The Prime Video smash hit action drama Reacher is undeniably one of television’s most electrifying and buzzed-about shows, with lead star Alan Ritchson masterfully portraying the tough and stoic titular character for two sensational seasons. The series is based on the popular Lee Child novels and follows the big and powerful hero as he travels across the country and looks into violent crimes and cases, battling against some seriously dangerous criminals who are unfortunate enough to cross his path.
As fans anxiously await the upcoming third season of the adrenaline-pumping extravaganza, why not relive all the excitement and action of the first two entries? Reacher is celebrated by audiences for its rough and violent fight scenes, all of which showcase the stoic protagonist’s tenacity and strength. With so many epic moments to choose from, let’s take a look at some of the best fight scenes from Prime Video’s Reacher (at least so far) as we prepare for the latest installment.
13 Reacher Confronts a Carjacker
Season 2, Episode 1 – “ATM”
If there’s one thing that gets under Reacher’s skin the most, it’s the mistreatment of an innocent person, and a carjacker discovered this the hard way from the hulking and powerful protagonist in the season two opener “ATM.” After departing Margrave, Georgia and heading to Arkansas to collect his pension check, Reacher stumbles upon an attempted carjacking when a visibly shaken woman attempts to retrieve funds from an ATM machine.
Reacher Rises to the Occasion
Quickly deducing that something was seriously wrong with the frightened female and swiftly honing in on the situation at hand, Reacher covertly tells the woman not to turn around and after questioning her discovers that her child is in the backseat of a minivan with the assailant. Reacher stalks towards the vehicle in question, wrapping his coat around his fist and slamming it through the driver’s side window where the carjacker is sitting, and bashing both the man’s hand and head with the car door and reuniting the scared boy with his emotional mother.
12 Restaurant Showdown
Season 1, Episode 5 – “No Apologies”
Fans were thrilled when the smug and deplorable KJ was shown just what Reacher was made of in “No Apologies,” which sees the season one villain learn a brutal lesson after his actions come back to bite him in the butt and attract the unwanted attention of the beloved hero. After KJ vandalizes Roscoe’s truck, the normally unflappable Reacher decides to blow off some steam and confront the villain as he’s sitting down to eat a meal with his cronies at a restaurant.
Reacher Previews What’s in Store for KJ
Never one to make a modest entrance, Reacher pulls up a chair and takes a seat next to KJ, stealing a fry and staring down the cocky young man with his penetrating stare. Reacher questions what kind of man KJ is, rightfully calling him a spoiled rich boy who hides behind his daddy’s money and calling him out for trying to intimidate a woman half his size. When KJ’s smart mouth gets the best of him, Reacher viciously slaps the antagonist to the ground before doing some seriously impressive work with a tablecloth and relentlessly taking down his goons before Roscoe and Finlay arrive to break it up.
11 Construction Site Fight
Season 2, Episode 2 – “What Happens in Atlantic City”
Season 2 largely follows Reacher and his former military police unit as they look into the startling murder of one of their own, and together they set out to avenge their friend’s death and get to the bottom of a conspiracy. In the episode “What Happens in Atlantic City” Reacher and Dixon are out for a walk in the city when they realize that they are being followed on their late night stroll, prompting the duo to seek refuge at a local construction site and come up with a plan of attack.
Reacher & Dixon’s Late Night Fight
They are pursued by their determined attackers and split up at the site, with Reacher climbing up to a higher level and luring one of the assailants away from Dixon. Reacher violently battles against one of the men once they both reach the top of the structure, hurling cinder blocks at him after being sliced by the mercenary’s knife. He ends up tossing the man over the side of the railing where he crashes into a pile of his makeshift weapon of choice below, as Dixon uses a crowbar to take down another attacker and Reacher suffocates a third man in cement.
10 Reacher & Roscoe’s Alley Team-Up
Season 1, Episode 4 – “In a Tree”
In the first season of the smash hit show, the fiery Roscoe proves that she is more than capable of taking care of herself (and even Reacher) in dangerous situations, as proven in the episode “In a Tree.” When the pair were looking into a potential lead and discovered some crucial evidence left behind by Reacher’s deceased brother Joe, they are shot at by two men and are forced to take cover behind a car.
Roscoe Doesn’t Need Protection
Reacher tells Roscoe they should split up and run in opposite directions to make it tougher on their attackers, and a full-blown shootout erupts as the men focus on pursuing Reacher with a barrage of bullets. When Reacher is chased through an alley and kills one of the attackers, he lures the remaining one to a secluded spot and literally drops down from the roof on him in an act of surprise. They engage in an intense fight over the gun (with Reacher even head-butting him), but the man manages to pull his gun on Reacher before being shot dead by Roscoe, who angrily slaps him for trying to phase her out of the fight.
