Some characters in fiction are just a bit too perfect; those heroes who display intelligence, strength and wit like they’re some sort of Swiss Army knife of human capability.
These noble geniuses can do anything and would totally win The Krypton Factor if they entered, which they wouldn’t because they’re off solving a crime instead.
A good author will give their characters flaws so we don’t feel entirely inadequate. In Lee Child’s enjoyable potboilers, hero Jack Reacher is a wandering ronin who is equally capable with his wits as his big meaty fists.
To stop him being entirely perfect, Child had the sense to at least make him a bit ugly. Tom Cruise played Jack Reacher in a couple of recent movies, which infuriated fans because he’s a handsome gnome so Amazon Prime has tried to set that right in new thriller series Reacher.
Alan Ritchson has the stature but sadly looks a bit like a catalogue model, thus making him just a bit too perfect. On the other hand he struggles to be intimidating at times, often defaulting to an expression where he resembles a baby needing winded.
The plot is also a little tired, yet this bruising eight-part mystery powers along with Reacher cracking mysteries, gags and the skull of anyone who looks at him funny.
Not perfect, unlike Jack, but then again flaws can be quite endearing.
Reacher, Prime Video
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