Alan Ritchsons Reacher Fighting Scenes Preparation Shows Exactly What The Prime Video Adaptation Got Right
Behind-the-scenes details of Alan Ritchson’s preparation for Reacher‘s fight scenes reveal the real reason why the Amazon show is hailed as a faithful adaptation of Lee Child’s books. Since the Tom Cruise movies struggled to get most aspects of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books right, many were initially skeptical about Amazon’s take on the source material. However, audiences familiar with the original books were relieved when Alan Ritchson was cast to play Jack Reacher because his stature perfectly matched the original character’s.
The show garnered even more attention when it promised to adapt only one book per season instead of merging elements from multiple books into one installment. When Reacher season 1 finally premiered on Prime Video, it instantly became a hit because of its ability to stay true to its source while introducing a few minor creative liberties that made it suitable for the small screen. Although many factors have contributed to Reacher‘s success, Alan Ritchson’s preparation for the role has been one crucial factor.
Reacher’s Fighting Style Illustrates The Show’s Attention To Book Details
Alan Ritchson Dedicated Time To Learning Reacher’s Unique Fighting Style
In an interview (via Flickering Myth), Alan Ritchson opened up about his preparation for Reacher‘s fight sequences. He said that while he had previously done superhero-centric action scenes for Smallville when he played Aquaman, preparing for Reacher was significantly different. The actor said that Jack Reacher has “a surgical precision to the way he moves and fights“ and uses “the back of his head” to punch someone.
The fact that Ritchson committed himself to accurately portraying everything from Jack Reacher’s fighting style to his mannerisms, from his stature to his overall larger-than-life presence, reflects his dedication to bringing authenticity to the role.
Since Jack Reacher’s fighting style is far from conventional, Ritchson had to figure out how he could match the character’s methods in the series. As he revealed in the interview, he had to deconstruct how he was used to fighting and adopt new techniques to perfectly capture Reacher’s distinctive style. The fact that Ritchson committed himself to accurately portraying everything from Jack Reacher’s fighting style to his mannerisms, from his stature to his overall larger-than-life presence, reflects his dedication to bringing authenticity to the role.
A lot could have gone wrong with the Amazon series, but Alan Ritchson and the show’s creators made all the right provisions to bring a worthy adaptation to viewers. The Amazon show undoubtedly has its own set of pitfalls. However, its ability to get most aspects of the original books right allows audiences to look past its flaws.
Reacher Fixed Everything That The Tom Cruise Movies Got Wrong
A Lot Went Wrong With The Tom Cruise Movies
Even though Tom Cruise did a decent job capturing Jack Reacher’s stoic demeanor, the actor was not the right fit for the character. In Lee Child’s original novels, Jack Reacher’s height and massive stature are essential to his characterization. Without them, he is someone else altogether. By casting an actor like Alan Ritchson, who is nearly as colossal as the original Jack Reacher, the show fixed the movie’s biggest issue.
While the original Jack Reacher in the books is close to 6 feet 5 inches tall, Alan Ritchson stands at around 6 feet 3 inches.
The movies were also limited by their runtimes, forcing them to gloss over several crucial plot points while introducing unnecessary story elements that hardly supported the main plot. Since the Amazon show is adapting only one book per season, it has enough time to walk through all the key story details of the books. With so much going on in Reacher‘s favor, it is not surprising that it has been far more critically and commercially successful than the movies.
