From Jack Reacher to a prolific action movie star, Alan Ritchson has been on a steady rise, but can he come to rule action cinema? Flickering Myth’s Tom Jolliffe weighs in…
Alan Ritchson has been around the block as a star of TV and movies. His breakout role in the show Blue Mountain State came around a flurry of notable guest spots on other shows (including playing Aquaman in Smallville). Then came Amazon’s tentpole show of 2022, with the adaptation of Jack Reacher (by Lee Child). Often billed as prime “dad reading,” it naturally became prime “dad viewing.” Don’t worry, being a father and middle-aged isn’t a prerequisite for enjoying Amazon’s Reacher. It’s a show that delivers a hearty dose of effectively serviceable fun. It never gets ideas above its station, and it never particularly lights up the red flags for being “woke.”
Reacher’s source novels have certainly accrued plenty of fans, and with that loyal readership comes a big pressure on any studio to cast the role right. The much-maligned Tom Cruise movie adaptations caused a huge casting furor because the titular Reacher is supposed to be a man mountain, and Tom Cruise very definitely isn’t. Sue me, but I enjoyed the first Cruise Jack Reacher film as a passable action thriller with solid action. I wasn’t an uber fan of the source novels, so all 5ft and a small change of Cruise didn’t irk me (not least because I’m a Cruise fan).
When the series was first rumoured, the biggest thing anybody wanted to know was who would play Reacher. Alan Ritchson certainly had the frame, even if his movie career up to that point was predominantly smaller roles, and his TV career didn’t necessarily scream intense rogue agent and unstoppable powerhouse. Yeah, 6ft 3 of muscle and some further bulking prior to the role really made Ritchson look the part, but despite roles with a degree of physicality, he wasn’t what you’d have called an action star to that point.
Four years on, Reacher is still wildly popular on Amazon. It’s also consistent, too. Has it ever been absolutely top tier? Maybe not, but it’s got a really steady, watchable, and effective seven-out-of-ten average for me. Meanwhile, Ritchson plays the part to perfection. Reacher is ice cool, never short of a wry barb, but also pretty stoic and, when he needs to be, ruthless. Reacher hates to let his emotions betray him, but Ritchson still allows a bit of humility to slip through and manages to make the character likeable. As for being a physical beast on screen, he’s definitely adept.
It was a natural progression when Ritchson’s booming popularity from Reacher inevitably led to him being pushed as an action star. Among a busy recent output, he’s been a part of the Fast franchise, which put him in a wheelhouse that has seen action heroes like Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Jason Momoa, among others. By the time he popped up briefly in Fast X, the franchise was probably experiencing a sputtering engine, but still, it’s one of the biggest action franchises, and Ritchson was given his car keys.
Ritchson has been kept busy, but beyond a part in Fast X and Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (where he was the standout), he’s managed to snag a few leading roles. Thus far, Ritchson has had a few solid if unspectacular, action leads. It might just be symptomatic of a genre that doesn’t often deliver a standout worthy of the halcyon days of 80s and 90s action. At the same time, there have been so many terrible action movies, particularly streaming originals, that it’s almost pleasing to get something that’s “pretty solid,” and we’re not just talking Al’s biceps.
What is undeniable, though, is that Ritchson has presence and he looks the part. He’s in his early 40s, which wouldn’t count him as a fresh young pup, but he’s now entering a genre where Dwayne Johnson, at 55, is still considered relatively young. Liam Neeson keeps plugging away in his mid-70s, and Jason Statham hits 60 next year. Scott Adkins (50) has been around for ages and deserves the crown probably more than anyone, but just never gets a fair shot at the title. With Reacher as a platform, which is still going strong, Ritchson’s output is keeping him relevant, shaping his specialism and giving him plenty of running space to make the next leap.
Be it War Machine, Motor City, or the upcoming Runner (not to be confused with Gal Gadot’s latest horror show The Runner), Ritchson’s action flicks are getting solid reviews. He’s delivering Ronseal cinema (it does what it says on the tin). He’s not yet becoming too repetitive or seemingly photocopying each film again and again with diminishing returns (sorry, Mr Statham). Ritchson has the credit in the bank to push himself to the top of the pile. Johnson’s box office heyday is behind him, even with the occasional big IP money spinner like his upcoming Jumanji adventure. Johnson is also content to jump between kid-friendly movies and is now trying to push himself as an actor more with films like The Smashing Machine and the upcoming Lizard Music. Bautista and Momoa aren’t entirely hitting the mark and are jumping around as far as the breadth of their roles and genres, too.
That crown as the current king of action is open and there to be taken (and again, it’s a wonder why Adkins and Bren Foster, for example, don’t get a fairer stab/kick at it). What we need from Ritchson, though, is something that just has a bit more wow factor to match the cultural impact of his hit show. We’re in an age where something Die Hard-level is impossible (as far as quality and repeat value), but could Ritchson hit with something of John Wick level? Absolutely. Maybe it comes in his next batch of movies in post or development, including an Untitled Navy SEAL action thriller (as a real-life SEAL, Mike Thornton). It probably won’t be the upcoming Santa comedy, The Man with the Bag, but that does find him starring with the former King of action, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It may just be something else to come next, but Ritchson definitely has the credentials.
Is Alan Ritchson going to be the new king of action movies? Let us know your thoughts on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
