REVIEW: Call it just a creative phase or the ushering in of a new era in television, but, without a shadow of a doubt, ‘Mare Of Easttown’ has paved the path for mystery-thrillers to have successful runs on TV with rural hamlets and mysterious suburbias as their base settings. And the latest to join this bandwagon of small-town misadventures is Amazon Prime Video’s series ‘Reacher’, which is a contemporary retelling of Lee Child’s cultish character from his debut copy of the novel series.
In current-day world, problems are aplenty—drugs, cybercrime, human trafficking, just to name a few—and Reacher is here to take on the bad guys, and combat an issue that screams of relevance, and being topical. A Blues music fan, this Hobo (self-proclaimed) happened to be passing by Margrave only because he had heard a rumour: his favourite musician died there. But, as the catchphrase goes, “he always finds trouble”. After being roughed up by goons and policemen alike, Jack Reacher (Alan Ritcher) finally realises that his being near the scene of the crime is no accident. Thus begins a slow yet peppy chase that navigates multiple socio-political hurdles that involve bullets flying out of dusty lanes… and a lot of cussing!
One of the biggest hindrances that most television studios must overcome—with a character as mammoth as Reacher—is to separate the book from the series for the latter to stand out, while rendering complete justice to its source material. Also, it doesn’t help, in this case, that Tom Cruise could very well be standing between success and Jack Reacher, the show: his film version is etched in the minds of those who have been ardent fans of the novella and of the star, hence the reference. Thankfully, Alan Ritchson’s gigantic appearance towers over his affable co-stars—a recurring theme for comic relief in the series—and any comparisons with Cruise be damned. As Reacher in the pre-pandemic world, Ritchson is dreaded, mostly distant and exhibits an outlook towards life that is part-nihilistic and part-cold. “You are an emotional dumpster fire,” his colleague screams, frustrated.
If the action sequences and systemic tension—peculiar to thrillers—feel easy on the eyes, and natural, then ‘Prison Break’ scriptwriter Nick Santora is to be credited for it: here, he serves both as the helmer and the thinker behind those thoughts-in-action. Except for the much-needed breathers—bickering, hilarious one-liners and the whole nine yards—‘Reacher’ is by and large intense and gripping. Sure, it could have patrolled at a faster speed, especially the first few episodes, but the element of intrigue and mystery heightens the excitement to a substantial extent towards the end so much so that you almost forget about the tedious build-up in episodes one and two. Forgiven. Lee Child’s inclusion has proved to be a major positive for the show as he, Reacher being his brainchild, has contributed to retaining the character’s quirks and eccentricities: clearly winning brownie points from the loyalists.
Loud, omniscient yet obnoxious and larger-than-life are some of the adjectives we felt best describe Ritchson’s rendition of Reacher—which is not essentially a bad thing for an action protagonist to possess—and his role is chalked out in a fashion that there’s an immense amount of co-dependency amongst cast members. For instance, Reacher’s highbrow-ness would not have been half as impactful and humourous without an uptight Harvard-return detective Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin). Likewise, the titular character’s vagrant vibe is substantiated by his relationship with lady love Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald).
Over the years, ‘Reacher’ and his legend has seen many variations but this is by far the most thrilling: enigmatic music, teamed with unpredictable climax and an ensemble that has the potential for individual spin-offs. Having said that, this eight-part series should be put through a proper trimming session. It’s not that it’s insufferable, just a tad longer than perhaps needed.
In conclusion, it is safe to say that ‘Reacher’—both the character and this series— is your quintessential modern-day hero that has risen from the ashes and now finds himself in the 21st century, dealing with technology-backed obstacles. And, he is here till he kicks some a**es.
