There seems to a have been a bit of ‘WTF?’ when Christopher McQuarrie cast Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in the forthcoming adaptation of Lee Child’s One Shot. Film fans will mostly be excited by the fact Werner Herzog is taking a rare-ish acting gig as the lead villain. The last time ‘the fan’s complained about Cruise’s casting it was Interview with the Vampire and he was pretty darn good in that. It also happens to be Cruise’s 50th birthday today, so best wishes, Mr. Cruise.

Last week a Russian trailer made its way online and now there’s an English-language version, so we can all watch it properly without having to guess what the hell everybody is saying (or it was totally fine if you understand Russian).

Joining The Cruiser is a very good supporting cast including Pike, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins and David Oyelowo. The PR campaign is keeping Herzog’s appearance top secret for now – we don’t even hear his famous tones in this teaser trailer. Judging from this promo clip, which is always a dodgy thing, the film looks pretty muscular and ‘kick-ass’. The film opens in the UK on 28th December and in US cinemas a week before on 21st.

Jack Reacher (formerly known as ‘One Shot’) is based on the ninth book in Child’s series (there are nineteen books). Is this being set up as a potential mid-life franchise for Cruise? Will he ditch Ethan Hunt?

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.

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US Release Date: 21st December
UK Release Date: 28th December