‘Reacher 2’: Cast & Crew
Created By: Nick Santora
Director: Sam Hill, Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes
Cast: Alan Ritchson, Maria Sten, Serinda Swan, Shaun Sipos, Ferdinand Kingsley, Robert Patrick
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 8 Episodes, About 50 Minutes Each (3 Episodes Released With Remaining Releasing 1 Every Friday)
‘Reacher 2’: Story
Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is contacted by a former member of his MP unit from New York City when one of their own is murdered under mysterious circumstances. He reassembles his old team to find the murderers and avenge their friend. Will Reacher be able to find the killers of his friends? Will he be able to give them a perfect ending? Or will he eventually succumb to the perpetrators? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch ‘Reacher 2’.
‘Reacher 2’: Performances
Alan Ritchson’s oddball energy makes you want to watch him in almost every scene possible. The way his physicality fills the entire scene makes you get more addicted to the character. What’s changed from the first season is that this time over, Jack Reacher has got a heart, and that’s exactly where the slow gets its first major dip. In an actioner like this when you’re constantly wanting to see twists and turns and you want every situation to be on red-bull-pumping energy, you’re not expecting to have a romantic affair in the middle of it all. You’re not expecting to see the tough guy Jack Reacher go all ‘Pighal Gaya’ for one of his colleagues.
Serinda Swan makes an impressive entry to this season. While you’re expecting Alan Ritchson and Maria Sten’s characters to be closer as they’re the connection from the first season to now, but it’s actually Serinda Swan who wins over the cherry on the cake. Her performance leaves very little for imagination and probably that’s the misdirection that the makers are trying to bring in so that audiences get hooked till the end. Who knows!
Sadly, Maria Sten’s character is still not as overpoweringly spectacular as she was in the first part. She is more docile and is waiting for things to happen on its own. Let’s wait and watch whether there is something more in store for her this season.
Shaun Sipos gives the necessary lightheartedness to this back-to-back action extravaganza. He brings comic relief. It seems that he is trying to put on an exterior front while there’s something else going on inside his mind. Is there more to his character than what meets the eye? Well, hopefully, there would be.
‘Reacher 2’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects
The initial 3 episodes, written by Penny Cox, Scott Sullivan, and Nick Santora will hook you on so bad that you’ll get addicted to the show. What’s so good about this series is that they’re remaining true to Lee Child’s novels and not deviating from them. Getting that close detailing and that good command over the writing gives you the necessary hook for the show. Hopefully, the same writing standard will be continued by the other writers joining in for the remainder of the episodes – Lillian Wang, Michael J. Gutierrez and Cait Duffy.
Sam Hill and Omar Madha’s direction does justice to the writing filled with twists and turns at every corner. What’s so good about the direction is the way they’ve used Alan Ritchson’s huge build and his extreme physicality to fill up the screens. It leaves you not wanting to see anything but him. It’s because of this absolute submission as an audience to this character that you even let go of him having a one-night stand with one of his colleagues – a thing which is quite unlike what Jack Reacher can be associated with. Hopefully, there is some deeper connotation to this budding love story and it opens up wide by the end of the season.
The cinematography by Michael McMurray and Bernard Couture is once again on the point. You’re looking for a westerner set in today’s times and you get that. You want to see the rough landscape and you’re given a plethora of it. You want to see some hardcore action and you’re given a buffet of adrenaline-pumping shots. Even if there is not a single punch being thrown in a scene, you’re constantly looking for it, and the cinematography makes sure that you are tempted to get that feeling every bit of the way.
Anthony Miller, Eric Seaburn, J.J. Geiger and Sang Han’s editing is crisp. However, they could have cut the episodes a bit shorter, which may have increased the number of episodes. But if the kind of rhythm that the first three episodes have set is maintained throughout, audiences wouldn’t have minded a season of 10 episodes instead of 8.
Tony Morales’ music is another high point in the storytelling. Right from the very first scene when you’re watching a helicopter whirring, you’re in sync with the happenings. The sounds of thunder to the Elton John song being played in the background to the fight sequences having a peppy score, everything is so well thought of that you’re left feeling like you’re right there in the middle of everything that’s happening. Now isn’t that the sign of a great background score?
‘Reacher 2’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes
Outlook’s Verdict
‘Reacher 2’ is additive to the core. The way the initial 3 episodes have turned out, as an audience, you won’t be able to hide your eagerness to watch the entire season in one go. That’s the beauty of some great writing along with some solid acting. Hopefully, the remaining episodes will maintain the high-energy tempo and give us all a satisfying kick-ass climax. For just the first 3 episodes, I am going with a 4 star. This is a definite Must Watch.
*Disclaimer: The review is done after the first 3 episodes.*
