Hugh Jackman as Logan in X-Men is very close. Liam Neeson would be good, Sam Elliot in his younger days would have been perfect, Daniel Day Lewis, maybe Nicolas Cage. Think Viggo Mortenson, Ed Harris, or Daniel Craig with a few extra inches of height on them. Jack is a brooding, thinking guy who would rather talk than fight, but can fight with the best when provoked.
Tom Cruises main acting meme seems to be a leering smile and the ability to look like he's running really fast. That's just not Jack Reacher at all. Too bad. A good character is going down the movie tubes.
Prior to Cruise’s involvement, Jackman was Child’s choice for to play Reacher.