“Men want to be him and women want to be with him.”. That’s how New York Times writer Elizabeth Vincentelli described the Jack Reacher character played by Alan Ritchson on the new Reacher series streaming on Amazon Prime Video. She also described him as a giant tenderized side of beef. This should give you a pretty good idea of why the action series based on the books by Lee Childs has a female audience almost as large as the male component.
I never did watch the old Jack Reacher movies with Tom Cruise. Somehow I can’t imagine the diminutive Cruise measuring up to the original 6’5″ Childs’ character who according to the books had a six-pack like a cobbled city street and bicepts like basketballs. Alan Ritchson does. Oooh boy, does he ever, and forgive me for sounding blatently sexist, but I can confirm he is one gorgeous hunk of tenderloin. The show scored a rare 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ordinarily, this type of human superhero story would not appeal to this cynical old boomer broad, but Ritchson reeled me in with the first episode of Season 1. The Reacher character is a former army investigator and do-gooder who wanders the country in a single change of clothes with no possessions other than a toothbrush and a bank card.
His equal-opportunity character saves damsels in distress and anyone else he encounters along the way. He has no wife, girlfriend, car, home, apartment, or encumbrances. He’s a lone wolf who calls on his former military investigation pals from time to time to help him in the cause of good.
Our hunk is not above the odd tumble with a female counterpart though when the situation is conducive. In fact, there’s a scene in Season 1, Episode 2 where he slow-dances with a female cop in a sleazy bar to Patsy Cline’s Crazy that will have you . . . well, watch it and you’ll get my drift! Boomer gals may be old, but we’re definitely not dead!
If you’re in the mood for some cool, totally escapist, campy excitement, check out REACHER on Amazon Prime. Sometimes, the dialogue is laughably corny but it’s all part of the fun. Some scenes are filmed in southern Ontario if you’re inclined to try and spot landmarks (i.e. Port Perry). If you find it’s true what they say about wanting to be with him, it may even help you sleep better at night—if you know what I mean. Sweet dreams.
