So Reacher turned out to be a solid, well constructed crime thriller with an awesome male protagonist. Who would have thought such a thing was possible in 2022?
The best part about this show was that Alan went to the Henry Cavill school of caring about and respecting the source material. Alan read every book so he could get his character DOWN, I respect dedication like that.
I just really hope this doesn't go the way of so many other properties and and get woke/fucked up in season two. I never read the books but really enjoyed this series and from what I have been hearing, it was pretty close to the novel. I want to enjoy this series for a long time.
@@trevorfilis537 I'm not really a fan of mysteries or modern adventure books, outside the Destroyer series, but I've read every book in this series. There have been occasional flubs but overall I have never really been disappointed in the books. and the show was so spot on that I didn't leave for the weekend in order to watch it all at once.
When he said, "I'm about to break the hands of three drunk kids," and the other guy said, "There's four of us," and then he said, "One of you needs to be able to drive to the hospital," I knew I was watching the right show.
@@lesflynn4455 forget the quote, that whole scene isn't even in the book, am reading it currently.... I started reacher after reading about 60% of the book, so everything is fresh in my mind, I wanted to check how to compares to the source material....
They treated Roscoe perfectly, that's what a small badass chick should be like. When it came to hand to hand, even the old ass mayor kicked her ass, but she fucked people up with smarts, technique and firepower
It was nice to watch a show and not even think about “the message” They managed to make the female protagonist in this strong and independent without being asses about it and showing it down your throat.
funny thing about the modern 'strong female character' is that they are basically all the toxic masculinity traits stuffed into one character but it is fine because a woman can't be toxicly masculine! lol
Yeah they did a really good job at conveying her strengths an frustrations with men while not making it illogical or out of place while simultaneously making a great character arc out of it with her realizing sometimes you just do need the help. Goodwin was also fucking awesome! They portray southern racism in proper context, and they show him dealing with it in a way that is believable and satisfying. Everything just feels natural, not forced. It acknowledges the world for how it really is and not how snowflakes THINK it is. All the supporting cast show great strength without it being out of place. This show was so refreshing and a nod to the good old days of crime drama.
The best thing about this show's casting choices is that it's justified in the writing. The random Harvard Educated black man living in a small town in the South is written _into_ the character's backstory and his arc in the show. Zero problems there.
I read drinkers first novel. The English dude was a bit of a self insert wank fest. But drinker got better at writing with age, like any fine booze should
Maybe, but why did they cast the cop from I, Zombie to be the, surprise, cop in this one. He even got to bring his stupid shoulder holster. The guy is awful as an actor. I read the first couple of books and Lee Child lacks as a writer. And he’s a Canadian who’s not down with the 2A. His lack of firearms knowledge shows up as a series of 80’s cliches about “cool/scary” firearms. They should have a pro look over his writing before they let it out into the wild. The basic stories are actually pretty good and maybe he smoothed out his writing style the way Vince Flynn did but I didn’t stick around to find out.
I watched this on your recommendation, and it was excellent. My biggest surprise was that despite how big he is, Reacher does not come off as overpowered. He doesn't win every fight, and even fights that he wins he often takes some damage. This is not to say that he comes off as weak either. The show strikes a perfect balance, making him strong and believable.
The other thing is the damage persists. He gets cut, he has a cut the rest of the story. I still don't know how that other actor took the full body tackle from him though. That had to hurt.
@@anthonystarke893 IRL, his jaw would have been in pieces. No-one in the whole production seems to have held a real crowbar in their lives. This thing moved as if it was made of plastic, and did about as much damage as one as well. But I was way more disappointed with the below stormtrooper level accuracy of those south american special forces guys. Even when they roll up right behind them and have enough time to aim, they still can't hit anyone, not even graze. And these guys are supposed to be highly trained elite soldiers. Even I shoot better than that, and I've only fired a pistol a few times.
@@lordheadass3662 I don't care about what they wanted. It was such a stark contrast to most of the rest of the series, which was actually way more believable, than your average hollywood trash. But at those moments I felt like they just succumbed to the temptation to go full hollywood. Had it been consistently unrealistic, those moments would not have stood out as so jarring.
@@guyincognito8440 Dude, its just a show. Lee Child is a pretty good writer, but the whole Jack Reacher series gets pretty unbelievable as it goes along: not necessarily because it deals in unrealistic concepts, but because there are 24 books and in each one Reacher comes across some kind of crazy scam/scandal that he has to solve. Its unbelievable because nobody who's just walking across America is going to come into that many situations. I mean, sure, one or two, maybe even three or four (maayyyybeee)...but not twenty-four. I like realism in my entertainment, and it annoys me when they get obvious things wrong for no apparent reason, but going too deep on the 'realism' thing will ruin at least 95% of popular fiction, so I don't.
I love the scene where he casually strolls over to the guy who’s eyeballing him, asking him if he wanted to dance. Alan sells every single line, and a warning look from him is actually intimidating. Great casting choice.
@@lordshadow19 He really is amazing. I was o glad when I saw he was in the cast. he was perfect for that role. Anyone else would have destroyed it. he has finesse
Enjoyed that part greatly. He was more focused as a character who “ Middle Aged male moves to a small town in the south”. Yes he is black but that’s not the main issue, he is an outsider.
I loved that when he swore it was so awkward.. some might look at it and say bad acting, I think it was brilliant how awkward he made it… he doesn’t swear so when he tries to, it didn’t sound right. He nailed his role for sure.
The thing they nailed with this screen translation of Reacher is that he thinks on screen, the pauses and lack of dialogue matter and they show it. Reacher is by design a simple character, he's credible/ competent because he's an ex military police, he's capable because his built like a brick sh*t house, and his not trapped by modern living, so (as a character) he can cause havoc to solve the immediate problem, but not deal with the fall out as he just move on (metaphor for the army?) The A team did this in the 80's. The drinker's correct that this is an old school breath of fresh air in the current climate.
So many modern shows take like an entire episode of filler whilst the characters deal with their feelings, that used to be wrapped up in a scene or two beforehand.
This is one of the few times the I would say that the show is better than the books. "It looks like this detective could take on Dwayne Johnson and win." My money would be on Reacher. He would have analyzed the fight before it even started and executed his plan.
I've read Killing Floor and was pleasantly surprised how faithful this adaptation was. They actually seemed to care about the source material and most importantly casting someone built like Reacher. I really hope they adapt Bad Luck and Trouble, my personal favorite Reacher book.
You gotta love finley man, he was such a loveable character throughout the entire show and semi spoiler warning, whenever he smokes the cigarette and then flicks it into the oil, it's so badass. The main big 3 characters are all really good and reacher is an amazing main character and this show probably has the most loveable side characters and the most hateable villains. It's just an amazing show and all the twists actually made my jaw drop. Wonderful.
That part where he grabs the cigarettes out of the bad guy’s pocket and says “if I’m gonna die… I’m going to flavor town onnnne last time”, and Reacher lights it for him….. that was one of my FAVORITE parts of the entire season. I rewound it at least 3-4 times to rewatch it 😂
The great thing about Reacher is that he is super intelligent. He’s not just a juggernaut destroying everything. Brains? Brawn? White Male? Straight? Veteran? Holy shit! A diverse supporting cast that is amazing? Imagine that? It’s good!!
@@pluckyduck11y Maybe that's because if a woman or black male get the big roles, it cannot come without the usual pandering to "the message." Imagine a role where the woman is the protagonist in an action film. OH WAIT, we've got one of those called "Captain Marvel." Guess how that turned out? Or how about "Batwoman"? Or "Harley Quinn"? Can you give me one where man are not portrayed as stupid, weak, or hateful? Imagine a "Reacher" where women (as a gender) are portrayed in a negative light by the protagonist and you'll have what most female-led action movies/shows are like except where it's the other way around. Sign me up for any action show/movie where a woman plays the protagonist that (a) does not come with "the message" and (b) does not show her as someone capable of kicking every male ass despite physical differences. The latter is the main reason why action protagonist roles will go to "not even 1/4 as many" women as they do men. This is both criticism, and just an observation.
Critical drinker just panders to right wing conservatives I stopped watching his reviews because of it don't get me wrong he can be good reviewer and has shown it but this video is such a prime examples of all his problems he has a reviewer/reactionary
This show was a breath of fresh air. Didn’t want to be overly cerebral, dark or misleading. Good old fashioned casting, writing and realistic action/direction. Not every show needs to be a deep thought provoking social commentary, we’re allowed to like something just because it’s fun.
The "drinker" got this one wrong. The show starts off well enough, but by episode 4 or 5 jumps the shark. Its gratuitously gory, without being "Se7en" clever. The writing becomes too formulaic and simplistic. Ozark and Goliath do a much better job in a similar milieu.
it's still got hallmarks of woke. strong female smarter and toughter than everyone else.smart black man who is the boss of everyone else. also, all the dumb or bad characters are white straight guys
I loved that Jack Reacher respected knife or club-wielding enemies as much bigger threats, given that even a wimp with a knife can take you out of the fight. I liked seeing that the more skilled bad guys fought better...though they seemed to take Reacher's hits a little too well sometimes. Concerning the 1v4 (driver doesn't count) in the rain at the abandoned house--Reacher could have just shot them like the 1v2 in an earlier episode. We already know he can basically insta-kill 3 pedos if he gets the jump. And how did the last guy keep coming up with the crowbar after taking Reacher hits? In turn, how did Reacher survive that many hits to the head with a crowbar? My suspension was being stretched near its limits, but boy was it fun to watch. That villain used the crowbar like he meant it.
Agreed. For the last fight, i think they stretched the things up because they wanted to make the fight the most epic in a show already full of awesome fights.
I think reacher was probably taught to allow his head to more in the direction of a blunt object as it's hitting you to minimize damage, that with adrenaline can possibly allow someone to survive that many hits to the head and keep going, also helps if you learn towards the hit slightly so there is less leverage on the blunt instrument and therefore less force transmitted to your head. But yeah, it was epic watching him take out that whole hit squad, he acted carefully and didn't attempt theatrics which often kills my immersion in action scenes.
It's so weird seeing Alen Ritchson play such a quiet, smart and badass character. I remember him in BMS where he was loud, dumb(ish), yet a true bro. Mad props to this show.
"The shows called Reacher for a reason, and it never forgets that", tell that to Disney and Marvel. Glad you reviewed this one, this is the best entertainment media in years. And to answer your question Drinker at the end, Yes, Lee Child the author of Jack Reacher had creative control.
"Yes, Lee Child the author of Jack Reacher had creative control." To an extent - but you can tell where it has story padding not seen in the books. At least 1-2 episodes are straight filler content and it left me more than a little frustrated by the end. Not to mention the part where he almost dies after ambusing a guy less than half his size with a fraction of his hand to hand combat experience due to his rich kid status. No one can make me believe that Child's wanted to dilute Reacher in that pathetic fashion. Also it felt like the series was trying way too hard to make Reacher seem more human instead of just letting his actions speak for themselves. Having read the books after seeing the Cruise films I enjoyed both, but the books more. I can definitely say I enjoyed this series a lot, but it also feel it wasted almost as much potential as it achieved.
