Alan Ritchson Is Jack Reacher!
And That's Part Of The Only Reason Why You Should Watch Lee Child's Adaptation
Author Note:
I am taking a break for the whole month of March. I need time and space to breathe and then organise my thoughts to give you more value.
Rubina’s Bojra is going on a sabbatical from Sunday, February 27th 2022.
And will be back on Monday, April 4th 2022.
Early this month, Amazon Prime Video gave us Reacher - an 8-episode adaptation of Lee Child's first book, The Killing Floor.
I am a Lee Child fan, and I enjoyed myself with the Tom Cruise edition of the adaptation. So when the trailer of the series adaptation starring Alan Ritchson dropped, my jaw dropped as well.
Least to say, I was high on adrenaline, waiting on the edge of the seat with my Prime membership.
I finished the series in 4 days (a feat for me), and I LOVED IT!!!
There are many good things and no bad things to say about this series. But there's one good point that trumps all.
The one and the only reason why Reacher was absolutely amazing was -
IT IS THE MOST FAITHFUL ADAPTATION OF THE NOVEL.
(Yes, I am shouting that.)
This one plus point of the series beats everything and every adaptation out there. I have ZERO complaints with this series.
I re-read The Killing Floor in preparation for Reacher, and I can tell you that the series' makers picked the right nerve of the story.
There are too many series and movies with big guys running around beating bad guys, but there's no depth there.
When it comes to Reacher, the makers instead focus on what makes Reacher who he is.
How he is self-aware of his own moral compass and lives by it.
How he is quick in his thinking and on his feet, changing and adapting to the situation.
How he is a tough guy with his own kind of sense of humour.
How he is less about talking but still manages to pass on the message, just with his expressions.
You can’t help but agree to Reacher's certainty in himself and his assessment.
Also, I felt acknowledged as a reader and a fan when the makers remembered one small key detail of Reacher's character - playing his favourite songs in his head.
That detail made me connect the book's Reacher to the series' Reacher.
Of course, changes were made to the story to adapt to the current times, but they only enhanced the series.
And I didn't mind these changes because they got Jack Reacher's character right.
I can't talk about the Reacher and not talk about the actor playing the character.
ALAN RITCHSON IS JACK REACHER!
(Yes, I am shouting that as well.)
I couldn't believe this is the same actor who guest-starred in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as young Scully.
Alan Ritchson Is Jack Reacher!
Besides the apparent height and intimidating body structure, Mr Ritchson struck the right chord with Reacher.
The subtle expressions, the behaviours, the way of speaking and not speaking, the way of processing the situation around him - Ritchson breathed life into the paper-and-ink Jack Reacher.
No wonder he read all 24 books in eight months to prepare for the role. He ate all those books, digested the character, and now Jack Reacher lives in him.
I have a special place for Tom Cruise's Reacher, but oh boy! Alan Ritchson's Reacher takes the cake.
Finally, he's getting the work worthy of his calibre.
If you are into an ex-military guy who finds himself in life-threatening and thrilling situations, then I would highly suggest you read Lee Child's Jack Reacher series AND watch Alan Ritchson's Reacher.
I am looking forward to Season 2, Mr Ritchson!
Reacher is available on Amazon Prime Video.
PS. Oh! I forgot to mention how lovely it was to see author Lee Child give us a cameo.