Fans know that when it comes to action heroes in literary fiction and those on screen, there’s a stark divide. Usually a hero that reads well in books doesn’t come across as too appealing when portrayed on film. Or vice versa. Think about all the classic action heroes of the 80’s and 90’s, and then imagine them as characters in a book. Something feels off, doesn’t it? But there are exceptions, and that is precisely where Reacher shines.
Born from the mind of the amazing Lee Child, the character of ex-military man turned wanderer Jack Reacher has been the subject of more than two dozen books and short stories. And not just any book series - the Jack Reacher series of novels has won multiple awards over the years starting with the very first one itself, Killing Floor, which is the source material for the first season of Amazon Prime Video’s latest offering, Reacher.
Here’s the trailer.
But who exactly is Jack Reacher?
Born to a US Marine, Jack Reacher grew up in military bases all over the world, as is usually the case with military brats. Following his father’s footsteps, Reacher too decided to join the army. He started his journey by getting into West Point, where he spent four years before joining the US Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. He quickly progresses to the rank of Major, but then gets demoted for allegedly assaulting a civilian - something that is addressed in a subsequent novel, The Enemy. He works his way back to the rank of Major, before being honorably discharged from the Army. And that is where his journey in the book begins.
Reacher feels he’s devoted his entire life to the army, but he’s hardly explored the country he’s been fighting for all this time. In a later novel, The Affair, Reacher talks about why he decided to become a wanderer of sorts.
I was thirty-six years old, a citizen of a country I had barely seen, and there were places to go, and there were things to do. There were cities, and there was countryside. There were mountains, and there were valleys. There were rivers. There were museums, and music, and motels, and clubs, and diners, and bars, and buses. There were battlefields and birthplaces, and legends, and roads. There was company if I wanted it, and there was solitude if I didn’t. I picked a road at random, and I put one foot on the curb and one in the traffic lane, and I stuck out my thumb.Jack Reacher, in 'The Affair' by Lee Child
What makes Alan Ritchson perfect as Reacher?
While there have been a couple of movies about Reacher in the past and also a video-game based on those movies, this time around the casting just feels right. The books describe Reacher as “blonde, tall and heavily built”, and one look at Ritchson and you know he’s just the type. His career shows that he’s paid his dues, portraying everything from varsity jocks to DC superheroes. We know the man can act, and now, at 39, it’s like the stars have aligned for him. On paper, Reacher brings back all the nostalgia you’d associate with the brawling kind of action hero, but the depth with which Lee Child has explored the character over the last two decades, also demands the acting chops Ritchson possesses. From the trailer, we can see how comfortable he is whether he’s kicking butt or delivering smug one-liners. And with the source material as vast as the novel series, complemented by Ritchson’s realistic portrayal, we can’t wait to binge on what feels like an absolute winner.
'Reacher' is now streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.