Yeah, it reminds me of Altered Carbon where the ending in the satellite has all the girls helping him because the showrunner decided Takeshi couldn't do it all alone.
"this it the best entertainment media in years" No, there are actually better things, you just have to look for them, who knew. Seems like a solid show though.
They actually object to him interfering constantly throughout the season and confront him about his ways and methods of "solving problems". The dilemma is that without him they won't be able to solve the problems by the book because the enemies know the book by heart and twist it in every way possible, making it near impossible to arrest them through normal legal means, what with bribing people in local law enforcement and what not. They're not just blindly accepting the dumb "the ends justify the means" ridiculousness, and I like that.
Yeah I also thought it was like everyone is so corrupt they don’t know who to trust and they know since he has a personal investment he at least can be trusted to want to find truth and catch the bad guys
This show is fantastic. One of the best adaptations of a book I’ve ever seen. It seriously does respect Killing floor and its characters, not just faithfully adapting it but the things it did add were very strong as well.
"I’ll end your life with one phone." This line was delivered so fucking cold and hilarious at the same time lmfao. Amazing, amazing show. Can’t wait for S2.
Alan Ritchson is basically perfect as Reacher. He’s exactly like Lee Child described him physically, but actually is more developed and infused with personality than the book version, which I liked. The action was awesome, the supporting cast was really on point and the plot was simple but very effective and engaging. I am excited for Season 2!
and the best thing they didn't try to squeeze in multiple books in one season. This was the first book. so we can go 20+ season for this show if each season is covering one book. Which I won't mind at all.
@@AshrakAhmed Except in this case I think it's more due to a lack of acting ability than character development. There are ways to play a emotionally cold character while still being emotionally engaging. The Mandalorian for example. But I just can't get past the feeling that this is a guy hired solely for his looks and build.
I frikking love how sometimes he acts like a detective, like when he gets into the police station and he scans the room and notices theres a guy that was in the army just by looking how he ties his shoes.
My wife and I don't watch TV shows that much and she despises most live action. Yet after seeing this video months ago I sat down and watched the first episode by myself. After that I told her we both need to watch it, we literally watched the whole season start to finish from 9pm to 5am in one night, then we stayed up for another hour just talking about the show and are both super pumped for season 2.
Yep Reacher shocked me honestly. I turned on the show as background noise not expecting much because Amazon but it's pretty damn good. Not trying too hard, just good action with a decent enough story and characters.
@@Jona_The_Than_D The book is, sure. The TV series is pretty mediocre. The actor has the physical resemblance but clearly lacks the acting chops. If anything I like this version even less than Tom Cruise's. Tom Cruise can at least be seen as a "different take on the source material", this one just feels like a cheap imitation. Either way, I'd strongly recommend Lee Child's source material over either movie or the TV show. If I have to rank it's book >> first movie > TV > second movie.
Amazon has some good ones: - The Boys (9,5/10) - Invincible (9,5/10) - Bosch (9/10) - Absentia (9/10) - Hanna (especially the first season) (8,7/10) - Carnival Row (8/10) Apparently The Expanse and Jack Ryan (first season) are good too, but I haven't watched those yet.
@@haitianxu pretty sure noone wanted any awards when making Reacher, so who cares? I for one am a cynical bastard, but yet found it entertaining. Don't get too wrapped up in pomp and circumstance, you'll just disappoint yourself.
One part that made me spontaneously laugh was the kid at the fair: "Why are you so big?" and without skipping a beat , Reacher replies: "Genetics." His delivery was perfect. It wasn't shaming anyone without genetics like his, it wasn't egotistical, there was no bravado to it. It was just delivered with the perfect tone of facts - just like Reacher. No BS, just "That's how it is" I don't know why that line sticks out so much for me, but yeah this show was damn good.
That's in the books, too -- it's made very clear that Reacher is basically a mutant. Abnormal size, muscles that don't require exercise, abnormal strength for his size, autistic attention to detail, photographic memory... he's like Batman - a 1 in 1000000 fluke of DNA that makes him perfect for what he does.
95 grain 9mm aren't usually subsonic. For subsonic, it makes more sense to use heavier bullets, typically heavier than 140 grains. The heavier weight allows for more energy to be delivered to the target using less velocity. The equation is E=1/2*m*v^2. It's a small writing mistake, but most people don't know that.
Didn't believe you, read the books, and didn't want my perception to be ruined, and it was fucking perfect. The pacing was perfect, never felt bored, all the cuts between plots and flashbacks felt natural. Glad I didn't listen, and watched it.
never bored? this show is the definition of "1 step forward, 2 steps behind". Nothing interesting ever happens, plot twists are boring and predictable, every time someone except Reacher discovers a clue or a trace and they follow it, it takes up the whole fucking 45 minutes of the episode only for them to discover (multiple times) that it was all useless and the actual right theory was the one Reacher had all along, because hey he's the main protagonist, he's never wrong, even though he's a 6"8 insane former police officer with nothing to lose that beats up people like a fucking blacksmith. And I would be perfectly fine with that, if the plot actually progressed: in the span of 4 episodes (about 5 hours of screen time) they managed to introduce 1 single character that in the end turned out to be completely useless for the investigation because she just died in the most boring way possible before being of any help. The dialogs are also boring and at times even plain stupid. To be fair the only good thing are the fights that are really well choreographed. Overall the show is good but really frustrating at times
Roscoe is different in the show than in the book, but I actually found myself liking the show's version of her. Capable, yet not a product of THE MESSAGE. She actually acts like she has genuine police training and can hold her own, yet her limits are believable when pitted against Reacher's expertise. Love this show.
Even the writer Lee Child liked the show version better. He said he would have brought the character back had he seen what a great character Roscoe would be. "I was so sad I would never see Finley or Roscoe again. I mean, literally, I was almost in tears at that prospect."
My husband and I loved this show; spot on analysis on Reacher's personality and his knowledge of human nature. One of my favorite scenes is when, after several episodes, he (and we the audience) think we know all there is to know about Finley when during a stakeout, as he's playing with his wedding ring, Reacher sarcastically tells him that it's time to get over his divorce. That's when Finley tells him his isn't divorced, his wife died and the reason he left Boston to move south was that he missed her so damn much, it was too painful to live where every street, every building, hell even the weather, reminded him of her. It shuts Reacher right up and he doesn't treat it like it's nothing. It's a great scene and one that really makes Finley's character make sense, why he's so stubborn and determined to do the right thing.
to my mind the first jack reacher film is perfect. I still get goosebumps watching it. given this endorsement of the show I know what I am doing today.
Margrave was a makeshift town made in Pickering Ontario Canada as I worked on this show. The cast and crew for the first season were absolutely amazing people. Us location support personnel are still in mourning for the loss of a night shift worker who had a heart attack and passed away while doing security on location at the town. They actually shut down production for the whole day because of the incident.
@@Gyrfalcon312 yeah! I think it’s where it’s like for kids and they’re like what are you looking at, and he says three drunk kids with broken bones or something, and he says there’s four of us and he says one of these got to drive to the hospital lol so fucking bad ass
I read the whole Reacher collection by Lee Child, and this show ABSOLUTELY did the novels justice. I hope future seasons cover the other stories, they're all well written and very very entertaining
Just finished it all in one day. It was really done well, i really grew attached to the main characters. I wasn’t told to believe they where badass, I actually believed they were badass. Even his friend Frances Neagley, who we didn’t see much of, compared to the main three, was believable.
I just binged all of season 1 last night. And it’s honestly one of the best action projects I’ve seen in recent months! Props to Amazon for actually making their action related shows seriously! It’s so good😁
I feel the same way about Ritchson's Reacher that I felt about Connery’s Bond-how the hell would they ever replace this actor if this series lives on the way the James Bond books have.
In Stephen King's novel UINDER THE DOME, the lead character, "Barbie" was told by a top military official that one of the reasons they wanted him in charge because they heard some good things about him from Jack Reacher.
The casting for Reacher here is fantastic, the show so well displays the absolute physical terror that this dude is. Prob the most unrealistic thing about the whole show is how many people willingly try to step to the man. What sane person in their right mind would want a physical conflict with that guy????
Most of the people he fights were hired by the people who ran the counterfeit empire, so they are obligated to do so. And they wouldn't want the torture crew to come to their house
@@DomH75 I'm about the tv Reacher's size and build. I do powerlifting and boxing. I'm a bit heavier maybe, not so chiseled, and it's been about 10 years anyone has tried to have a fight with me outside of the ring.
10 years ago I would have watched Reacher and thought that it was entertaining and competently done. Its not groundbreaking in any way, just well made and what you would expect high paid experts could pull of. Nowadays it seems like a dying art and is worthy of a special shoutout. Sad.
Reacher is Batman without the suit and wealth but wouldn't give a second thought about killing someone. Alan even looks perfecf as Bruce Wayne. Love it.
I've read all the Reacher books and I must say how bloody impressed I am with the TV show. Ritchson kills it as Reacher, even though he isn't as at home in the role as he could be yet. I am so looking forward to some of the other books being filmed - at last stuff is being produced that satisfies all (sane) audiences. It's like the book reviewers say - every man wants to be Jack Reacher and every woman wants to be with him. I am hoping to see an adaptation of The Affair come out!
It was great! I only wanted to watch the first episode at 11 pm and somehow I finished the show and I didn’t get a minute of sleep that night. But it was totally worth it!
Loved this show. So refreshing to see a show that balances a decent plot, an ‘unflagged’ diverse cast, some very satisfying (but thoroughly justified) violence, and an actually intelligent protagonist, all without force feeding the Message. Top notch. 👍
I just watched the entire first season of Reacher and was taken in by its Western noir feel. It's also good to see an alpha male in a lead role for a change.
It's a fantastic series. It's also a throwback to an era when we weren't afraid to offend EVERYTHING and EVERYONE. Solid show, great pacing, and great cast. We loved every minute of it.
I think it's less offend and more not looking over our backs over every little idea and line in hopes we're not displeasing the audience that isn't even watching or likely don't care.
Ah fuck off. People got triggered even back then. Either it was comic books, Rock music, heavy metal, Clockwork orange or literally any Anime. Spare me the nonsenseii
@@josebrown5961 careful, Banshee is pretty woke. It has a trans character who kicks ass and a couple bad ass strong women, like Nola Longshadow and Carrie/Ana. Not to mention a diverse police department.
What I love about this show: everyone gives respect to Reacher. They may disagree with him, joke with him, hate him, but end of day he’s the man in charge
The whole series is a great throwback to the 80's action genre, a big strapping hero kicking ass like it's nobody's business. Definitely a breath of fresh air.
