ADVANCE REVIEW: Prime Video’s Reacher Will Be a Hit for Some

Based on the first book in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, Killing Floor, Prime Video’s Reacher finds Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) in the small Georgia town of Margrave. Accused of murder, Reacher must team with Margrave Police Department Chief Detective, Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) and Margrave Police Officer Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald) to clear his name and stop the true murderer before it is too late.

The fact that creator, Nick Santora, opted for a series instead of a movie works well in this adaptation of the book. The episode format allows for the viewers to learn about our mysterious protagonist better than any of the films ever did. It also allows for the actors to fully grow into their characters as each episode airs. Though the first few episodes are a little slow in places, the series consistently gets better. However, a true disappointment to the series is how little viewers get to see Reacher interact in normal circumstances. Some, if not all of the best parts of the series are when Reacher is having a simple down to Earth conversation with Roscoe and Finlay. The repertoire between the three is incredibly easy and brought a lighthearted feel to the series. However, these scenes were few and far between. The writers opted to focus a little too much on the murder/corruption story and not enough on developing the relationship between its characters.

Ritchson steps into the roll of Jack Reacher and is no Tom Cruise, who originated the role on the big screen in 2012, but manages to create his own version of the iconic book character. If there is one thing they did get right though by casting Ritchson is his size. Reacher is suppose to be a big guy and Ritchson first that to a “T”. Though, the biggest problem I had with his portrayal was how stiff he came off in the first few episodes. As the season progressed he physically loosened up, and his portrayal became a little more believable. Will he end up usurping Cruise’s portrayal, the jury is still out, but he does have major potential if the series is picked up for a second season.

Goodwin’s Finlay is the clean winner though in this series. He immediately draws you in with his performance and never lets you go. The only gripe I had with his character was that he was not featured in more scenes. Fitzgerlad rounds out the cast as Roscoe. At first, I was afraid the writers were going to portray her merely as Reacher’s love interest, however they crafted the character into an actual character with depth that I ended up really enjoying. Fitzgerald brought a no nonsense performance and left me believing that Roscoe was a character that had something to say and was an integral part of the story.

Fans of Child’s Jack Reacher series will of course find some issues with this adaptation. However, as someone who read the original book and enjoys crime thrillers, this one stayed pretty true to the books. Fans who have never read the Jack Reacher books, but enjoy crime thrillers, will most likely enjoy binge watching this series.