REACHER 3.1

In REACHER: Season Three, Episode One, on Prime Video, Jack Reacher infiltrates the home of a suspected drug dealer or smuggler after setting up an elaborate plan to get in the good graces of the criminal, Zachary Beck. Staging an attempted kidnapping of Zachary’s son, Richard, Reacher swoops in to save the day, and personally drives Richard home to make sure he makes it there safely. While there, he chastises Zachary about the state of his security and after proving himself, gets offered a job, securing his place on the inside.

To begin the whole setup, Reacher is stationed inside of a records shop trying to sell old vinyls when he notices an old pickup truck scouting a limo. After a young man gets into the limo, the pickup truck hits the gas and rams into the side of the limo, pinning it against a telephone pole. Before the driver can do anything, the man from the pickup truck nabs the passenger at gunpoint before tossing a stun grenade into the limo.

Not one to stand by when these types of events occur, Reacher jumps into action, shooting the tires of the pickup truck before shooting the would-be kidnapper. He then yells for the boy to get into Reacher’s old, beat-up blue van. However, as they are leaving, Reacher accidentally shoots a police officer running onto the scene.

With the police now hot on his trail, Reacher leads them on a chase but is able to shake them off by maneuvering them into an accident. Knowing they’ll still be looking for him, Reacher hotwires another car that he and the young man, Richard Beck, can now use to safely get away. Richard directs Reacher to his house, a mega mansion overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

The huge security guard at the mansion is hesitant to admit Reacher, but he’s eventually allowed to enter and meets with Richard’s father, Zachary. Zachary welcomes Reacher and thanks him for saving his son’s life, but all Reacher has to say is that his security is poor, and he should get better people to protect his son. Zachary then invites Reacher into a barn for an interview.

During the interview, Reacher is pressed about his impressive combat resume before being forced to play Russian Roulette to prove he’s bold and can follow orders. Though he is extremely hesitant, he obliges having no other real options. Impressed, they hire him on as security. When he returns to his room, Reacher pulls out a cell phone that was hidden in his shoe, informing someone on the other side that he is inside the mansion.

The episode then reveals that the day’s events were set up by Reacher and a team of federal agents to get him inside of Zachary’s network. The feds believe Zachary is at the head of an international crime smuggling ring, hidden behind his rug import business. From the attempted kidnapping to the killing of the would-be kidnapper and the cop, to the car hijacking, everything was staged so that Reacher could infiltrate Zachary’s gang. Also, Reacher didn’t really kill anyone, and he managed to maneuver and slow down a local police car to crash in to some other cars on the road.

Now that he’s on the inside, Reacher has two missions. First, to unravel Zachary’s criminal enterprise, and its connection to a big drug dealer in Los Angeles. Second, to find out what happened to a young female informant that the lead federal agent, Susan Duffy, placed inside Zachary’s gang as a secretary.

Reacher immediately gets to work. In the early morning hours at the end of his first day, he finds a cellar where the girl has been held. Though she has since been moved, he knows he is on the right path when he finds one of her large hoop earrings.

Episode One of Season Three is a very exciting, riveting opening to another season of REACHER. The stakes will be extremely high as any small mistake could compromise Reacher’s position within Zachary’s network, getting him killed. However, he has a heart for justice and protective instincts that would never allow him to abandon this mission or the girl he’s trying to save. The plot for the first episode is extremely engaging, and it is fun to have revealed how everything was set up to get Reacher onto the inside. The script also has many funny lines and situations, including lines where Reacher approaches both the bad guys and the good guys with his tough sarcasm and irony. You just know that, sooner or later, Reacher’s has to square off with Zachary’s biggest henchman, who’s a head taller than Alan Ritchson, who plays Reacher. Alan is a pretty huge guy, but Olivier Richters, who plays the henchman, is REALLY HUGE.

The acting in Episode One is also commendable. Alan Ritchson is still perfect as Reacher. It’s also fun to see Anthony Michael Hall, the skinny little boy from 1980s John Hughes movies, play the menacing villain. It’s amazing how tough Hall has become since he did those popular 1980s teenage comedies. Another standout in the cast is Sonya Cassidy, who plays the no-nonsense lead agent, Susan Duffy. Duffy is a tough lady, but she expresses a strong sense of compassion when she discusses the female informant she placed in the villain’s network. The informant wasn’t meant to be in much danger, but just to observe what’s happening. Somehow, however, something must have gone terribly wrong. Also, once Duffy gets used to Reacher, she’s able to appreciate some of his jokes and turn the conversation around to her benefit too.

Episode One of REACHER: Season Three has a strong moral worldview. It supports fighting evil, pursuing justice and protecting the weak. Also, the episode has a positive view of the law enforcement officials who risk their lives to stop really bad dudes. Sadly, though, the episode has some strong foul language. For example, there are nine “f” words, about 18 other obscenities, and one strong profanity. Episode One also has some strong, intense violence and suspenseful moments. So, MOVEIGUIDE® advises extreme caution overall.