Alan Ritchson returns as Jack Reacher for a third season that delivers plenty of action and entertainment, even if its story isn't as strong as the first two.
British writer James Dover Grant is better known under his pen name, Lee Child, and it is under this moniker that he has written the very popular Jack Reacher series of novels. The first novel, Killing Floor, was published in 1997, and thirty more novels have since followed (novels 25-31 were written by Lee Child and Andrew Child). The series follows the life of a former American military police officer, Reacher (Alan Ritchson; Motor City), who wanders across the country like a nomad, solving crimes and getting caught up in one scenario after another. Back in 2012 and again in 2016, Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible franchise) portrayed Reacher on the big screen, but since 2022, Ritchson has played the MP in the Amazon Prime television series, Reacher. With Seasons 1 and 2 previously released on Blu-ray, Season 3 has come out this week.
As Season 3 opens, we find Reacher in a coastal town in Maine. While there, he thwarts the kidnapping of a young man named Richard Beck (Johnny Berchtold; The Passenger), who reveals it wasn't the first time he had been taken. Beck takes Reacher to his house, where his father, Zachary (Anthony Michael Hall; War Machine), offers Reacher a job. However, unbeknownst to Richard and Zachary, the kidnapping was set up by a DEA agent in hopes that Zachary would hire Reacher so he could go looking for a missing DEA informant named Teresa (Storm Steenson; Cup of Cheer), who was working and spying on Beck and his business associates.
Ritchson had the difficult task of making this character his own after it was so famously played by Cruise. Luckily, he does a great job making Reacher stoic and intimidating, which more closely aligns with the book description than how Cruise portrayed him in the films. Each season brings a new story and a new list of actors, except the one person Reacher trusts, Frances Neagley (Maria Sten; Swamp Thing). On a side note, Neagley will be getting her own spin-off series coming to Prime in September. Berchtold and Hall are very good, and Olivier Richters (Black Widow) is memorable as the big muscle guy who doesn't trust Reacher, with good reason. The rest of the cast is rather forgettable but doesn't stand out negatively, which is a good thing.
The 1080p Blu-ray resolution and 2.00:1 aspect ratio make Reacher Season 3 a worthwhile watching experience. The colors are well saturated and offer significant depth, especially in scenes that involve blood. The incredible coastline is accentuated by the level of detail that one can easily see. Of course, every time Ritchson takes off his shirt, his muscle definition is highlighted by the high-quality video presentation.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is the true star of all the technical components. There is so much going on in each episode and, between the dialogue, the ambient sounds, gunshots, the waves crashing onto the shoreline, etc., every line and sound is easily heard. The audio track is robust and full, which only enhances the viewing pleasure.
Sadly, the two-disc Blu-ray set doesn't come with any extras, which is a little disappointing.
Of the first three seasons of the show (and half of the fourth season already completed), I feel this plot is the weakest, but it is still overall entertaining and connects portions of Season 3 with the first two. Even as the least interesting season, Reacher Season 3 is still enjoyable to watch and makes you want to come back for more.
Thankfully, Season 4 is turning into one of the best of the series so far, and luckily, Season 5 has already been greenlit, so we will be getting more Ritchson as Reacher in the future.
If you haven't already done so, I recommend buying not only Season 3 but Seasons 1 and 2 as well. This series will make a great addition to your home entertainment collection.
Grade: B
