Warning: Major spoilers for Reacher season 3 below!It may have taken three seasons, butReacherhas finally beaten Tom Cruise’sJack Reacherfilm in two key areas.The controversy over Tom Cruise’s casting as Jack Reacherin the screen adaptation ofOne Shothas lingered within the franchise. Cruise’s casting came about after producers spent years looking for an actor who could portray the hulking figure found inLee Child’sJack Reacherbooks; when this proved near impossible, they went for star power instead.Despite the outcry against Cruise playing the role, the first film was a comfortable hitand spawned a sequel six years later.
Amazon’sReacherwould correct the Cruise casting years later when Alan Ritchson took over the role. The series has been a huge success for the streaming service, with the third season receiving a new perfectRotten Tomatoesscore. While Cruise’s second outing kind of sucked, theChristopher McQuarrie-directedJack Reacherhas aged very well. It’s an elegantly made thriller with some great setpieces and a memorable villain in Werner Herzog’s The Zec. 13 years later,Reacherfinally has the film beat in those areas.
Reacher Season 3’s Ending Confirms What We All Thought About Why Reacher Always Gets In Trouble
Reacher season 3 sees Neagley outline what she thinks is driving Reacher’s vigilante ways, and it makes too much sense not to be the right answer.
Reacher Season 3 Finally Beat Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher In The Villain & Action Departments
Reacher has leveled up with its third season
A common complaint leveled against Amazon’sReacherduring the first two series is that the villains were, well, a bit dull. They were neither a physical nor an intellectual match for Ritchson’s Reacher and were easily defeated in the end. The first series had some solid setpieces, but nothing on the level of the car cruise or the finale of Cruise’sJack Reacher. When standards regarding action slipped during the second season, Ritchson himself called the production out and vowed thatReacherseason 3 would do better.
… the main threats of Reacher’s latest season were always present and actually felt like threats.
I’m happy to report that,in terms of action and villains,Reacherseason 3 is now the gold standard of the franchise. Terrifying as Werner Herzog’s The Zec is, his screentime is relatively brief, and he wasn’t much of a physical threat to Cruise’s Reacher. Season 3 had both Olivier Richters' imposing bodyguard Paulie and Quinn (Brian Tee), an old enemy from Reacher’s past with a love of torture and mindgames.
Whereas previous antagonists faded into the background, the main threats ofReacher’slatest season were always present - and actually felt like threats. The action felt crunchier and better executed too, from the fake kidnapping that opened the series all the way to the shootouts and fights featured in the finale, “Unfinished Business.”
Christopher McQuarrie’s Jack Reacher car chase was the previous action MVP
Image via Prime Video
Cruise and McQuarrie are best known for the wild action setpieces of theirMission: Impossiblecollaborations, butJack Reacherwas intended as a more low-key franchise for Cruise. Hence, the setpieces are less intricate, but when the fights of shootouts happened, McQuarrie brought a visceral edge to them. If there was a poll, thenthe exhilarating car chase McQuarrie staged for the film would rank the highest among the entire series, butReacherseason 3’s Paulie vs Reacher fight might have it beat.
This brutal showdown was the highlight of the original novel,Persuadertoo, and sees Ritchson’s and Richters' characters tearing apart scenery trying to take each other down. It’s completely overblown, macho nonsense - and also one of the action highlights of 2025 so far. It’s an exhilarating brawl, and viewers will likely feel bruised just from watching it.The fight might even hurtReacherin the long run, as future seasons will need signature setpieces of their ownto live up to it.
Paulie & Quinn Beat Out Werner Herzog’s The Zec From Jack Reacher
Herzog’s chilling Jack Reacher performance was praised
Werner Herzog is best known as a filmmaker and documentarian (with his most famous works includingAguirre, the Wrath of God,FitzcarraldoandGrizzly Man), but he occasionally dips his toes in acting too. His turn as The Zec inJack Reacheris one of his most famous roles, a former Soviet prisoner turned ruthless criminal.Herzog is mesmerizing inJack Reacher, but in terms of actual screentime, he only appears for about 10 minutes. In contrast, Paulie is featured throughoutReacherseason 3, while Quinn makes a strong impression when he finally arrives.
Quinn and Paulie are the ideal combination of foes forReacher: a mix of intelligence, ruthlessness and brute strength. There’s no world where the fingerless Zec could beat the snot out of Cruise’sJack Reacher, let alone the Alan Ritchson version. Ignoring the noise around Cruise’s casting, theJack Reachermovie is an underrated gem and laid the foundation for future McQ and Cruise collaborations. After three attempts, it’s nice to see Amazon’s adaptation living up to McQuarrie’s standards.
Reacher
Cast
Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator, as he navigates civilian life. Without a phone and carrying minimal belongings, Reacher drifts across the country, experiencing the nation he once served, and encounters intriguing challenges along the way.
Jack Reacher
After a mass shooting takes place, homicide investigator Jack Reacher digs into the case to hunt down the sniper who committed the heinous act. Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise as the titular character and was directed by Christopher McQuarrie. The success of the 2012 film led to a sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, releasing in 2016.