9 Neagley’s Battle in the Morgue
Season 2, Episode 7 – “The Man Goes Through”
Neagley is one of Reacher’s most loyal and oldest friends, and she is consistently an ally to the former U.S. Army official and served with him in their unit. Like Reacher, Neagley does not take the death of their fellow member Franz well, and they make it their mission to find out who was responsible for the heinous crime. When they track down the hitman responsible for an attempted hit on Detective Russo, they wind up at a hospital posing as doctors, where they extract information from him before ensuring his death.
Neagley Gets Her Hands Dirty
After realizing they are being followed, the duo split up and Neagley heads down a corridor alone, grabbing a crutch as a weapon and finding herself standing in a dimly-lit morgue. Another mercenary attacks her from behind with a drill and wounds her, and the two share an intense showdown as he tries to use the sharp drill and take her out. Of course, the assailant didn’t expect Reacher to show up, and together they tag-team him and impale him on the drill he had been using just moments before.
8 Prison Cell Confrontation
Season 1, Episode 1 – “Welcome to Margrave”
In the sensational series premiere of Reacher, fans quickly get a look at the titular hero’s immense strength and tenacity when he comes to the defense of his cellmate Paul Hubble, a local banker who confesses to a murder he did not commit. Reacher sets out to keep an eye on the vulnerable and anxious Paul, who is ill-equipped to survive in jail and is obviously in over his head with the dangerous and violent prisoners.
Reacher Doesn’t Like Bullies
When a gang member attempts to intimidate Paul and stops by their shared cell to threaten the banker, the criminal demands that he give him both his shoes and glasses, the latter of which he spits on and crushes. Unbeknownst to the trio of prisoners, Reacher is sitting on top of the bunk and decides to intervene when the man threatens physical assault against Paul, epically dropping from to the ground and standing up to the prison bully.
As the gang member flaps his lips at Reacher, he expertly headbutts the man before viciously jabbing him in the neck and knocking him out, showing both the prisoners and audience that Reacher isn’t one to mess with.
7 Reacher & His Unit Take Out Mercenaries
Season 2, Episode 3 – “Picture Says a Thousand Words”
While there was no lack of action sequences in the first knockout season, Reacher and his former MP unit find themselves in an array of adrenaline-pumping situations in the drama’s second installment. When the team shows up to raid the home of a hitman sent to kill them in the episode “Picture Says a Thousand Words,” they accurately anticipate that an ambush is awaiting them as they prepare their own nighttime attack.
The Unit’s Methodical Take-Down
After Neagley picks the house’s front door lock, Reacher rolls an explosive into the home that catches an awaiting assassin on fire, and together the unit moves meticulously through the residence, eliminating threats as they go along. Reacher is shot at by a wounded man in the kitchen, and masterfully eliminates two offenders on his own while the others continue their sweep. Dixon and O’Donnell get jumped from behind and his assassin attempts to strangle him with a shower curtain, though he manages to stab his way free and use his brass knuckles on the man while saving Dixon.
6 Chase on the Stairwell
Season 1, Episode 6 – “Papier”
There’s no denying that Reacher is known to get a little creative when he’s in a dicey situation, and in season 1’s “Papier,” the fearless fighter heads north to New York City to meet up with an informant and discover the truth about all the shady things going on down in Margrave. When Reacher realizes that he is being followed by an assassin, a fierce and brutal battle ensues between the two powerful men on a side street stairwell.
Reacher Is Resourceful
After being chased on foot by the hitman, Reacher heads down an abandoned alley where the action really ramps up, as the two exchange harsh hits and take their fight to a stairwell.
As the assassin attempts to stab Reacher, he is forced to utilize what he has on hand and grabs a loose bicycle tire, which he promptly uses to beat the other man aggressively. Audiences knew it was about to get intense when Reacher removed his tie and wrapped it around his attacker’s neck before breaking his ankle and jumping over the side of the stairwell, effectively choking the assassin to death in one of the show’s most vicious showdowns.
5 Reacher vs. KJ
Season 1, Episode 8 – “Pie”
For all eight electrifying episodes of the first season, fans waited in anticipation for Reacher and KJ to have the epic showdown they had long been waiting for, with the villain causing chaos and destruction everywhere he went. KJ’s terrible actions and past misdeeds finally caught up to him in the season finale “Pie,” as he was revealed to be the person responsible for Reacher’s brother Joe’s death as well as countless other murders.
A Fiery Fate for KJ
Naturally, Reacher couldn’t wait to avenge his beloved brother and both he and Neagley embarked upon a daring mission to rescue a kidnapped Roscoe from KJ and his men and deliver the antagonist’s comeuppance.
After driving his truck into the police station to free Finlay from his confinement (who was also being tortured), they set out along with Neagley to rescue Roscoe and eliminate the criminals, sparking an explosive series of events. Reacher and KJ exchange blows as a fire rages on around them, and after taunting the hero he gets his just desserts when Reacher douses KJ with flammable chemicals and kicks him into the roaring fire, sealing his fate.
