Indescribable
No accurate adjectives exist to describe the heartbreaking horror of the images coming from Ukraine and Moscow depicting the effect of Putin’s war. They are at once nauseating, gut-wrenching, infuriating, senseless, nonsensical, horrifying, unforgivable, reprehensible, and unconscionable. Feel free to add to the list. But it won’t make you feel any better.
A Star Is Born
Tomorrow is the last day of February, and I am ready to bid the month good riddance. It brought us some of the nastiest weather in recent memory, but moving into March isn’t going to be a day at the beach. In fact humorist Garrison Keillor once described March as “…a month God invented so that people who don’t drink would know how a hangover feels.” Despite some miserable weather, March does have some things to recommend it. Basketball fans can look forward to March Madness, the NCAA tournament, and my favorite thing about March is that it brings the beginning of Daylight Saving time on March 13, and then it follows that with the first day of spring on March 20.
Now if you aren’t a big basketball fan, and you’re looking for something to watch on TV, I highly recommend “Reacher” an action drama based on a novel written by British author James Dover Grant writing under the penname of Lee Child. “Reacher” is an eight-episode series that began running early in February on Amazon Prime.
Beginning with “Killing Floor” in 1997, Child subsequently published one or two Reacher novels per year to compile the current list of 26 by October 27, 2021, and he has created one of the more interesting protagonists in literature. Reacher’s father was a Marine Captain, and so Reacher was raised on a number of military bases and finished his education with four years at West Point.
The military training rubbed off because Reacher compiled a distinguished career in the Army before we meet him in the books and films. The books I’ve read are quite entertaining as are two of the three films I’ve seen. The character we’re talking about is 6 feet 5 inches tall, and his muscles have muscles on them. You’ve heard of guys whose washboard abs are called six packs. Well, when you see Reacher shed his shirt in the Amazon series, you will note that his abs comprise at least a 12 pack. In the film we’re going to discuss, Alan Ritchson portrays Reacher, and you may not have heard of him because heretofore he has been playing in a lot of supernatural films, most notably as Aquaman/Arthur Curry on the CW series “Smallville.” But I think his role as Reacher in the Prime series will catapult him to stardom.
Based upon “Killing Floor,” the first novel in Child’s Reacher canon, the Prime series begins as Reacher gets off a bus in the mythical town of Margrave, Ga. Following his honorable discharge, Reacher is a highly decorated former Army policeman who has decided to spend his life as a drifter. Now, this may sound monotonous to some, but when you get to know Reacher, you will find rarely a dull moment in his life.
No sooner has he wandered into Margrave than he is immediately arrested for a murder he didn’t commit, and the plot takes off from there. Soon he finds himself involved with the people of Margrave, and a lot of them are not very nice. The police force is corrupt as are some of the politicians, and all of them seem to want a piece of Reacher even though they don’t know him all that well.
And as a viewer, you will love getting to know him well because if you enjoy watching bad guys getting their comeuppance, you will be in your element. Reacher is proficient in a number of fighting skills, and watching him is like waiting for a time bomb to explode. The fight scenes in this series are fantastically choreographed, and they are plentiful. And Ritchson is perfectly cast as Reacher because he is a terrific physical specimen just like the character as Child has described him in the books. His size is intimidating, and he is cast alongside of people notably shorter than he is to emphasize his huge demeanor.
The supporting cast includes the following: Malcolm Goodwin as police captain Oscar Finlay, formerly of Boston and now serving as the chief detective in Margrave; Willa Fitzgerald, a Margrave police officer who volunteers to help Reacher; Bruce McGill as Grover Teale, Margrave’s sleazy mayor, and Maria Sten as Francis Neagley, a former Army investigator who served with Reacher. All of these actors portray their respective characters quite well and contribute to making “Reacher” a very entertaining.
Make no mistake about it, however, Ritchson is the star here, and the role of Jack Reacher should be his for as long as he wants it because he not only acts the part; he also looks the part. Just as only Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, so should Ritchson become the only Jack Reacher. Tom Cruise has played Reacher in two films, and he is a superior actor, but based upon Child’s books, Ritchson’s physical appearance makes him the better choice for the role. Just be sure that you call up the Prime version of the series and not the two full-length films. Enjoy!
He Did What!
The sports broadcasting world got a surprise last week when Troy Aikman announced that he was leaving FOX for ESPN. Judging from the reports I’ve read, this may have long-range ramifications throughout the sports-broadcasting world. The rumors have Aikman perhaps going to the booth for Monday Night Football, and various reports list his new salary at $90 million for five years. Gee, I hope he won’t starve!
Ponder This:
A day without sunshine is like………Night!
~ Anonymous
