Prime Video's Reacher Stuffs Its 3 Most Inventive Kills Into One 6-Minute Sequence

Published Sep 19, 2026, 4:07 PM EDT Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones. You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep." Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant. The action in the latest season of Reacher has been some of the show's most inventive yet, which is a testament to how good the show's signature fight scenes have already been. Season 3 gave us Reacher's fight with Paulie when the series' giant protagonist finally met his match in a character even bigger than he is. Lee Child wrote Jack Reacher as a formidably strong man, with near-superhero abilities, which partly explains why Reacher makes no sense at times, temporarily bending the laws of physics and human biology. Still, this is all part of the fun of the show. Reacher's best scenes often display raw strength, but there are only so many ways he can throw someone through a wall, so season 4's creative approach has been a breath of fresh air. Still, after the library fight in which Reacher crushes a man between bookshelves, the bowling alley fight in which he uses everything from bowling pins to hot oil, and the scene in which he pulls an opponent's head through prison bars, the action appeared to reach a peak that looked hard to top. However, Reacher's season 4 finale did it in just six minutes. Reacher Season 4's Explosive Final Battle Drops 3 Ridiculous Kills In 6 Minutes It was increasingly clear that Reacher's final showdown was going to be with Lila, but he would first have to fight his way through her henchmen. Reacher uses a heavy metal door as a shield, a battering ram, and a makeshift guillotine, throwing his entire weight on it to effectively decapitate one of his opponents, before enduring one of his worst injuries yet. It is rare that we see Reacher lose a fight, but taking a nail-gun to the hand set him back, before he turned the situation around, using the nails in his hands to kill the second. Finally, Reacher allowed something else to do his crushing for him, throwing his final opponent into the doorway of an elevator, as the elevator came down painfully slowly, crushing his head. What makes this scene even better is the fact that it was just the warm-up for his final battle with Lila. It has been a hallmark of the series that Reacher has at least one improbable kill scene in every season, but with the finale giving us a final three in just minutes after a season full of inventive fights, Reacher season 5 will have an even greater challenge. Reacher Season 4's Action Has Been Its Most Potent Weapon Reacher's best supporting characters are often villains who offer him a challenge, making the inevitable payoff work just as well as previous scenes in which he smashes his way through multiple minor villains at once. Still, while reviews of Reacher season 4 have often described the season as the show's greatest yet, some reviewers have felt that there has been a change in the character. Showing Reacher's more vulnerable side is linked to the traumatic opening scene, but it also allows him more opportunity to get creative rather than rely on muscles, and this can only be a good thing. Reacher season 4 has a 94% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The idea that Reacher is weaker in season 4 came from both this change in the action style, and misconceptions surrounding the storyline. Reacher begins the season by reading a situation wrong, resulting in him witnessing a traumatic suicide. It would be strange if he had not reacted to this with shock and empathy, and showing this emotion on camera is not a sign of weakness, but humanity. The action scenes have still been numerous, but the inventive kills have showcased Reacher's problem-solving ability, as we are already well aware of his strength. The way that the show has approached its action scenes this season has been its greatest asset. Reacher season 4 is based on the book Gone Tomorrow, which features the disturbing knife fight that ends in Lila's death, and it is canon that Reacher is badly injured. This is the first time that we see his size and strength as a negative, with Lila and Amisha attempting the "death by a thousand cuts." The fact that he overcomes this and wins yet again confirms that Reacher's action scenes have been the best and most exciting part of the season. Release Date February 3, 2022 Network Prime Video Showrunner Nick Santora Cast Maria Sten Frances Neagley Without a phone and traveling light, former military police officer Jack Reacher drifts between American towns, embroiling himself in local crimes and bringing justice in his wake. Based on the series of novels by Lee Child, Reacher's journey offers him an intimate understanding of the nation he once served.