I think it still follows "THE MESSAGE", but the producers get this one right! It works through Rosco (and Neagly to an extent), who is a strong character on her own, without being a Mary-Sue. She gets angry, even violent when she needs to, and she's confident rather than condescending. (Hello Disney and Paramount, did you watch this!) Her and Neagley both understand Reacher's personality and COOPERATE with him, rather than constantly berate his brutish behavior. They do get their well-placed one-liners in where appropriate, which keeps the dialoge snappy and balances the mood in those scenes well. This is some of the best IP development I have seen in a decade. Here's hoping it sticks around, we need more like it.
It was almost in mid season, I already invested heavily in the series when Neagley introduced. I was so afraid they gonna ruin the series by using her to push 'THE MESSAGE', but thank goodness they didn't! She become my #2 fav character, love her intelligence almost met as the same as Reacher, she become a strong character because of her strength, not making Reacher weaker... I hope Lee Child will always involved in all upcoming seasons.
Been a Reacher creature for decades. Couldn't have been happier with this adaptation. Alan Ritchson being a young man as well opens up the possibility of several adaptations.
I don't think he's a good actor, and he is constantly smirking which is really annoying. Even when he finds his dead brother he's like :) And the black guy is even worse
I am a pretty conservative guy, and I never read the Reacher books, so to me, Tom Cruise was the original Reacher. And I kinda had a hard time accepting the giant in the Amazon show. But thanks to this channel, now I started watching it, and I have to say it is one of the best series of this kind I have seen in a long time. Big thanks to the Drinker, who took so many hits for the team over the years. Watching bad movies and stupid shows so we don't have to. And still pointing the way to the good stuff. Thanks.
Amazon nailed the reacher in the books. (for the most part) I listened to the audible audio books while driving too and from work. They are great entertainment when driving. They do get repetitive after about the first 5 or 6.
I never read the books before seeing the Cruise version either, and I really liked his performance in those movies. I did read the first book before I heard about the show, and I loved this new Reacher. I consider Cruise’s Reacher to be a “loosely based on” version now, instead of a “true to source” character. In my mind, he’s the underdog type, the one you aren’t intimidated by (because of his smaller size) that become a threat when you realize he can drop you in a second. New Reacher is immediately intimidating because of his size, but is silently intelligent and observant, which people might not expect at first glance. I haven’t read further books in the series, but I did buy a few, so I’m hoping to see more of this excellent show.
@@whitewolf3615 i liked the first movie watched it and became interested in the lore ironically because of articles about the controversy surrounding Cruise casting himself in the role saw the first movie in theaters loved it started reading the books in order (im at the 13th book in the series currently) saw the movie sequel I hated it i really wish they got Chris McQuarrie back to write and direct the 2nd outing the first movie i can watch over and over and never get tired of it felt more like a Lee Child story with a theatrical spin the sequel just felt like a run of the mill action thriller.
@@Critical_libertarian I definitely preferred the first movie too. I liked some scenes in the second one, and I’d watch it again if I were doing like a marathon of the movies/show, but the first one was much better. I just really like Tom Cruise’s action scenes. I think, because he does a lot of his own stunts (all?), they always look really good.
The books are in a weird place of being pretty good, and completely forgettable But for a mystery series...that's a good thing. Because it means you can revisit them at a later date and still get as much enjoyment as you did the first time
BEST SHOW on Amazon right now, can't wait for season two in Sept of 23. So far I have rewatched this 5 times. This is the Reacher I wanted the Cruise movies to be but instead they gave us the Cruise movies, none of which I ever watched. And never will. Thank You Amazon. Now where is season two of WAYNE??
I put him up there with RDJ as Tony Stark, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Heath Ledger as the Joker. Alan Ritchson as Reacher is one of those rare perfect castings. Not only perfect for the part but even elevates the character/story. Just phenomenal. Currently enjoying the second season.
In the novels, Reacher is described as 35, 6 feet, 5 inches, “extremely tall, extremely broad, long-armed, and long-legged.” As a big fan of the books, Tom Cruise didn't work on any level for me, not just the obvious physical. Very much looking forward to binge the series!
In the novels, he actually ages, and technology progresses. In the early novels cell phones didn't really exist, or were very rare. In the more recent novels, they are commonplace.
@@douglaswilliams6834 Oh good to know. I haven't read any of the newer books yet. I'm glad things actually progress. Nothing worse than characters and times that never change in a series.
Okay, physically, he definitely didn't match the description, but Tom Cruise is definitely a much better a actor and more charismatic. I like both, but Alan's acting is slightly underwhelming imo.
Alan's not 6'5 either. He is 6'2, it pissed me off when his character would say in some episodes 6'5 bla bla. That's like 5'9 guys claiming 6' on tinder lol
Just a note on Tom Cruise, he basically produced the films himself and inserted himself into the role because hes such a mega fan boy of the books. i can half and half see his motivations, but he shouldve restrained himself and cast someone else instead
He has a legion of people who basically think he's their god -- that HAS to affect your ego. But he did an impressive job of acting like he was twice as big.
He wasn’t true to the books, but I thought the first Reacher movie was good. Tom Cruise carries a similar ‘screen presence” visually that I imagine Reacher’s size/muscle to carry in words. He wasn’t the best choice, but it could have been worse. Cruise can act, fight, and shoot, so he did fine.
@@NoBody-pw3kf Yes. Most soldiers are fat and lazy bags of shit that stroll around town with their BDUs looking for people to 'thank' them. I say that because only about 20% are actual door kickers. The rest are support.
I had no desire whatsoever to watch Reacher. My teenage son kept asking me to watch it with him, so I finally gave in. I'm so glad he kept at me to watch it - it was fantastic!! My son and I absolutely loved it. Can't wait for season two!
Alan Ritchman was the perfect choice to play this character. Everything said in this video was spot on about this series. Take a bow Prime you deserve it.
And their user base seems to like it a damn lot too. I wouldn't guess in a million years that the same network producing the Rings of Power could ever hit a subtle home run like this.
I didn’t pay any attention to this show when it came out a year ago. Yesterday, I stumbled across a CZcams clip of the opening scene in which he’s in a diner, about to eat a slice of peach cobbler, and is arrested for murder before he can take a single bite. I was curious about what happens next, so I went to Amazon Prime to watch a bit more. I ended up binging the entire eight-episode first season in one day. It’s THAT good. Also, I now have a crush on Willa Fitzgerald.
This show was really one in a thousand. It hits every nail of the character and the books, was well made, well played and overall a very good watch. I hope the next season will be at the same quality level. This was one of the best shows ever produced to VOD. I watched it twice - and everytime I binged it withing two or three days, It just felt like a long movie - and I adore that.
I liked that the support cast actually complimented the main character rather than undermining him. The few times he does get chewed out by them he actually deserves it and takes the points on board. I was also very happy he got to finally enjoy some peach pie.
I loved the fact that when he did get the pie, instead of the expected Hollywood "Best I've ever had" response, the character stays true to form and says he's had better. If you look at the pie they gave him, it looks like a store bought pie, which will be fine, but not great.
One of my favorite scenes in this show was when Reacher and Finlay were arguing and fighting in the parking lot and Roscoe got between them. She calmed tensions but didn't do the typical "stop comparing sizes alpha males" thing women do in most shows and instead just tried to stop angry and stressed people from harming one another. It was a breath of fresh air to see a woman act like an individual in a modern show
I also liked that unlike the usual 'woman stops two angry men from going off on each other' scene, Roscoe wasn't afraid to use her femininity as a weapon. Because while they didn't lampshade it, you could visibly see that what backed Reacher down was her unstated challenge 'Are you really willing to knock down a woman half your size who's never done you any wrong, just because she's standing between you and a guy you're angry at? Because I don't think you're that kind of asshole'. And it works, Reacher's just not going to lay a hand on her even though he could crush her with ease because she's right, he's an asshole but he's not /that/ kind of asshole. A scene that outlines that chivalry is a useful trait that helps men be better men without requiring women to be submissive? What heresy was this?
You must have watched a different version to me. In the one I saw, she just says “you’re not the kind of person to beat up someone half your size for no reason”.
@@Skilan506 me too. But they could take some creative liberty with bringing them in again. They introduced Nealy is S01, but she wasn't introduced until the 8th book, I believe.
Reacher is an amazing show, almost completely faithful to the source material, but the books, the books are just perfect. Well written, well sourced, excellent reading.
Perfect is too strong for me but they are good. I can't wait for them to do; Worth Dying For, Persuader, Without Fail, Enemy, Bad Luck And Trouble. They're bangers.
@@meris8486 true, perfect is bit too hyperbolic for generalities. It’s perfect for me, they have everything I want in a book. Reacher ain’t alone in that category, the Puller series, most of James Patterson’s catalog, there’s just certain things about those books that do it for me every time man. Heck, even some Memory Man, but def not all the books in his series.
Very good show. I wish there was more of this kind of television on these days. Shows that are well written and a challenge to follow, and not too easy to predict what will happen next.
One of the best shows I've ever watched! It was exactly how I imagined Reacher was whilst reading the books. Really looking forward to the second season, hopefully 61 hours.
Ya know, seeing Wokeness destroy Franchises left and right is all the more bizzare when you see real, normal Representation also totally being a Thing. It's really funny to see so many Franchises be destroyed by Twisted Diversity, literally WHILE real Representation also exists. Owl House has a Lesbian Couple as Protag's and it's just fine. They're real characters and not planks of wood. Compare that to ST-Discovery. And Amphibia has a Character people think has Autism but it's literally so subtle it's only theorized and no big deal.
@@loturzelrestaurant Arcane has a massive variety of diverse characters but that's also not forced, the story revolves around who they and not WHAT they are.
There's a reason Tom Cruise was Reacher in his movies, he was an executive producer. He wanted to be Jack, despite lacking in the height and build department. This rendition is phenomenal though. Great show. Glad you did a review. Been itching to see your take on it
Tom Cruise owns, or at least owned the rights to Reacher just like with Mission Impossible. Without him these movies weren't ever going to get made. So as far as that goes, something is better than nothing...right? I'm not sure if he sold off the rights to amazon for Reacher or if that only applied to movies though.
Aside from some blatant weapons and military errors it's an enjoyable show. Thanks for covering it! (I do however find it odd that with so many veterans and firearms experts out there Hollywood still screws things up) You played a clip of one of their reoccurring errors, "9mm 95gr, that's subsonic". In reality, 95gr is lighter and faster than standard 115gr or 124gr 9mm ammunition. It's a simple error, but also an easy fix. If they wanted to keep the subsonic story it should have been 147gr or heavier.
@@MementoMorituri yeah, it just blows me away when research is as easy as it's ever been. Just a quick search for "subsonic 9mm" would have given them an answer. Maybe I'm extra sensitive to it as a firearms journalist, but the right answer is so readily available! Why be wrong?
Writers seem to think that if they regurgitate enough generic gun language they sound like firearm experts. Not to mention, anybody who has used or is familiar with them would have said "suppressor" rather than silencer, but this kind of stuff is to be expected from Hollywood.
