badass than any ordinary goon or criminal.