4 Reacher’s Helicopter Revenge
Season 2, Episode 8 – “Fly Boy”
TV and film staple Robert Patrick was wickedly brilliant when he portrayed the second season’s main villain Shane Langston, and fans were thrilled when Reacher made good on his promise to take out the frustrating and elusive antagonist after he targeted and murdered those closest to them. After surrendering himself to Langston and his goons and being held captive at the New Age Facility, Neagley hatches a plan to rescue Reacher and her other unit members.
Poetic Justice Is Served
After clinging to the wheels of Langston’s helicopter and pulling himself onboard, Reacher fights to help free Dixon and O’Donnell, who are strapped down to tables and are being prepared to be dropped to the ground below. Reacher emerges and fiercely fights one of Langston’s assassins, as the villain attempts to shoot him dead while the helicopter goes haywire. When Dixon’s table begins to slide towards the open helicopter door, Reacher lunges to grab the table and save her.
He holds on to Dixon as she is suspended in the air, while being aggressively kicked by Langston and beaten by his henchmen. Dixon manages to free herself and take out the assassin with a knife, while Reacher delivers some poetic justice with Langston and tosses him out the helicopter door and sending him plummeting to his death; his demise mirrors what he did to all of Reacher’s unit members and was a satisfying fate for the villain.
3 Biker Gang Battle
Season 2, Episode 4 – “A Night at the Symphony”
Another thrilling action sequence that fans couldn’t get enough of was in the second season episode “A Night at the Symphony“, during which Reacher and his unit engage in an intense and cutthroat battle with a biker gang sent to assassinate them all. After successfully gaining intel on New Age after the team did some sneaky undercover work with the help of Reacher’s old friend Finlay, they find themselves ambushed by the violent men looking to shed some blood after the triumphant evening.
Bikers Are No Match for Reacher’s Unit
Reacher and his friends are forced to act quickly when the mercenary biker gang shows up after they stop by a local place to grab a drink and some food, though their celebration is cut short by the men’s arrival. Outnumbered by the dangerous crew, the team hands over their weapons so they don’t make noise, and as the gang’s leader begins to make his long-winded threats, Reacher headbutts him and an epic battle ensues.
Not only does Reacher yank a chain-wielding biker off his motorcycle, but he also gruesomely breaks a man’s arm and leg with a pipe while Dixon uses her stiletto to gouge a gang member’s eye out in the frenzied action scene.
2 Bathroom Brawl
Season 1, Episode 1 – “Welcome to Margrave”
Like when Reacher stood up to an inmate attempting to target the vulnerable Paul Hubble, audiences bore witness to just the type of man the formidable protagonist truly was in the series opener, which finds Reacher and Paul stuck in jail in general population for crimes they didn’t commit. They were forced to be amongst some seriously violent and dangerous offenders after being targeted by a corrupt guard, and things quickly escalated for the two when an attempt was made on their lives by depraved inmates.
Don’t Say He Didn’t Warn Them
One of the most unforgettable scenes from the entire series just so happens to occur in the very first episode, when Reacher is forced to take down countless criminals trying to murder him in a brutal bathroom brawl. Reacher instantly knew that trouble was brewing when inmates began to trickle in the bathroom, and he even warned the men that something bad was about to happen and gave them until the count of three to leave. Of course, he never made it to three before his fists started flying.
Reacher expertly took down one inmate after another, bashing heads on sinks, gouging out eyes with his thumb, and delivering one uppercut after another, brilliantly disarming his attackers. By the time the jail’s guards came running in, they were stunned to see the state of the men and even more so that Reacher single-handedly did the butt-kicking. The scene is exactly what fans of the show and book series were hoping for, and it remains one of the most intense and buzzed-about moments in Reacher.
1 Reacher Takes on Home Invaders
Season 1, Episode 7 – “Reacher Said Nothing”
In the penultimate episode of the phenomenal first season, fans were taken on a rip-roaring thrill ride as Reacher sets a cunning trap that will help him take down those responsible for all the murders and crimes being committed in Margrave. After sharing false intel to the corrupt Officer Baker, Reacher creates a plan to catch and eliminate the hit squad who has been violently murdering innocent people, with their most recent victims being a fellow lawman and his pregnant wife.
An Epic Showdown Like No Other
Reacher is able to lure the hit squad to Paul Hubble’s vacant house where he is prepared to ambush the demented criminals, who in turn think they are going to finally take out the pesky vigilante. Donned in full body camouflage, Reacher waits out in the rain in the bushes as the squad arrives and swiftly takes out the men’s lookout, jumpstarting a pulse-pounding sequence of events. As the team searches through Hubble’s home, Reacher lures one of them to the car and kills him.
He then begins to take out each member of the hit squad one by one, even using one’s body as a human shield as the shady Kliner’s nephew, Dawson, shoots at him. The two men viciously battle against one another in the living room, shattering coffee tables and bashing each other with a crowbar before going through the glass door and taking their fight outside. It doesn’t look too good for Reacher when he is brutally smacked and falls into the swimming pool by Dawson, but of course, the resilient hero comes to, and they spar in the swimming pool, with Reacher ultimately shooting him dead.
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