I love the reacher books one of my favorite series ever. And I really appreciated what they did with this show it actually feels like it’s straight from one of the books
Thank you for this series Drinker! I had initially dismissed this show based on the muscle bound look of the lead. This series and its star, Ritchson reminded me not to judge a book by its cover. I expect to be seeing both Ritchson and Fitzgerald in bigger projects after this. I’ll be looking for more from the writers of this series too. They had me actually LOL. Well done!
The ironic thing is that this does "The Message" quite well, it just doesn't have to rub our faces in it for the entire run time! A black detective and a female police officer are very much on "Message", but because someone can actually write a story, they are part of the story rather than being a box-ticker. Any time a film or tv series needs to go "LOOK, LOOK, DIVERSITY!!! EMPOWERMENT!!!" at me, then it's actually failing at "The Message", But here it's simply the main protagonist is a bloke, one of the other protagonists is a woman, another is black, all have their strengths and weaknesses that compliment and counteract to make up a whole. The story is then like; can we get on with this cool plot now. THAT for me is how to do "The Message". It shouldn't NEED cramming down our throats, it should just be well-written characters telling a great story. A well written female character that contributes her own skills and abilities to the overall plot while growing and developing as a character is a much better female empowerment message than a Mary Sue!
Yeah. I mean, 'The Message' would have had the female characters fight like men... but they don't. Roscoe is scrappy and brave as hell, and you put a gun in her hand and she can shoot as well as anyone else, but in her one hand-to-hand sequence versus a larger man she does *not* do the Buffy thing, she instead gets *tossed around like a beanbag* because that is what happens when a tiny woman has to fight a large hefty guy. She still won, but it was not by much, and it was definitely not by outmuscling her opponent. Or punching him. Or anything with bare hands. Which was a delightful thing on itself, but an even more delightful thing when contrasted with Neagley's /successful/ hand-to-hand battle... because Neagley is not only unusually tall and buff for a woman, she was literally taller and more cut than most of the male cast. Seriously, woman must have gotten lost on her way from Wakanda, because I've seen wimpier-looking women in the Dora Milaje. So when /she/ wrestles with a guy, she's able to manhandle him enough to get advantage, then get herself clear, and then get her gun out, as opposed to being tossed around. IOW, the show did not take a position of either men being superior hand-to-hand fighters /or/ women being superior, it took a position of 'it depends on how much advantage you have over your opponent re: size/speed/strength as well as skill, regardless of plumbing'. And when's the last time you saw a fictional property do that?
Exactly. It managed to work in black characters without having to have them practically stop and look at the screen and say "Racism is bad don't be racist" I was half expecting Finley's wife to actually be more of a husband and they'd preach that way but gladly not. To be clear I'm all for diversity it's just the blatant preaching that puts me right the fuck off, telling people not to be racist, homophobic, transphobic or whatever isn't the way to do it, the way you actually encourage people to change is to craft characters with these labels that people will actually like, loosening the hold peoples prejudices have. That's how I realized homophobia is pointless cringe anyway. Talentless writers who only know how to have characters shout political messages at the screen shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a script.
Its all done with taste, subtlety and most importantly, without compromising what the show is about. It lacks, or at least hides the politics very well. I like this show!
I thought that was one of the best things about this show. The character writing is really well done. The side-kicks are more than just checking boxes, they are actual characters.
For me Reacher feels like that student in class that is not the most intelligent kid in the school, but works hard, never fails to do the homework, studies at home every day and is always on time. Reacher might not have the brilliant scripts, great budget or amazing cast than other shows like Peaky Blinders, the Expanse or Breaking Bad, but it´s so competent at what it is that it´s hard not to love it.
After bingeing this show in less than two days; all really wanted after (other than a second season ofc) was for the drinker to watch it, I knew you would like it :) Also, if someone had told me ten years ago that the guy who played Thad Castle in Blue Mountain State would grow into becoming a smart, articulate, and poignant actor, I would have laughed in their face, Alan Ritchson has come a long way.
Just needed enough time to pass for people to stop seeing him as Thad. Which I still do, but I still think he did a great job in this. Thad was too iconic to forget about lmao. Time for your oil change!
@@DoctaFlood He's very good as Thad Castle. BMS is one of my favorite shows, except that movie that movie NEVER happened. But I have to admit he has acting range and far more then I expected. He was a really good Reacher and I'd like a second season of Reacher and to see Alan Ritchson in more things.
Saw this review and because of this I checked out the series and enjoyed it a lot. Excellent show great intrigue and brutal action. Alan Ritchson put his all into this as did everyone else.
It's been over a year since this show came out, and it is still in the top 10 on Amazon. It never once left it, where as Rings of Power left it in a couple months. This shows what "modern audiences" really want. More stuff like Reacher which didn't preach, had reasonable diversity, and let all the characters have different strengths and different weaknesses. It is a damn good show.
The best part about this show was that Alan went to the Henry Cavill school of caring about and respecting the source material. Alan read every book so he could get his character DOWN, I respect dedication like that.
Exactly. Your job as an actor is pretty limited. The least you can do is know what character you're supposed to be playing.
I just really hope this doesn't go the way of so many other properties and and get woke/fucked up in season two. I never read the books but really enjoyed this series and from what I have been hearing, it was pretty close to the novel. I want to enjoy this series for a long time.
Henry Cavill has respect for source material? Sure he might have been decent in the witcher but he's the worst version of superman ever.
@@jamiedrury9656 that's the directors fault.
@@trevorfilis537 I'm not really a fan of mysteries or modern adventure books, outside the Destroyer series, but I've read every book in this series. There have been occasional flubs but overall I have never really been disappointed in the books. and the show was so spot on that I didn't leave for the weekend in order to watch it all at once.
When he said, "I'm about to break the hands of three drunk kids," and the other guy said, "There's four of us," and then he said, "One of you needs to be able to drive to the hospital," I knew I was watching the right show.
I think that quote comes straight from the book.
@@lesflynn4455 forget the quote, that whole scene isn't even in the book, am reading it currently.... I started reacher after reading about 60% of the book, so everything is fresh in my mind, I wanted to check how to compares to the source material....
@@meramail Oh well I was wrong, thanks for the correction. It's probably been over 15 years since I read it.
Fourth kid:
"I know where the hospital is." 😄
It is from a book, just not the killing floor
They treated Roscoe perfectly, that's what a small badass chick should be like. When it came to hand to hand, even the old ass mayor kicked her ass, but she fucked people up with smarts, technique and firepower
To be fair, that "old ass mayor" looks like hes about 250 pounds with a cane that has a diamond that probably weighs a pound by itself.
Neagley was also well written and a real badass
Totally, I love her character.
The desert eagle was a bit much as a "yeah here's my spare gun" though lol
@@chuckfinley4292 The Desert Eagle was given to her as a gift and she kept it locked away, though. It's not like she bought it and carried it around.
It was nice to watch a show and not even think about “the message”
They managed to make the female protagonist in this strong and independent without being asses about it and showing it down your throat.
funny thing about the modern 'strong female character' is that they are basically all the toxic masculinity traits stuffed into one character but it is fine because a woman can't be toxicly masculine! lol
And they didn't need to make Reacher an idiot to do it.
Yeah they did a really good job at conveying her strengths an frustrations with men while not making it illogical or out of place while simultaneously making a great character arc out of it with her realizing sometimes you just do need the help. Goodwin was also fucking awesome! They portray southern racism in proper context, and they show him dealing with it in a way that is believable and satisfying. Everything just feels natural, not forced. It acknowledges the world for how it really is and not how snowflakes THINK it is. All the supporting cast show great strength without it being out of place. This show was so refreshing and a nod to the good old days of crime drama.
And she was delicious
@Kai 🏳️🌈 ⃠ I think that's the point he was making...
The protagonist really feels like real life batman honestly. Smart, notices small things, understands how people work and can beat the shit out of you
@what now NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
thats a LOT of animal feed
The irony of this comment since alan also plays hawk in the enjoyable shitstorm that "TITANS" is.
Mix of Batman and Shawn Spencer
But he's also a fictional character.
The best thing about this show's casting choices is that it's justified in the writing. The random Harvard Educated black man living in a small town in the South is written _into_ the character's backstory and his arc in the show. Zero problems there.
That could have been ridiculous but he was a great character.
I loved him and I liked the back and forth between him and Reacher. What a good character.
I mean he’s there in the book too and he’s also goated
I read drinkers first novel. The English dude was a bit of a self insert wank fest. But drinker got better at writing with age, like any fine booze should
Maybe, but why did they cast the cop from I, Zombie to be the, surprise, cop in this one. He even got to bring his stupid shoulder holster. The guy is awful as an actor.
I read the first couple of books and Lee Child lacks as a writer. And he’s a Canadian who’s not down with the 2A. His lack of firearms knowledge shows up as a series of 80’s cliches about “cool/scary” firearms. They should have a pro look over his writing before they let it out into the wild. The basic stories are actually pretty good and maybe he smoothed out his writing style the way Vince Flynn did but I didn’t stick around to find out.
I watched this on your recommendation, and it was excellent. My biggest surprise was that despite how big he is, Reacher does not come off as overpowered. He doesn't win every fight, and even fights that he wins he often takes some damage. This is not to say that he comes off as weak either. The show strikes a perfect balance, making him strong and believable.
The other thing is the damage persists. He gets cut, he has a cut the rest of the story. I still don't know how that other actor took the full body tackle from him though. That had to hurt.
@@orionred2489 with the exception where he gets cracked in the face with a crowbar. Was kinda expecting for him to have some swelling after that.
@@anthonystarke893 IRL, his jaw would have been in pieces. No-one in the whole production seems to have held a real crowbar in their lives. This thing moved as if it was made of plastic, and did about as much damage as one as well.
But I was way more disappointed with the below stormtrooper level accuracy of those south american special forces guys. Even when they roll up right behind them and have enough time to aim, they still can't hit anyone, not even graze. And these guys are supposed to be highly trained elite soldiers. Even I shoot better than that, and I've only fired a pistol a few times.
@@raifthemad eh, i’m sure they were aware but wanted you to suspend some disbelief, which i did
@@lordheadass3662 I don't care about what they wanted. It was such a stark contrast to most of the rest of the series, which was actually way more believable, than your average hollywood trash. But at those moments I felt like they just succumbed to the temptation to go full hollywood. Had it been consistently unrealistic, those moments would not have stood out as so jarring.
That 95 grain subsonic line bothered every gun nut and hand loader out there.
Lawyer: "I'll ruin your life with one phone call."
Reacher: "I'll end your life with one phone..."
100% Distilled Awesome.
*Barter* : 100
Bend over for big Jack, that would be 100% better than this show
John Wick "anyone got a pencil?" 😆
@@guyincognito8440 The lawyer was a chess piece in the conspiracy if I remember correctly, so claiming he didn't deserve it doesn't make sense.
