Reacher

Tom Cruise is a better actor, but Alan Ritchson is better as Reacher. Let everyone choose their own. (02.03.2024)

Right between 3 and 4 stars. Comparisons with the films: Alan Ritchson's Reacher are undoubtedly better adaptations of the book, with theirmusculature, their buzz, and their dry catchphrases; and Tom Cruise is a better actor. The Reacher series honours the source material better and more accurately, but it loses its pace quite dramatically in the middle, the storytelling around the criminal conspiracy is not fully rendered and some of the actions of the main and supporting characters are very questionable in places. Cruise, as usual, threw himself more fully into the action and although the show's creators, not to mention the lead actor, are not afraid of it, they don't have Cruise for stunts. The bottom line is that while the films can be embraced by a broader spectrum of viewers and especially the first one works well as a "universal" crime drama, the series will be more for die-hard fans and lovers of 1980s nostalgia and the smell of good old-fashioned action heroes. (28.03.2022)

What a crazy opening. The series' Reacher is far more physically faithful to the source material, and yet he's not nearly the plank-wielding colossus he seems in the first few minutes at the beginning. The creators manage to conjure up a solid atmosphere of a macho detective story, optimally balancing clever catchphrases with funny ones and spicing it up with good fights at the end. Carry on. (06.03.2022)

Halfway between Shaft and The Punisher. A well balanced dose of humour and rough action, and good chemistry between the protagonists. The second episode certainly doesn’t put the first one to shame. (13.03.2022)

A bit too much Punisher in a non-Punisher way, that is, if you don't count the hulking Desert Eagle behind his waist and a bit too little of the wit and irony that pleasantly refreshed the previous two episodes. Even so, the story puzzle works well so far and the slow reveal of pieces on the chessboard makes sense. (13.03.2022)

The fourth episode is dominated by a confusing and intricately arranged unravelling of the main plot. There is little action, that is rather for effect and with a very TV feel. The chemistry of the central duo is just on the edge between comedy, satire and a serious note. (16.03.2022)

A new character that is quite interesting and you want to know more about them. However, if it weren't for the last 5 seconds at the end, it could have easily got five stars. (16.03.2022)

This is a bit like Narcos. A likeable gangster episode that features a slightly messy shootout in the woods, some great action on stairs (like some moments from the Daredevil series), and a wisecracking Reacher who is more entertaining than usual. (23.03.2022)

Probably the highlight of the entire series. A spectacular unraveling of the case, an effective ambush in a house, and Reacher with a B and a dessert bar doing good for most of the time he's on set. That's the way I'd imagine the whole series would be: fast pace that leaves no room for missteps and too much talk. (28.03.2022)

Too bad about the bloated, overly action-packed and overall overdone finale. When you have a explosions and other technical flourishes, but lack a budget, the result is usually shit. And so it was in the last episode of Reacher. If it was a feature film, it wouldn’t even be average, because it's got all those bad trademarks of the failed 1980s and unfortunately the last episode doesn't even look very parodic. In this episode, Reacher became a heroic good guy, which suit him, he's much better as a wily maverick with caustic humour and big fists teetering on the edge. (28.03.2022)

The cool outdoors in the style of the Bourne series, a tough, good-guy protagonist whose gestures and musculature sometimes want to resemble The Punisher a bit, and that's where the positives end. In Season 2 Alan Ritchson confirms that he's the one setting a new standard for the film (or series) Jack Reacher. Nothing against Tom Cruise, but he could have tried harder for the physical action, in profile he's not as suited to the character of the jacked good guy as the walking Hulk. Shame about the execution of the second season, which drags too much and doesn't even develop the main character. The team is pretty cool and the character interaction goes well most of the time, but the plot slips into TV-style filler a lot of the time, and that can't be tolerated in an A-list production. Robert Patrick as the villain was fine. (02.03.2024)