In an innocent heartland city, five are shot dead by an expert sniper. The police quickly identify and arrest the culprit, and build a slam-dunk case. But the accused man claims he's innocent and says "Get Jack Reacher." Reacher himself sees the news report and turns up in the city. The defense is immensely relieved, but Reacher has come to bury the guy. Shocked at the accused's request, Reacher sets out to confirm for himself the absolute certainty of the man's guilt, but comes up with more than he bargained for.
Trivia:
Hayley Atwell, Brit Marling and Alexa Davalos tested for the role of Helen Rodin.
Originally titled "One Shot", based on Lee Child's novel of the same name.
The teaser trailer debuted on Tom Cruise's 50th birthday.
The character Jack Reacher from Lee Child's book series is described as 6'5" tall and weighing between 210 and 250 pounds (Tom Cruise is 5'7" tall).
Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman, Vince Vaughn, Jamie Foxx and Will Smith were considered for the role of Jack Reacher before Tom Cruise was cast.
Tom Cruise did all of his own stunt driving.
The film was scheduled to be released on December 21, 2012, with its US premiere gala, scheduled for December 15. Originally planned at Pittsburgh's Southside Works megaplex on December 15, and to have been attended by the films stars and Mr. Child, the premier was postponed following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings which took place on December 14.
In the scene where Jack Reacher's car crashes into some barrels, the car accidentally stalled upon the impact, but Tom Cruise luckily was able to restart the car before driving off again. Rather than do a retake, Christopher McQuarrie decided to leave it in the film as he felt it added to the suspense of the scene.
The sales person behind the counter selling Nancy Holt (the blonde female victim) was Tom Cruise's stand-in for the movie.
Reunites Tom Cruise with Robert Duvall, who worked together in Days of Thunder.
Leads Cruise and Pike sourced The Thomas Crown Affair in their quest to capture the right subtle chemistry between their characters.
Coincidentally, the source novel One Shot by Lee Child specifically references (though not by name) the film A Few Good Men, which starred Tom Cruise. In the novel, Reacher reflects upon a line of dialogue spoken by Jack Nicholson's character.
Jack's birthday is 29 October, the same as Lee Child's.
