Reacher on Prime Video is a reliable action adventure with solid source material that never disappoints. Lee Child wrote a man mountain on paper and Alan Ritchson fulfils that prophecy, combining physicality with dry wit. With three seasons in the bag and a fourth now streaming, this small screen juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down.
Season 4 mines lucky thirteen in the Reacher series, putting this ex-military monolith in hot water within minutes having witnessed a subway suicide. The novels are a masterclass in narrative economy, and creator Nick Santora displays the same degree of brevity when it comes to dropping audiences into the action. Fight choreography is slick, action sequences rich with blunt force trauma, while Ritchson lives and breathes Reacher without irony.
Neagley might be absent from this latest outing, but audiences can take heart from an imminent spin off that brings Maria Sten back in full force. As a whole Season 4 rarely misses her, because Reacher remains a one-man army. The relationships he forges throughout Season 4 feel essential in the moment, but never long term. Audiences are there for Ritchson, just as they showed up for Tom Cruise when he tackled the role twice in 2012 and 2016.
Image Courtesy of Prime Video
The difference between the two being that Ritchson feels right for this role, while Prime Video is shaping up to be a long-term home for Reacher away from the big screen. With the FBI, CIA, and other nefarious elements in pursuit of our eponymous anti-hero Season 4 rarely puts a foot wrong and delivers another instalment fans are sure to appreciate. With Sydelle Noel from Black Panther on hand to be his confidant and partner in crime, Ritchson wastes no time in getting down to business.
As the conflicted elements of this thriller overlap and audiences follow Reacher down the rabbit hole, bodies pile up, coincidences collide, and things get bloody. What fans will appreciate is how much Nick Santora focuses on delivering another solid season. One that offers up just enough surprises to keep people watching but never deviates from a tried and trusted formula.
With Season 5 already confirmed and audiences lapping up the bone-crunching antics of their favourite anti-hero, Reacher might remain a by-the-numbers adaptation, but it never loses sight of that need to entertain. As for Alan Ritchson, he seems incapable of putting a foot wrong, branching out into films like War Machine for Netflix and walking away unscathed. Very much like Jack Reacher himself.
Reacher is available to stream on Prime Video now.