In crime thrillers it is usually the evil kingpin who gets nicknamed Mr Big. But it also works for Alan Ritchson, the XXL star of Reacher, the Prime Video adaptation of the wildly popular novel series by Lee Child. As the righteous ex-military man-mountain Jack Reacher, Ritchson looks as if he could arm-wrestle a silverback gorilla. This was seen as a major plus when the series launched in early 2022. The actor’s ability to open beer bottles with his biceps seemed to win over those fans of the books who felt short-changed by Tom Cruise’s compact movie incarnation.
If anything Ritchson is even more top-heavy in season two, his absurdly hench shoulders resembling beach balls filled with cement. A couple of years have passed but Reacher is still a trouble-magnet drifting around the US with nothing but a toothbrush. He is reintroduced in small-town Arkansas foiling a random carjacking with wince-inducing efficiency.
