"Reacher" on Amazon

Alan Ritchson stars as Lee Child's popular detective character Jack Reacher in this streaming series that I think outdoes the Tom Cruise movies. In the story, Reacher is a decorated war veteran who drifts into a small Georgia town at the prompting of his estranged brother and finds himself in the middle of a criminal conspiracy involving the town's officials and the wealthy family that runs everything. Bodies are dropping, in horrendous ways, all over the place but the nature of the actual crime being covered up remains a mystery till nearly the last episode, and it turns out to be an interesting and realistic one.

Ritchson's performance is surprisingly nuanced as the laconic, muscle-bound loner with keen instincts and fighting skills, and an aptitude for deductive reasoning that plays out in Holmesian revelations about strangers he's just met. He's a classic hero, with a soft spot for the innocent, such as a neglected dog with an empty water dish, and an unrestrained rage against the corrupt. There's a good balance between character evolution, crime-solving and the well choreographed, ultra-violent fight scenes.

The series is a good, workmanlike production. It knows what kind of story it's telling and tells it perfectly. But it's also thoughtful at times, has some clever dialogue and philosophizing, a highly detailed mystery to unwind, and it doesn't ignore all the ethical considerations at play. But there is a lot of gore and violence, so be forewarned.