“You think I’m a hero? I am not a hero.” Channeling Ryan Gosling in Drive and Jason Statham in, well, every Jason Statham movie, Tom Cruise pummels people with panache in this first trailer for Jack Reacher – the movie adaptation of Lee Child’s novel One Shot. Reacher is the star of several Child novels, so it’s a new franchise for Cruise – albeit one with a very familiar feel: there’s only one man who can stop the bad guy from doing very bad things. Mission: Difficult perhaps?

In Jack Reacher, Cruise is an ex-military investigator who finds himself caught up in the case of a sniper accused of killing five people. Christopher McQuarrie (Way of the Gun and writer of The Usual Suspects) directs, and in the supporting cast is an all-time favourite of mine Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now).

This will be the first of many trailers no doubt, so it’s not surprising it solely focuses on introducing Tom as Hunt… oops, I mean Reacher. Adaptations often shock die-hard fans of the source material into an uproar over the casting choice for their cherished hero. Early mutterings on the web suggest Cruise’s casting is not favoured by Reacher fans. A quick look on Wikipedia shows us that Reacher is “6′ 5″ tall (1.96m) with a 50-inch chest, and weighs between 210 and 250 pounds (100–115 kg).”  Tom Cruise on the other hand…

I really like Tom Cruise on screen. He very rarely puts in a bad performance, even if the film itself isn’t up to standard (yes, I mean you Knight and Day). Ok, he may not have quite as much cool as Gosling and he’s a shade less kick-ass than Statham, but Tom always delivers the goods in an action role and once again looks the part here. I hope I have a 10th of his physical ability when I turn 50. Yes, Tom Cruise turned 50 this week!

As for his suitability to play Reacher and whether this trailer accurately represents the books, I have no idea.

Thoughts? Have you read the books? If so, is Cruise the right choice?

When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the film stars Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall, Jai Courtney, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, Michael Raymond-James and Alexia Fast.

No official New Zealand release date yet. But Australia gets it January 3, 2013 so I’d imagine we’ll get it then-abouts too.