@@guyincognito8440 Dude, its just a show. Lee Child is a pretty good writer, but the whole Jack Reacher series gets pretty unbelievable as it goes along: not necessarily because it deals in unrealistic concepts, but because there are 24 books and in each one Reacher comes across some kind of crazy scam/scandal that he has to solve. Its unbelievable because nobody who's just walking across America is going to come into that many situations. I mean, sure, one or two, maybe even three or four (maayyyybeee)...but not twenty-four. I like realism in my entertainment, and it annoys me when they get obvious things wrong for no apparent reason, but going too deep on the 'realism' thing will ruin at least 95% of popular fiction, so I don't.
My Wife and I started episode 1 expecting very little and before we knew it we finished the season.
Same here. My wife and I enjoy good old fashion violence undisturbed by "The Message". We recommend you watch "The Last Ship".
and now you cant remember any of it.
@@celozzip hahaha
@@celozzip
It's difficult to get fat eating popcorn!
Same for me. It was a great surprise and I plan to watch it again.
like how 80% of the people who meets him eats a freshly baked Elbow Pie.
And a knuckle sandwich for a snack
I love the scene where he casually strolls over to the guy who’s eyeballing him, asking him if he wanted to dance. Alan sells every single line, and a warning look from him is actually intimidating. Great casting choice.
I never saw Goodwin as being the token black like 99% other shows do. I completely saw him AS the character and properly cast for it. Kick ass show!
He's an underrated actor who I've liked in other roles he's had such as on iZombie and Breakout Kings.
@@lordshadow19 He really is amazing. I was o glad when I saw he was in the cast. he was perfect for that role. Anyone else would have destroyed it. he has finesse
Enjoyed that part greatly. He was more focused as a character who “ Middle Aged male moves to a small town in the south”. Yes he is black but that’s not the main issue, he is an outsider.
I loved that when he swore it was so awkward.. some might look at it and say bad acting, I think it was brilliant how awkward he made it… he doesn’t swear so when he tries to, it didn’t sound right.
He nailed his role for sure.
Exactly. He’s a fully formed interesting human being. Not a place holder for tick-the-box casting.
The thing they nailed with this screen translation of Reacher is that he thinks on screen, the pauses and lack of dialogue matter and they show it. Reacher is by design a simple character, he's credible/ competent because he's an ex military police, he's capable because his built like a brick sh*t house, and his not trapped by modern living, so (as a character) he can cause havoc to solve the immediate problem, but not deal with the fall out as he just move on (metaphor for the army?)
The A team did this in the 80's.
The drinker's correct that this is an old school breath of fresh air in the current climate.
So many modern shows take like an entire episode of filler whilst the characters deal with their feelings, that used to be wrapped up in a scene or two beforehand.
This is one of the few times the I would say that the show is better than the books.
"It looks like this detective could take on Dwayne Johnson and win."
My money would be on Reacher. He would have analyzed the fight before it even started and executed his plan.
This is an 80's action movie done in CURRENT YEAR. Remarkable - like a wooly mammoth coming back to life.
@@mirceazaharia2094 That's a bold claim indeed, a BOLD claim.
I love how military based movies are always grounded in reality
I've read Killing Floor and was pleasantly surprised how faithful this adaptation was. They actually seemed to care about the source material and most importantly casting someone built like Reacher. I really hope they adapt Bad Luck and Trouble, my personal favorite Reacher book.
The 11th novel has been used for the second season.
Whelp you're in luck as season 2 is adapting bad luck and trouble 😂
One lucky dude right herr
Well he isn't because season 2 was shite @@Wp-jv5ed
How did you like Season 2?
You gotta love finley man, he was such a loveable character throughout the entire show and semi spoiler warning, whenever he smokes the cigarette and then flicks it into the oil, it's so badass. The main big 3 characters are all really good and reacher is an amazing main character and this show probably has the most loveable side characters and the most hateable villains. It's just an amazing show and all the twists actually made my jaw drop. Wonderful.
That part where he grabs the cigarettes out of the bad guy’s pocket and says “if I’m gonna die… I’m going to flavor town onnnne last time”, and Reacher lights it for him….. that was one of my FAVORITE parts of the entire season. I rewound it at least 3-4 times to rewatch it 😂
The great thing about Reacher is that he is super intelligent. He’s not just a juggernaut destroying everything. Brains? Brawn? White Male? Straight? Veteran? Holy shit! A diverse supporting cast that is amazing? Imagine that? It’s good!!
With those qualities in 2022, Im sure it will be cancelled soon
@@pluckyduck11y Maybe that's because if a woman or black male get the big roles, it cannot come without the usual pandering to "the message." Imagine a role where the woman is the protagonist in an action film. OH WAIT, we've got one of those called "Captain Marvel." Guess how that turned out? Or how about "Batwoman"? Or "Harley Quinn"? Can you give me one where man are not portrayed as stupid, weak, or hateful? Imagine a "Reacher" where women (as a gender) are portrayed in a negative light by the protagonist and you'll have what most female-led action movies/shows are like except where it's the other way around.
Sign me up for any action show/movie where a woman plays the protagonist that (a) does not come with "the message" and (b) does not show her as someone capable of kicking every male ass despite physical differences. The latter is the main reason why action protagonist roles will go to "not even 1/4 as many" women as they do men.
This is both criticism, and just an observation.
Critical drinker just panders to right wing conservatives I stopped watching his reviews because of it don't get me wrong he can be good reviewer and has shown it but this video is such a prime examples of all his problems he has a reviewer/reactionary
This feels like a Trojan horse. I hope not
@@lb0433 You claim to have 'stopped watching his reviews' yet you seem to know everything about them. Girl, you a fan.
This show was a breath of fresh air. Didn’t want to be overly cerebral, dark or misleading. Good old fashioned casting, writing and realistic action/direction. Not every show needs to be a deep thought provoking social commentary, we’re allowed to like something just because it’s fun.
This film looks deep, without any political megaphones
The "drinker" got this one wrong. The show starts off well enough, but by episode 4 or 5 jumps the shark. Its gratuitously gory, without being "Se7en" clever. The writing becomes too formulaic and simplistic. Ozark and Goliath do a much better job in a similar milieu.
Indeed!
it's still got hallmarks of woke. strong female smarter and toughter than everyone else.smart black man who is the boss of everyone else. also, all the dumb or bad characters are white straight guys
@@cagneybillingsley2165 niga u racist
I loved that Jack Reacher respected knife or club-wielding enemies as much bigger threats, given that even a wimp with a knife can take you out of the fight. I liked seeing that the more skilled bad guys fought better...though they seemed to take Reacher's hits a little too well sometimes.
Concerning the 1v4 (driver doesn't count) in the rain at the abandoned house--Reacher could have just shot them like the 1v2 in an earlier episode. We already know he can basically insta-kill 3 pedos if he gets the jump.
And how did the last guy keep coming up with the crowbar after taking Reacher hits? In turn, how did Reacher survive that many hits to the head with a crowbar? My suspension was being stretched near its limits, but boy was it fun to watch. That villain used the crowbar like he meant it.
Agreed.
For the last fight, i think they stretched the things up because they wanted to make the fight the most epic in a show already full of awesome fights.
I think reacher was probably taught to allow his head to more in the direction of a blunt object as it's hitting you to minimize damage, that with adrenaline can possibly allow someone to survive that many hits to the head and keep going, also helps if you learn towards the hit slightly so there is less leverage on the blunt instrument and therefore less force transmitted to your head. But yeah, it was epic watching him take out that whole hit squad, he acted carefully and didn't attempt theatrics which often kills my immersion in action scenes.
That fight was awesome. Thought it was funny how after he takes his shirt off and there are no cuts or wounds on his body lol
@film fan thanks
The villain was a full psycho. Sometimes they will fight you really well when they mean it.
It's so weird seeing Alen Ritchson play such a quiet, smart and badass character. I remember him in BMS where he was loud, dumb(ish), yet a true bro. Mad props to this show.
Imagine Reacher letting out a Thad Castle high-pitched scream
@@thegreendog I can see him using that as a disguise or distraction. LOL
@@thegreendog I wouldnt be able to handle it. Thad was my favorite BMS character
For me, in the first epizodes I was wondering all the time how is he holding back, I expected some Thad Castle moment.
"The shows called Reacher for a reason, and it never forgets that", tell that to Disney and Marvel. Glad you reviewed this one, this is the best entertainment media in years. And to answer your question Drinker at the end, Yes, Lee Child the author of Jack Reacher had creative control.
"Yes, Lee Child the author of Jack Reacher had creative control."
To an extent - but you can tell where it has story padding not seen in the books.
At least 1-2 episodes are straight filler content and it left me more than a little frustrated by the end.
Not to mention the part where he almost dies after ambusing a guy less than half his size with a fraction of his hand to hand combat experience due to his rich kid status.
No one can make me believe that Child's wanted to dilute Reacher in that pathetic fashion.
Also it felt like the series was trying way too hard to make Reacher seem more human instead of just letting his actions speak for themselves.
Having read the books after seeing the Cruise films I enjoyed both, but the books more.
I can definitely say I enjoyed this series a lot, but it also feel it wasted almost as much potential as it achieved.
Yeah, it reminds me of Altered Carbon where the ending in the satellite has all the girls helping him because the showrunner decided Takeshi couldn't do it all alone.
@@mnomadvfx , well let’s hope they get something right next season….
"this it the best entertainment media in years" No, there are actually better things, you just have to look for them, who knew. Seems like a solid show though.
Don't forget to tell Paramount Plus this about Star Trek Picard.
They actually object to him interfering constantly throughout the season and confront him about his ways and methods of "solving problems". The dilemma is that without him they won't be able to solve the problems by the book because the enemies know the book by heart and twist it in every way possible, making it near impossible to arrest them through normal legal means, what with bribing people in local law enforcement and what not.
They're not just blindly accepting the dumb "the ends justify the means" ridiculousness, and I like that.
That sounds extremely dangerous to our democracy if you catch my drift
It's in the books as well, that's amazing. It's nice to see -finally- your favorite stories brought into life the correct way.
Yeah I also thought it was like everyone is so corrupt they don’t know who to trust and they know since he has a personal investment he at least can be trusted to want to find truth and catch the bad guys
I mean, he tells Finlay about killing the “cleaners” (forgot their actual name) and Finlay just sighs and basically goes, “anyway…”
This show is fantastic. One of the best adaptations of a book I’ve ever seen. It seriously does respect Killing floor and its characters, not just faithfully adapting it but the things it did add were very strong as well.
4:09 That bitch slap in the diner was the best I've EVER SEEN.
I haven't loved a show this much since Daredevil on NF.
"I’ll end your life with one phone." This line was delivered so fucking cold and hilarious at the same time lmfao.
Amazing, amazing show. Can’t wait for S2.
It sucks. They should reboot the show with a funnier and more inclusive cast.
@Reek. Lmao good joke
@@Pikaclev It's not a joke. Couldn't they hire a more suitable lead? OJ Simpson is available.
@@reek4062 Found the troll.
