David Fowler

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SO hard to like anything about this production - despite the dazzling cast of UK actors (many of whom are well loved). Had heard The Regime spoken of in a podcast we follow (Cautionary Tales) and were attracted by both the premise and the Kate Winslett connection. But the reality is dull and humourless. Every aspect (plot, casting, dialogue etc) seems clunky and unloved (no effort or care put in). Slight improvement in the last two minutes of episode 1 may mean that (as it’s paid for anyway) the less truculent members of our household give episode 2 a chance. This felt like a vanity project gone badly wrong. And we feel foolish for buying into it.

Bizarre. Good headline cast but barely credible plot line and some real clangers in the script. There’s a new trope round every corner, a few favourites were: 1. The baddies saying ‘he’ll be trying to slow them down’ and then cutting immediately to Freeman, guess what, slowing them down, that’s what! 2. Spectacular helicopter crash that all three walk away from. 3. FBI smirking at the local hick police who have the thoughtfulness to bring them coffee. Oddly the FBI team tasked with finding the baddies do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING throughout the movie. The Contract is quite close to being a deliberate spoof - and if it was, all credit to the director, I just took it at face value to be awful. Oddly (quite) enjoyable in all its awfulness!

I was troubled by page 4 but struggled on to page 8 before closing the book on my favourite fictional character with a heavy hearted sigh. Reacher has had a personality transplant at the hands of Andrew Child (really Andrew Grant). I’m now in mourning for a series I’ve followed avidly since picking up Killing Floor in a charity shop about 12 years ago. Sadly, with Lee Child’s retirement - Jack might as well have died. Lee’s name may be in the bigger font on the cover but I can’t see any of his writing within. It took Andrew Child just 8 pages to destroy the most compelling character in modern fiction - the taciturn but essentially generous spirited Reacher has become a talkative, enquiring busybody. I know it’s only a novel and shouldn’t matter to me in the big scheme of things - but for those who have enjoyed escaping into Reacher’s world for the previous 24 novels - its natural to feel a bit cheated and sorrowful. Hey-Ho.