Amazon has gone full adaptation mode these days. So how does their new television show Reacher measure up?
Reacher tells the story of Jack Reacher, recently discharged from the Army, travels to Margrave, GA. With a man that size, he’s sure to attract attention, but he attracts more than normal when he’s immediately arrested for murder. He instantly runs afoul of the new detective Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) and catches the eye of Roscoe (Willa Fitzgerald). He’s released and almost on his way, when tragedy strikes and he becomes pulled further into the nasty underbelly of the corrupt town.
The best place to start with the show is the lead, the larger than life Reacher. and the nearly larger than life Alan Ritchson. I’ve been a fan of Alan for a long time now. He was my fan cast to play Finnick Odair in the Hunger Games franchise and he turned in some exemplary character work as the hero Hawk on Titans. As Jack Reacher he certainly fits the profile of the character and I am sure many fans will enjoy this incarnation of him. For all of his physical stature though, there is something missing from how the show uses him. He’s perhaps at his most effective when he’s using his physicality to intimidate or his action chops. But the blend between that and the drama isn’t quite as seamless. Tom Cruise might have been short, but the gravitas he brought to the role is more than Ritchson is able to do.
I think this issue lies primarily with the show’s lack of concerned with being interesting, just merely being serviceable. Reacher hits all of the required beats of the story but never does it with a kinda of aplomb. There’s all the elements presented here but there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of depth and the filmmaking leaves a lot to be desired. Because of this, the dynamics between the characters are off. In Reacher, you have a character who we as the audience knows a lot and can solve crimes. He also operates within this sphere. However, given the cultural moment we’re in, it seems strange to never interrogate that in the narrative or as a show. We don’t need a special on how cops can be bad or that white men might know everything, but there’s so many moments that this rogue guy openly admits to doing crimes and/or talks down to the Black chief detective that don’t ring true. It isn’t that we can’t have two immovable objects going at it, but there’s a level of self reflection these characters seem loathe to do that make the whole thing feel grating.
All of this is before you get to the stock villains and ends up rendering what is a group of talented actors into a generic television show.
I agree with much of your commentary. We like the show but I personally feel that Ritchson can up his game a bit and keep his shirt on. Mind you that I love looking at that body but it doesn’t really add to the plot at all. We will continue to watch to see how the show progresses. We’re on episode 3 now.