Loved the show
Alan Ritchson is basically perfect as Reacher. He’s exactly like Lee Child described him physically, but actually is more developed and infused with personality than the book version, which I liked. The action was awesome, the supporting cast was really on point and the plot was simple but very effective and engaging. I am excited for Season 2!
and the best thing they didn't try to squeeze in multiple books in one season.
This was the first book.
so we can go 20+ season for this show if each season is covering one book.
Which I won't mind at all.
Really? I tried watching it but the guy seems like he's made of plastic with no facial expressions.
Loved season one. Now i wonder if Amazon of LoTR murder fame won't pull the Hollyweird old "bait and switch" with a disaster of a wokefied season two.
@@khyronkravshera7774 well that's how he is in the book.
no emotion just passive aggressive
@@AshrakAhmed Except in this case I think it's more due to a lack of acting ability than character development. There are ways to play a emotionally cold character while still being emotionally engaging. The Mandalorian for example. But I just can't get past the feeling that this is a guy hired solely for his looks and build.
I frikking love how sometimes he acts like a detective, like when he gets into the police station and he scans the room and notices theres a guy that was in the army just by looking how he ties his shoes.
My wife and I don't watch TV shows that much and she despises most live action. Yet after seeing this video months ago I sat down and watched the first episode by myself. After that I told her we both need to watch it, we literally watched the whole season start to finish from 9pm to 5am in one night, then we stayed up for another hour just talking about the show and are both super pumped for season 2.
Yep Reacher shocked me honestly. I turned on the show as background noise not expecting much because Amazon but it's pretty damn good. Not trying too hard, just good action with a decent enough story and characters.
@@Jona_The_Than_D i bet you cant remember any of it
@@Jona_The_Than_D The book is, sure. The TV series is pretty mediocre. The actor has the physical resemblance but clearly lacks the acting chops. If anything I like this version even less than Tom Cruise's. Tom Cruise can at least be seen as a "different take on the source material", this one just feels like a cheap imitation. Either way, I'd strongly recommend Lee Child's source material over either movie or the TV show. If I have to rank it's book >> first movie > TV > second movie.
Amazon has some good ones:
- The Boys (9,5/10)
- Invincible (9,5/10)
- Bosch (9/10)
- Absentia (9/10)
- Hanna (especially the first season) (8,7/10)
- Carnival Row (8/10)
Apparently The Expanse and Jack Ryan (first season) are good too, but I haven't watched those yet.
@@haitianxu pretty sure noone wanted any awards when making Reacher, so who cares? I for one am a cynical bastard, but yet found it entertaining. Don't get too wrapped up in pomp and circumstance, you'll just disappoint yourself.
@@BuriedDutchman I'd throw "Goliath", "Tin Star", "The man in the high castle", and "homecoming" on that list too.
One part that made me spontaneously laugh was the kid at the fair: "Why are you so big?"
and without skipping a beat , Reacher replies: "Genetics." His delivery was perfect. It wasn't shaming anyone without genetics like his, it wasn't egotistical, there was no bravado to it. It was just delivered with the perfect tone of facts - just like Reacher. No BS, just "That's how it is"
I don't know why that line sticks out so much for me, but yeah this show was damn good.
Wasn't the question about how much he eats?
That's in the books, too -- it's made very clear that Reacher is basically a mutant. Abnormal size, muscles that don't require exercise, abnormal strength for his size, autistic attention to detail, photographic memory... he's like Batman - a 1 in 1000000 fluke of DNA that makes him perfect for what he does.
Ha... "genes matter".
I wonder how many people that line actually "triggered"?
I wonder if the screenwriter INTENDED to trigger some people?
@@nyetzdyec3391 he triggered you with his anti police messaging. Going through with the all cops are bitches (corrupt and evil) cliche.
Uh... Work out, plenty of rest. You know, eat your green vegetables.
95 grain 9mm aren't usually subsonic. For subsonic, it makes more sense to use heavier bullets, typically heavier than 140 grains. The heavier weight allows for more energy to be delivered to the target using less velocity. The equation is E=1/2*m*v^2. It's a small writing mistake, but most people don't know that.
Didn't believe you, read the books, and didn't want my perception to be ruined, and it was fucking perfect. The pacing was perfect, never felt bored, all the cuts between plots and flashbacks felt natural. Glad I didn't listen, and watched it.
HUH ?
never bored? this show is the definition of "1 step forward, 2 steps behind". Nothing interesting ever happens, plot twists are boring and predictable, every time someone except Reacher discovers a clue or a trace and they follow it, it takes up the whole fucking 45 minutes of the episode only for them to discover (multiple times) that it was all useless and the actual right theory was the one Reacher had all along, because hey he's the main protagonist, he's never wrong, even though he's a 6"8 insane former police officer with nothing to lose that beats up people like a fucking blacksmith. And I would be perfectly fine with that, if the plot actually progressed: in the span of 4 episodes (about 5 hours of screen time) they managed to introduce 1 single character that in the end turned out to be completely useless for the investigation because she just died in the most boring way possible before being of any help. The dialogs are also boring and at times even plain stupid. To be fair the only good thing are the fights that are really well choreographed. Overall the show is good but really frustrating at times
@@jackpiki lil bro don't watch if you don't like it. I thought it was pretty good.
@@peasantofpersia if you actually read my comment you'll find that I also said it was a good show overall, I just pointed out what I didnt like
@@jackpiki *you* think it's like that. Welcome to subjective opinions, let me enjoy what I wanna enjoy :)
Roscoe is different in the show than in the book, but I actually found myself liking the show's version of her. Capable, yet not a product of THE MESSAGE. She actually acts like she has genuine police training and can hold her own, yet her limits are believable when pitted against Reacher's expertise. Love this show.
this show sucked. But I would love to get behind little Roscoe :)
@@reek4062 wrong and low IQ
@@reek4062 Ew dude.
@@CockatooDude OK cockadude. Lol
Even the writer Lee Child liked the show version better. He said he would have brought the character back had he seen what a great character Roscoe would be. "I was so sad I would never see Finley or Roscoe again. I mean, literally, I was almost in tears at that prospect."
My husband and I loved this show; spot on analysis on Reacher's personality and his knowledge of human nature.
One of my favorite scenes is when, after several episodes, he (and we the audience) think we know all there is to know about Finley when during a stakeout, as he's playing with his wedding ring, Reacher sarcastically tells him that it's time to get over his divorce. That's when Finley tells him his isn't divorced, his wife died and the reason he left Boston to move south was that he missed her so damn much, it was too painful to live where every street, every building, hell even the weather, reminded him of her. It shuts Reacher right up and he doesn't treat it like it's nothing. It's a great scene and one that really makes Finley's character make sense, why he's so stubborn and determined to do the right thing.
I'm not surprised you and your husband love the show.
Agreed. The wife and daughter enjoyed it also.
Good shows are rare these days, I sure hope there’s more seasons.
to my mind the first jack reacher film is perfect. I still get goosebumps watching it. given this endorsement of the show I know what I am doing today.
Margrave was a makeshift town made in Pickering Ontario Canada as I worked on this show. The cast and crew for the first season were absolutely amazing people. Us location support personnel are still in mourning for the loss of a night shift worker who had a heart attack and passed away while doing security on location at the town.
They actually shut down production for the whole day because of the incident.
That's sad to hear
Sure bud, I'm sure you were there, man.
Parts of it were also shot in Georgetown, and I'm pretty sure Orangeville.
KJ killed him and had it covered it up
I was blown away it wasn’t actually filmed somewhere in Georgia, with as much Filming that is done here.
There’s something endlessly satisfying about a tough guy threatening bad guys calmly, them disregarding him and then getting their ass beat.
Youve cracked the code.
I've yet to see the show, but does it have the scene where those football collegians are tasked with taking him out, then he takes _them_ out?
@@Gyrfalcon312 yeah! I think it’s where it’s like for kids and they’re like what are you looking at, and he says three drunk kids with broken bones or something, and he says there’s four of us and he says one of these got to drive to the hospital lol so fucking bad ass
Just started watching the series for the first time last week, already finished both seasons, been a long time since i did that...A+ Series...
I read the whole Reacher collection by Lee Child, and this show ABSOLUTELY did the novels justice. I hope future seasons cover the other stories, they're all well written and very very entertaining
Apparently the second season will be based on the 11th novel. 🤷
First episode: Wanted to eat a piece of pie.
Last episode: Actually eats a piece of pie.
_Now that was worth it._
Looks like he ate some hair pie, as well.
POONTAG PIE!
Now that’s a character arc!
Set up and pay off.
Best character arc im history lof fiction
You killed me. "Leading him about, saving his a**, showing him clues, all while rolling their eyes at his toxic masculinity."
Just finished it all in one day. It was really done well, i really grew attached to the main characters. I wasn’t told to believe they where badass, I actually believed they were badass. Even his friend Frances Neagley, who we didn’t see much of, compared to the main three, was believable.
I just binged all of season 1 last night. And it’s honestly one of the best action projects I’ve seen in recent months! Props to Amazon for actually making their action related shows seriously! It’s so good😁
Damn, I have never binged a series faster in my life. Alan Ritchson will forever be cemented as Jack Reacher in my mind. Bad ass!!
I feel the same way about Ritchson's Reacher that I felt about Connery’s Bond-how the hell would they ever replace this actor if this series lives on the way the James Bond books have.
In Stephen King's novel UINDER THE DOME, the lead character, "Barbie" was told by a top military official that one of the reasons they wanted him in charge because they heard some good things about him from Jack Reacher.
I dunno, he will always be Thad Castle to me
Then they destroy the show with season 2
@@jp_jdnHow so?
It's refreshing to hear Drinker talk about something he actually enjoyed.
He's got a number of things on his channel that he's given his stamp of approval to!
When he says its really good, he means it's one of the best series made in my lifetime, 2004 to now
Amazon is on a roll! Bosch, The Boys, Terminal List, Reacher - That's some damn good output.
Hows Bosch mate? Good watch?
The casting for Reacher here is fantastic, the show so well displays the absolute physical terror that this dude is. Prob the most unrealistic thing about the whole show is how many people willingly try to step to the man. What sane person in their right mind would want a physical conflict with that guy????
I'll go toe to toe with Reac....
*Reacher has ended this comment*
@@sdzero 😭😂
I felt like his ability to eat what he wants and look like that was the most unbelievable 😀.
Most of the people he fights were hired by the people who ran the counterfeit empire, so they are obligated to do so. And they wouldn't want the torture crew to come to their house
@@DomH75 I'm about the tv Reacher's size and build. I do powerlifting and boxing. I'm a bit heavier maybe, not so chiseled, and it's been about 10 years anyone has tried to have a fight with me outside of the ring.
10 years ago I would have watched Reacher and thought that it was entertaining and competently done. Its not groundbreaking in any way, just well made and what you would expect high paid experts could pull of.
Nowadays it seems like a dying art and is worthy of a special shoutout. Sad.
