My mother is an avid reader of fiction. Voracious, even. She is never without a book to read, or more specifically, a thriller. She is always chasing the next good genre piece that have her adrenaline pumping right down to the last page…which is what she skips to if she doesn’t like what she’s been reading. Unquestionably, her favourite writer above all is Lee Child, or more specifically his series of books centring on retired U.S. Army Military Police Major and self-described hobo, Jack Reacher. One could even argue that any other book she reads is merely bridging the gap until the next Jack Reacher novel comes out, so she is the foremost authority on the character in my life.
As such, I distinctly remember her unfettered disgust at the Tom Cruise adaptations that released in 2012 and 2016. It needs to be said that this goes back to his casting and has no bearing on the perceived quality of these films (though they are hardly anything special), nor does she dislike Tom Cruise – we are both enduring fans of the Mission: Impossible franchise. It all comes down to the character of Jack Reacher himself, a hulking giant of a man who can’t help but turn heads with his sheer size, being played by a 5’7 actor who has been described as imposing by absolutely no one ever. I’m sure Cruise’s baffling casting has nothing to do with his ego or the fact that he owned the film rights and served as a producer on the movies. If Cruise can will his way into that kind of role, then there’s still hope that Lebron James can one day achieve his dream of playing a hobbit (that’s a joke, by the way).
Cruise’s stint as the character ended with 2016’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and the franchise sat on ice for years before Amazon wisely opted to adapt the books into a TV show, while the character’s debut novel, The Killing Floor, was the storyline they chose for season one. Much of these Cruise-less developments seemed promising, but the show crucially had to nail the casting of the show’s titular character. And while, for some reason, he wasn’t the studio’s go-to choice, even being passed on in the initial rounds of casting, Alan Ritchson is the embodiment of Jack Reacher and a major reason for the show’s ongoing success.
Reacher is not always a man of many words, as emphasized by his silent introduction, but Ritchson wears the character like he was born to play it, straddling the difficult line between charismatically kind and intimidatingly brutal when the situation calls for it. Of course, Ritchson is aided by solid writing and direction, a supporting cast of talented actors playing interesting characters, and a quaint country setting (for the first season at least) that was actually shot in Pickering, Ontario, and the newly released second season boasts some notable Canadian talent, including Serinda Swan and Shaun Sipos.
I admit that I am only a few episodes into Reacher, but I’m already hooked to what is a compelling character piece with hard hitting action and a juicy, albeit brutal murder-mystery at its centre. Season two has drawn even further acclaim from critics, and I am eager to see what the show has in store as I devour its remaining episodes over the coming days, much like my mother with the books.