Alan Ritchson Stands Tall in Amazon Prime’s Reacher
The second season of Reacher is now streaming on Amazon Prime and is every bit as terrific as the first season. This time around, Reacher unites with his former Army group to stop a possible terrorist attack.
Fans of Lee Child’s bestselling Reacher mysteries had no trouble visualizing what the former Army MP looked like – six feet five inches tall with a muscular physique that broadcasts “mess with me at your own risk.” When five foot seven inch Tom Cruise was cast as Reacher in two films, the box office was positive, but the critics, along with fans, were not. A new series on Amazon Prime, however, gets it right, casting the hulking Alan Ritchson as Reacher. The eight-part series is based on Child’s 1997 debut novel, Killing Floor and has already been renewed for a second season.
The series gets right all of the special details that make Reacher such a fascinating character – his love of black coffee, penchant for army surplus clothes, and ability to find trouble wherever he goes.
Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin
Since leaving the military where he won enough medals and awards to fill a large display cabinet, Reacher roams the country with only the clothes on his back and a toothbrush. Whenever he enters a new town he’s sure to attract suspicion, because of his size and the way he travels. Getting off a bus in Margrave, Georgia is no exception. A body has been found and as the new guy in town, Reacher is quickly arrested by Chief Detective Oscar Finley (Malcolm Goodwin). A Black police officer, Finley is also a fish out of water, a Harvard graduate from Cambridge. Deputy Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald), half Reacher’s size, let’s him know she’s not intimated, but is eventually won over by his detective skills (“details matter”) and ability to relate to the victims.
Willa Fitzgerald as Roscoe Conklin and Alan Ritchson as Reacher
Reacher is quickly released after he’s able to produce an alibi. But when a second body is discovered and the dead man is identified as Reacher’s brother, Joe, he’s on a mission to find the killer. Like so many towns Reacher ends up in, Margrave is hiding many secrets. Reacher suspects that Kliner Sr. (Currie Graham), owner of Kliner Industries, is running a criminal enterprise and responsible for the killings. Reacher knows his brother was murdered because of what he uncovered. Joe was being employed by Homeland Security, so possible crimes include human trafficking, drug running, and counterfeiting. And when mercenaries from South America begin turning up in Margrave, killing possible witnesses, Reacher knows the crimes are international.
Malcolm Goodwin as Chief Detective Oscar Finley and Alan Ritchson as Reacher
Kliner is paying off local officials to cover up his criminal enterprise, so Reacher is cautious about those he can trust. Finley and Conklin are ousted from the police department after they help Reacher. No longer required to follow protocol, they go rogue with Reacher. He taps his brother’s former colleague at Secret Service to learn what Joe was investigating. But when the woman shows up in Margrave with evidence, she’s killed before Reacher can get to her. He also contacts Neagley (Maria Sten), someone he trained while in the military who is now an investigator in Tennessee. Reacher, aided by Finley, Conklin, and Neagley, make progress, but the bodies begin to pile up.
Triggered by the death of Joe, Reacher has flashbacks to his childhood. Even as a young boy, he was bigger and stronger than his contemporaries and often got into fights to protect those picked on by bullies. Now a full grown fighting machine, Reacher is not reluctant to use his power and skills to take on adversaries. The fight scenes in Reacher (warning: some are very violent), do not disappoint.
From the moment he appears on screen, Ritchson makes it clear that this role is now his. Reacher fans couldn’t’ be happier.
Photos courtesy of Amazon Prime Studios