So true.
Reacher is Batman without the suit and wealth but wouldn't give a second thought about killing someone. Alan even looks perfecf as Bruce Wayne. Love it.
I've read all the Reacher books and I must say how bloody impressed I am with the TV show. Ritchson kills it as Reacher, even though he isn't as at home in the role as he could be yet. I am so looking forward to some of the other books being filmed - at last stuff is being produced that satisfies all (sane) audiences. It's like the book reviewers say - every man wants to be Jack Reacher and every woman wants to be with him. I am hoping to see an adaptation of The Affair come out!
This show was a pleasant surprise. Binged it in 2 days 😁
So did I it was great
It was great! I only wanted to watch the first episode at 11 pm and somehow I finished the show and I didn’t get a minute of sleep that night.
But it was totally worth it!
So weak.
I'll finish it in one day
Loved this show. So refreshing to see a show that balances a decent plot, an ‘unflagged’ diverse cast, some very satisfying (but thoroughly justified) violence, and an actually intelligent protagonist, all without force feeding the Message. Top notch. 👍
I just watched the entire first season of Reacher and was taken in by its Western noir feel. It's also good to see an alpha male in a lead role for a change.
@@evertonporter7887 Jack Reacher definitely falls under the "Wandering Hero" trope which was very popular in classic Samurai and Western films.
@@evertonporter7887 I still can’t believe there’s ppl who use the term alpha male unironically
I watched this on 12/16/2023. I've seen season 1 and now the first 3 episodes of season 2. I clicked on the link because I like the Critical Drinker.
And you won't fine a nicer, more humble, genuine dude.
It's a fantastic series. It's also a throwback to an era when we weren't afraid to offend EVERYTHING and EVERYONE.
Solid show, great pacing, and great cast. We loved every minute of it.
if you haven`t watched it, i`d highly recommend Banshee.
I think it's less offend and more not looking over our backs over every little idea and line in hopes we're not displeasing the audience that isn't even watching or likely don't care.
@@aVerySillyBilly Ahh Banshee…Think I’ll watch that again.
Ah fuck off.
People got triggered even back then.
Either it was comic books, Rock music, heavy metal, Clockwork orange or literally any Anime.
Spare me the nonsenseii
@@josebrown5961 careful, Banshee is pretty woke. It has a trans character who kicks ass and a couple bad ass strong women, like Nola Longshadow and Carrie/Ana. Not to mention a diverse police department.
What I love about this show: everyone gives respect to Reacher. They may disagree with him, joke with him, hate him, but end of day he’s the man in charge
this thing was such a breath of fresh air. Absolutely loved it and missed something like this so so much.
That laughter at 1:47 was just so damn genuine 😂 Also, I might check Reacher out. Sounds like a good source of entertainment.
The whole series is a great throwback to the 80's action genre, a big strapping hero kicking ass like it's nobody's business. Definitely a breath of fresh air.
@i know that I got spring rolled lol. Still, it's a good recipe.
Except his one liners are WAAAAY better lol
I think it still follows "THE MESSAGE", but the producers get this one right! It works through Rosco (and Neagly to an extent), who is a strong character on her own, without being a Mary-Sue. She gets angry, even violent when she needs to, and she's confident rather than condescending. (Hello Disney and Paramount, did you watch this!)
Her and Neagley both understand Reacher's personality and COOPERATE with him, rather than constantly berate his brutish behavior. They do get their well-placed one-liners in where appropriate, which keeps the dialoge snappy and balances the mood in those scenes well.
This is some of the best IP development I have seen in a decade. Here's hoping it sticks around, we need more like it.
It was almost in mid season, I already invested heavily in the series when Neagley introduced. I was so afraid they gonna ruin the series by using her to push 'THE MESSAGE', but thank goodness they didn't! She become my #2 fav character, love her intelligence almost met as the same as Reacher, she become a strong character because of her strength, not making Reacher weaker... I hope Lee Child will always involved in all upcoming seasons.
I thought Neagly was cringey, especially the strip club scene. Anyone who touched the dancers like that would be bouncered out the door immediately.
The book on which the series is based was written 1997, long before the Hollywood-social-activism stuff. So it has nothing to do with "THE MESSAGE".
@@f.l.k.1372 yeah the book doesn't, but they adapted it and added THE MESSAGE
Yeah but that's not "the message" that's just good writing of female characters.
Message female characters bear little resemblance to real women...
THIS DUDE is like Schwarzenegger in the mid -late 80's brute force with one liners. Best action Actor out there
I binge watched this on the weekend and loved it. First rate action
Been a Reacher creature for decades. Couldn't have been happier with this adaptation. Alan Ritchson being a young man as well opens up the possibility of several adaptations.
I don't think he's a good actor, and he is constantly smirking which is really annoying. Even when he finds his dead brother he's like :)
And the black guy is even worse
I am a pretty conservative guy, and I never read the Reacher books, so to me, Tom Cruise was the original Reacher. And I kinda had a hard time accepting the giant in the Amazon show. But thanks to this channel, now I started watching it, and I have to say it is one of the best series of this kind I have seen in a long time. Big thanks to the Drinker, who took so many hits for the team over the years. Watching bad movies and stupid shows so we don't have to. And still pointing the way to the good stuff. Thanks.
Amazon nailed the reacher in the books. (for the most part) I listened to the audible audio books while driving too and from work. They are great entertainment when driving. They do get repetitive after about the first 5 or 6.
I never read the books before seeing the Cruise version either, and I really liked his performance in those movies. I did read the first book before I heard about the show, and I loved this new Reacher. I consider Cruise’s Reacher to be a “loosely based on” version now, instead of a “true to source” character. In my mind, he’s the underdog type, the one you aren’t intimidated by (because of his smaller size) that become a threat when you realize he can drop you in a second. New Reacher is immediately intimidating because of his size, but is silently intelligent and observant, which people might not expect at first glance. I haven’t read further books in the series, but I did buy a few, so I’m hoping to see more of this excellent show.
@@whitewolf3615 i liked the first movie watched it and became interested in the lore ironically because of articles about the controversy surrounding Cruise casting himself in the role saw the first movie in theaters loved it started reading the books in order (im at the 13th book in the series currently) saw the movie sequel I hated it i really wish they got Chris McQuarrie back to write and direct the 2nd outing the first movie i can watch over and over and never get tired of it felt more like a Lee Child story with a theatrical spin the sequel just felt like a run of the mill action thriller.
@@Critical_libertarian I definitely preferred the first movie too. I liked some scenes in the second one, and I’d watch it again if I were doing like a marathon of the movies/show, but the first one was much better. I just really like Tom Cruise’s action scenes. I think, because he does a lot of his own stunts (all?), they always look really good.
The books are in a weird place of being pretty good, and completely forgettable
But for a mystery series...that's a good thing. Because it means you can revisit them at a later date and still get as much enjoyment as you did the first time
BEST SHOW on Amazon right now, can't wait for season two in Sept of 23.
So far I have rewatched this 5 times.
This is the Reacher I wanted the Cruise movies to be but instead they gave us the Cruise movies, none of which I ever watched. And never will.
Thank You Amazon. Now where is season two of WAYNE??
I put him up there with RDJ as Tony Stark, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Heath Ledger as the Joker. Alan Ritchson as Reacher is one of those rare perfect castings. Not only perfect for the part but even elevates the character/story. Just phenomenal. Currently enjoying the second season.
In the novels, Reacher is described as 35, 6 feet, 5 inches, “extremely tall, extremely broad, long-armed, and long-legged.” As a big fan of the books, Tom Cruise didn't work on any level for me, not just the obvious physical.
Very much looking forward to binge the series!
In the novels, he actually ages, and technology progresses. In the early novels cell phones didn't really exist, or were very rare. In the more recent novels, they are commonplace.
@@douglaswilliams6834 Oh good to know. I haven't read any of the newer books yet. I'm glad things actually progress. Nothing worse than characters and times that never change in a series.
Okay, physically, he definitely didn't match the description, but Tom Cruise is definitely a much better a actor and more charismatic. I like both, but Alan's acting is slightly underwhelming imo.
Alan's not 6'5 either. He is 6'2, it pissed me off when his character would say in some episodes 6'5 bla bla. That's like 5'9 guys claiming 6' on tinder lol
@@aqualinespirit90 🤣🤣🤣
Just a note on Tom Cruise, he basically produced the films himself and inserted himself into the role because hes such a mega fan boy of the books. i can half and half see his motivations, but he shouldve restrained himself and cast someone else instead
That's what his career is now, produce a film so he can be the lead actor
He has a legion of people who basically think he's their god -- that HAS to affect your ego. But he did an impressive job of acting like he was twice as big.
He wasn’t true to the books, but I thought the first Reacher movie was good. Tom Cruise carries a similar ‘screen presence” visually that I imagine Reacher’s size/muscle to carry in words. He wasn’t the best choice, but it could have been worse. Cruise can act, fight, and shoot, so he did fine.
@@NoBody-pw3kf Yes. Most soldiers are fat and lazy bags of shit that stroll around town with their BDUs looking for people to 'thank' them. I say that because only about 20% are actual door kickers. The rest are support.
@@New2Kendo I mean, it's better than trying to please the studios...
Great show. Worth a binge. Loved it all the way through. So FUN!
One of the best shows I've seen in years!
I had no desire whatsoever to watch Reacher. My teenage son kept asking me to watch it with him, so I finally gave in. I'm so glad he kept at me to watch it - it was fantastic!! My son and I absolutely loved it. Can't wait for season two!
Alan Ritchman was the perfect choice to play this character. Everything said in this video was spot on about this series. Take a bow Prime you deserve it.
And their user base seems to like it a damn lot too. I wouldn't guess in a million years that the same network producing the Rings of Power could ever hit a subtle home run like this.
I didn’t pay any attention to this show when it came out a year ago. Yesterday, I stumbled across a CZcams clip of the opening scene in which he’s in a diner, about to eat a slice of peach cobbler, and is arrested for murder before he can take a single bite. I was curious about what happens next, so I went to Amazon Prime to watch a bit more. I ended up binging the entire eight-episode first season in one day. It’s THAT good. Also, I now have a crush on Willa Fitzgerald.
This show was really one in a thousand. It hits every nail of the character and the books, was well made, well played and overall a very good watch. I hope the next season will be at the same quality level. This was one of the best shows ever produced to VOD. I watched it twice - and everytime I binged it withing two or three days, It just felt like a long movie - and I adore that.
I liked that the support cast actually complimented the main character rather than undermining him. The few times he does get chewed out by them he actually deserves it and takes the points on board. I was also very happy he got to finally enjoy some peach pie.
I loved the fact that when he did get the pie, instead of the expected Hollywood "Best I've ever had" response, the character stays true to form and says he's had better. If you look at the pie they gave him, it looks like a store bought pie, which will be fine, but not great.
@@MartinFWhite I kinda took that as a hint for new seasons but i could just be crazy
He hated the pie, which was even funnier.
