Reacher - Season 1

A very good adaptation of the first series of Lee Child’s books. Vagabond, drifter, ex-military special investigator Jack Reacher always gets caught up in something and leaves no stone unturned until he unravels it. Old school fun where legs and noses are broken and punches are the order of the day. Allan Ritchson doesn't just look like Reacher, he is Reacher, it's hard to imagine Tom Cruise back in the role now. It's good that we're starting from book one, “Killing Floor” is a nice introductory story with a good personal line, and the flashbacks also work. If it weren't for the exaggerated scenes like the final inferno in the paper mill, which looks very B-movie, I'd go for the full score, because it couldn't have been done better. Carry on. (02/02/2023)

Right between 3 and 4 stars. Comparisons with the films: Alan Ritchson's Reacher are undoubtedly better adaptations of the book, with theirmusculature, their buzz, and their dry catchphrases; and Tom Cruise is a better actor. The Reacher series honours the source material better and more accurately, but it loses its pace quite dramatically in the middle, the storytelling around the criminal conspiracy is not fully rendered and some of the actions of the main and supporting characters are very questionable in places. Cruise, as usual, threw himself more fully into the action and although the show's creators, not to mention the lead actor, are not afraid of it, they don't have Cruise for stunts. The bottom line is that while the films can be embraced by a broader spectrum of viewers and especially the first one works well as a "universal" crime drama, the series will be more for die-hard fans and lovers of 1980s nostalgia and the smell of good old-fashioned action heroes. (29/03/2022)

The new Reacher is a very good action romp that works very well and, more importantly, is functionally throughout against the backdrop of a detective story across its eight episodes. It has to be said that the first episode set the bar so awfully high that it probably hasn't been surpassed any further, and it's a bit of a personal disappointment that in the first episode Reacher was fighting head on, whereas in the later episodes things slowed down a bit and went more on the detective line. But fortunately it all balances out solidly in the finale, where we get to see both the conclusion of the rather convoluted investigation and the action-packed climax. The characters are entertaining, the violence is uncompromising, the plot is quite complex, even fans of crime dramas will find something to enjoy, but the whole series is clearly driven by Alan Ritchson, who as a 100-kilogram swole animal was born for the role. I'm more than satisfied, and for fans of the genre, this is almost a must-see. (29/01/2024)