Reacher is the latest adaptation of author Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, which star a hulking ex-army loner who lives off the grid and habitually finds himself in dangerous situations that require both his fists and brain. Although Tom Cruise recently played the titular character in two movies previously- and he did a commendable job in bringing intensity to the role- he was a far cry from the physically imposing Reacher fans were clamoring for. Thankfully, Alan Ritchson’s Reacher more than fits the bill in terms of appearance. But that aside, is Prime Video’s Reacher a good adaptation, and more importantly, a good TV show?
Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) walks into Margrave, Georgia to find out more about a blue singer who was said to die in this town. Soon, he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that leads to multiple murders, and soon, attempts on his life as well on the life of a mild-mannered finance professional named Hubble (Mark Bendavid). When things get personal, Reacher teams up with chief detective Finlay (Malcolm Goodwill) and police officer Roscoe (Willa Fitzgerald) to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Reacher has no pretensions of being anything more than your average action thriller. Instead, it focuses on the character dynamics between Reacher and his partners. The ongoing character development punctuates the plot progression and is nicely complemented by well-executed action scenes. Reacher’s fight style is unique, featuring liberal use of elbows, and he has no qualms about killing his opponents if the situation calls for it. Sometimes, however, he is stymied by opponents that are much smaller than he is, which stretches the suspension of disbelief. Also, while Reacher has a knack for making sharp deductions in the show, it feels almost like a cheat instead of the logical flow-of-thoughts we get in the novels.
Reacher is the latest adaptation of author Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, which star a hulking ex-army loner who lives off the grid and habitually finds himself in dangerous situations that require both his fists and brain. Although Tom Cruise recently played the titular character in two movies previously- and he did a commendable job in bringing intensity to the role- he was a far cry from the physically imposing Reacher fans were clamoring for. Thankfully, Alan Ritchson’s Reacher more than fits the bill in terms of appearance. But that aside, is Prime Video’s Reacher a good adaptation, and more importantly, a good TV show?
Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) walks into Margrave, Georgia to find out more about a blue singer who was said to die in this town. Soon, he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy that leads to multiple murders, and soon, attempts on his life as well on the life of a mild-mannered finance professional named Hubble (Mark Bendavid). When things get personal, Reacher teams up with chief detective Finlay (Malcolm Goodwill) and police officer Roscoe (Willa Fitzgerald) to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Reacher has no pretensions of being anything more than your average action thriller. Instead, it focuses on the character dynamics between Reacher and his partners. The ongoing character development punctuates the plot progression and is nicely complemented by well-executed action scenes. Reacher’s fight style is unique, featuring liberal use of elbows, and he has no qualms about killing his opponents if the situation calls for it. Sometimes, however, he is stymied by opponents that are much smaller than he is, which stretches the suspension of disbelief. Also, while Reacher has a knack for making sharp deductions in the show, it feels almost like a cheat instead of the logical flow-of-thoughts we get in the novels.
