Recommendation: Reacher, On Amazon Prime Video, Makes For A Layered, Engaging Thriller

"Wherever Reacher goes, trouble follows." Several years ago, Jack Reacher aka Reacher (Alan Ritchson) found himself at the receiving end of an almost prophetic comment from his mother. Little did he know back then that his life would go on to get defined by those very troubles.

When Reacher visits Margrave, a quaint, small town located in Georgia, he doesn't think much of it. It's supposed to be harmless travel that soon turns into a cobweb of corruption and politics amid a series of gruesome murders. On top of it all, a personal, deeper connection with one of the murders triggers a side of the ex-military police invesigator that forces him to leave everything aside to unmask the truth behind the heinous – and utterly questionable – ongoings around the town.

In the eight-episode series, Reacher shares a fascinating dynamic with two townsfolks in particular – Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin) and police officer Roscoe Conklin (Willa Fitzgerald). They start on shaky terms but their relationship grows as the story progresses, unveiling layers within their characters that couldn't otherwise be judged at face value. There's a scene in which Reacher, on a phone call, helps Finlay escape a motel he's residing in after he realizes that he's being followed. The contrast in their characters is palpable – Reacher being more adventurous and set-smart while Finlay being sophisticated and diplomatic. Their taste in music is completely different too – one likes the Blues, and the other, heavy rock (and no, you can't guess who likes what). And yet, they form a partnership that's reliable and comfortable.

Roscoe, on the other hand, establishes that she isn't to be taken for granted. She's not someone in need of a rescue; she's a skilled police officer who's good at what she does and the moment she's made to feel otherwise, she doesn't hesitate to retaliate with cold, hard facts. Her relationship with Reacher is, in fact, slightly reminiscent of the light banter between Patrick and Teresa in The Mentalist (also streaming on Amazon Prime Video).

Speaking of The Mentalist, Reacher's way of analyzing a crime scene is quite similar to Jane too. However, the difference here is that the protagonist speaks out of experience, and not only observations. His renowned military background makes his observations sharp, and his theories are often corroborated with the kind of logic that can only come from ample past knowledge or a lot of research. Ritchson's Reacher is quite different from Tom Cruise's Jack Reacher. He is closer to the books: for starters, he's 6'5 and often referred to as a 'giant'. He's also poker-faced, often saying the hardest – as well as the funniest – things with a straight face and a straight tone. He looks intimidating but talks in a way that makes him sound convincing, even when he's faking it, and that's probably what makes him tick. There's a certain earnest quality about Ritchson's Reacher that makes him look vulnerable, and readable and unreadable at the same time. The series, with every episode lasting between 40 to 50 minutes, jumps back and forth in time – taking the viewers back to Reacher's adolescent life with his brother and family, shedding further light on his personality and his need to peel off the layers of the whodunit he is currently surrounded by.

The series is based on Lee Child's epic book series, Jack Reacher, with the first season essentially being an adaptation of his debut novel, Killing Floor. Executive produced by Child himself, alongside Chrisopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) and showrunner Nick Santora (Prison Break, The Sopranos), the show premieres on Amazon Prime Video on February 4.

Recommendation in collaboration with Amazon Prime Video