TV Review: Don't Know Jack

It seems to me that all the lone ranger tough guys, who are not out to save the world but end up doing it anyway are called Jack.

We have Jack Bauer of 24 who is portrayed by Keifer Sutherland. He works for the government department CTU. Over the seven seasons of 24, where each season is one whole day meaning everything takes place in 24 hours.  And they usually all end up with Jack being beaten up, shot, imprisoned and getting into all sorts of trouble. People are always out to get him but he always comes up trumps and is the good guy who saves America.

Next up is Jack Reacher created by author Lee Child (and recently portrayed by Tom Cruise in film, a controversial casting due to height difference -  as Reacher is 6ft 4 and Cruise is 5 ft 2).  Reacher travels through America hitch hiking and has no possessions to his name - no passport, no identity card of any sort, no home, he is a nomad just going from place to place as he sees fit. He is ex army and from a military family as well.  With the size of Reacher, he is not the kind of person I would want to get on the wrong side of but people seem to want to mess with him.  

He always seems to end up getting into some sort of trouble and gets beaten up a lot as well. He is a bit like James Bond as well as he has a way with the ladies and in most of the 19 books written about him, he usually gets the woman as well as solving the problems that arise and becoming some kind of Hero. 

Now onto the third Jack, who I have recently discovered and that is Jack Taylor. He unlike the other two Jack's is not American but he comes from Galway in Ireland. 

Jack Taylor is the main man in novels written by Ken Bruen. These novels have been made onto mini films for TV as well with Jack being portrayed by Iain Glen (with a bit of a dodgy Irish accent).

Taylor is a former officer with Gardia, the Irish police (also known as the Guards).  He was fired due to unruly behaviour.  We first meet him in his patrol car drinking and then chasing down an official government car and when the car stopped he punches one of the officials in the face. Not really normal police behaviour, is it?

Taylor then by chance gets into the work of Private Investigation and gets a business partner called Cody. He spends a lot of time being beat up by people who want him dead. He also spends a lot of time nursing his wounds, drinking and flirting with women. He usually gets the girl as well. 

All the Jack's have no respect for authority or rules and think rules are meant to be broken and they: 

• are lone ranger type of men
• get beaten up all the time
• get the women
• get in trouble with the law

I like the three Jack's, there is something about them that appeals to me, there is a mystery surrounding both of them and they are all bad boys - men you wouldn't want to take home to your parents. They all have sex appeal, seem lose and are vulnerable which makes women attracted to them.

I wonder if there are any more Jacks out there?  I know there is a Jackson Brodie from Case Histories by Kate Atkinson who in the TV series of the same time is portrayed by Jason Issacs. Another brooding male who fits in the same categories as the other three Jacks.