One of my favorite scenes in this show was when Reacher and Finlay were arguing and fighting in the parking lot and Roscoe got between them. She calmed tensions but didn't do the typical "stop comparing sizes alpha males" thing women do in most shows and instead just tried to stop angry and stressed people from harming one another. It was a breath of fresh air to see a woman act like an individual in a modern show
I also liked that unlike the usual 'woman stops two angry men from going off on each other' scene, Roscoe wasn't afraid to use her femininity as a weapon. Because while they didn't lampshade it, you could visibly see that what backed Reacher down was her unstated challenge 'Are you really willing to knock down a woman half your size who's never done you any wrong, just because she's standing between you and a guy you're angry at? Because I don't think you're that kind of asshole'. And it works, Reacher's just not going to lay a hand on her even though he could crush her with ease because she's right, he's an asshole but he's not /that/ kind of asshole. A scene that outlines that chivalry is a useful trait that helps men be better men without requiring women to be submissive? What heresy was this?
You must have watched a different version to me. In the one I saw, she just says “you’re not the kind of person to beat up someone half your size for no reason”.
@@mopanov Right, calmed tensions between two angry stressed people. That's what I said
@@ddubsquizzee my reply was to glasgow's comment, not yours.
@@mopanov Ah, that makes more sense
Just getting into it now wow brilliant a manly man without the message I’m loving it
I had not watched a TV series for nearly a decade.
On your recommendation I watched this and it WAS really good.
Thank you.
I found reacher earlier this year and absolutely loved it, can’t wait for season 2
I couldn't wait, so I read the books. His 1200m shot from the .50 cal is going to be something.
Can’t wait for season 2 either but I’m gonna miss Roscoe and Finlay.
@@Skilan506 me too. But they could take some creative liberty with bringing them in again. They introduced Nealy is S01, but she wasn't introduced until the 8th book, I believe.
@Steve Delaney Yes.
@Steve Delaney yeah it was greenlit a while back
Reacher is an amazing show, almost completely faithful to the source material, but the books, the books are just perfect. Well written, well sourced, excellent reading.
Perfect is too strong for me but they are good. I can't wait for them to do; Worth Dying For, Persuader, Without Fail, Enemy, Bad Luck And Trouble. They're bangers.
Eh they shouldn't have put Negley in the story i liked it up until the last 2 episodes
@@Critical_libertarian well, Neagly has helped him out like that on a few occasions, but they changed her just enough to be wrong.
@@meris8486 true, perfect is bit too hyperbolic for generalities. It’s perfect for me, they have everything I want in a book. Reacher ain’t alone in that category, the Puller series, most of James Patterson’s catalog, there’s just certain things about those books that do it for me every time man. Heck, even some Memory Man, but def not all the books in his series.
Watched this with my dad over Christmas. It was a hoot, we really enjoyed it.
Very good show. I wish there was more of this kind of television on these days. Shows that are well written and a challenge to follow, and not too easy to predict what will happen next.
One of the best shows I've ever watched! It was exactly how I imagined Reacher was whilst reading the books. Really looking forward to the second season, hopefully 61 hours.
Ya know, seeing Wokeness destroy Franchises left and right is all the more bizzare when you see real, normal Representation also totally being a Thing.
It's really funny to see so many Franchises be destroyed by Twisted Diversity, literally WHILE real Representation also exists.
Owl House has a Lesbian Couple as Protag's and it's just fine. They're real characters and not planks of wood. Compare that to ST-Discovery. And Amphibia has a Character people think has Autism but it's literally so subtle it's
only theorized and no big deal.
an autistic gary stu?
@@loturzelrestaurant Arcane has a massive variety of diverse characters but that's also not forced, the story revolves around who they and not WHAT they are.
@Steve Delaney I think they confirmed it a few months ago. Probably the second book, but they said it might not follow the exact book order.
@@123abcdancewithme Exactly.
There's a reason Tom Cruise was Reacher in his movies, he was an executive producer. He wanted to be Jack, despite lacking in the height and build department. This rendition is phenomenal though. Great show. Glad you did a review. Been itching to see your take on it
You like big muscled men? You like to be the bottom?
I watched this show then watched reacher and I was so fucking confused
Tom Cruise owns, or at least owned the rights to Reacher just like with Mission Impossible. Without him these movies weren't ever going to get made. So as far as that goes, something is better than nothing...right?
I'm not sure if he sold off the rights to amazon for Reacher or if that only applied to movies though.
The first Reacher film was good. The second one was a massive pile of S. I still occasionally watch the first one.
He did the same thing with Cocktail.
It is so nice to finally see my life brought to the screen... my mom would be so proud!
I enjoyed every moment of this gem. And true to the book for a change!
I generally wasn't expecting this show to be as good as it was 😄
have to agree.. was not expecting much at all, it has been a great change from the crap they usually give us..
Aside from some blatant weapons and military errors it's an enjoyable show. Thanks for covering it! (I do however find it odd that with so many veterans and firearms experts out there Hollywood still screws things up) You played a clip of one of their reoccurring errors, "9mm 95gr, that's subsonic". In reality, 95gr is lighter and faster than standard 115gr or 124gr 9mm ammunition. It's a simple error, but also an easy fix. If they wanted to keep the subsonic story it should have been 147gr or heavier.
Also picked up on that 👍
Hollywood always screws things up. Getting things right occasionally is accidental.
I was hoping someone would mention this. Graham doesn't disappoint!
@@MementoMorituri yeah, it just blows me away when research is as easy as it's ever been. Just a quick search for "subsonic 9mm" would have given them an answer. Maybe I'm extra sensitive to it as a firearms journalist, but the right answer is so readily available! Why be wrong?
Writers seem to think that if they regurgitate enough generic gun language they sound like firearm experts. Not to mention, anybody who has used or is familiar with them would have said "suppressor" rather than silencer, but this kind of stuff is to be expected from Hollywood.
I love the reacher books one of my favorite series ever. And I really appreciated what they did with this show it actually feels like it’s straight from one of the books
Thank you for this series Drinker! I had initially dismissed this show based on the muscle bound look of the lead. This series and its star, Ritchson reminded me not to judge a book by its cover. I expect to be seeing both Ritchson and Fitzgerald in bigger projects after this. I’ll be looking for more from the writers of this series too. They had me actually LOL. Well done!
The ironic thing is that this does "The Message" quite well, it just doesn't have to rub our faces in it for the entire run time! A black detective and a female police officer are very much on "Message", but because someone can actually write a story, they are part of the story rather than being a box-ticker.
Any time a film or tv series needs to go "LOOK, LOOK, DIVERSITY!!! EMPOWERMENT!!!" at me, then it's actually failing at "The Message", But here it's simply the main protagonist is a bloke, one of the other protagonists is a woman, another is black, all have their strengths and weaknesses that compliment and counteract to make up a whole. The story is then like; can we get on with this cool plot now.
THAT for me is how to do "The Message". It shouldn't NEED cramming down our throats, it should just be well-written characters telling a great story. A well written female character that contributes her own skills and abilities to the overall plot while growing and developing as a character is a much better female empowerment message than a Mary Sue!
you're so right, can't agree more!
Yeah. I mean, 'The Message' would have had the female characters fight like men... but they don't. Roscoe is scrappy and brave as hell, and you put a gun in her hand and she can shoot as well as anyone else, but in her one hand-to-hand sequence versus a larger man she does *not* do the Buffy thing, she instead gets *tossed around like a beanbag* because that is what happens when a tiny woman has to fight a large hefty guy. She still won, but it was not by much, and it was definitely not by outmuscling her opponent. Or punching him. Or anything with bare hands.
Which was a delightful thing on itself, but an even more delightful thing when contrasted with Neagley's /successful/ hand-to-hand battle... because Neagley is not only unusually tall and buff for a woman, she was literally taller and more cut than most of the male cast. Seriously, woman must have gotten lost on her way from Wakanda, because I've seen wimpier-looking women in the Dora Milaje. So when /she/ wrestles with a guy, she's able to manhandle him enough to get advantage, then get herself clear, and then get her gun out, as opposed to being tossed around.
IOW, the show did not take a position of either men being superior hand-to-hand fighters /or/ women being superior, it took a position of 'it depends on how much advantage you have over your opponent re: size/speed/strength as well as skill, regardless of plumbing'. And when's the last time you saw a fictional property do that?
Exactly. It managed to work in black characters without having to have them practically stop and look at the screen and say "Racism is bad don't be racist"
I was half expecting Finley's wife to actually be more of a husband and they'd preach that way but gladly not.
To be clear I'm all for diversity it's just the blatant preaching that puts me right the fuck off, telling people not to be racist, homophobic, transphobic or whatever isn't the way to do it, the way you actually encourage people to change is to craft characters with these labels that people will actually like, loosening the hold peoples prejudices have. That's how I realized homophobia is pointless cringe anyway.
Talentless writers who only know how to have characters shout political messages at the screen shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a script.
Its all done with taste, subtlety and most importantly, without compromising what the show is about.
It lacks, or at least hides the politics very well. I like this show!
I thought that was one of the best things about this show. The character writing is really well done. The side-kicks are more than just checking boxes, they are actual characters.
For me Reacher feels like that student in class that is not the most intelligent kid in the school, but works hard, never fails to do the homework, studies at home every day and is always on time.
Reacher might not have the brilliant scripts, great budget or amazing cast than other shows like Peaky Blinders, the Expanse or Breaking Bad, but it´s so competent at what it is that it´s hard not to love it.
That Rock comment. Cracked me right up. So true!
I have really struggled to get into any new TV shows lately... but this was damn good
My wife and I watched the Reacher without any expectations and we loved it. Only real problem was that we want more. 😅
I know. Part of me wishes I started watching it next year so I could just roll right into season 2.
After bingeing this show in less than two days; all really wanted after (other than a second season ofc) was for the drinker to watch it, I knew you would like it :)
Also, if someone had told me ten years ago that the guy who played Thad Castle in Blue Mountain State would grow into becoming a smart, articulate, and poignant actor, I would have laughed in their face, Alan Ritchson has come a long way.
Just needed enough time to pass for people to stop seeing him as Thad. Which I still do, but I still think he did a great job in this. Thad was too iconic to forget about lmao. Time for your oil change!
@@DoctaFlood He's very good as Thad Castle. BMS is one of my favorite shows, except that movie that movie NEVER happened.
But I have to admit he has acting range and far more then I expected. He was a really good Reacher and I'd like a second season of Reacher and to see Alan Ritchson in more things.
Saw this review and because of this I checked out the series and enjoyed it a lot. Excellent show great intrigue and brutal action. Alan Ritchson put his all into this as did everyone else.
It's been over a year since this show came out, and it is still in the top 10 on Amazon. It never once left it, where as Rings of Power left it in a couple months. This shows what "modern audiences" really want. More stuff like Reacher which didn't preach, had reasonable diversity, and let all the characters have different strengths and different weaknesses. It is a damn good show.