Before Reacher, Alan Ritchson Starred In An Overlooked MMA Movie On Prime Video

Alan Ritchson has been acting since he debuted as Arthur Curry/Aquaman on The WB's "Smallville" back in 2006. But if you're a casual fan, it might have seemed like he came out of nowhere in 2022 when Prime Video's hugely popular "Reacher" first arrived. Ritchson was perfect for the role of Jack Reacher, an ex-military policeman who started life in the novels of Lee Child and had been given semi-successful big screen adaptations in 2012's "Jack Reacher" and 2016's "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back." The problem with those two movies was, well, Tom Cruise, whose 5-foot-7-inch frame just didn't match that of the man mountain of the books.

This is part of the reason Ritchson was so successful as the lead in "Reacher." His 6-foot-3-inch, 235-pound build was much closer to what fans expected, and the show has gone from strength to strength off the back of Ritchson's more book-accurate portrayal, with season 3 of "Reacher" breaking a ratings record. But prior to this, the actor had been hustling for almost two decades, and there are plenty of great Alan Ritchson roles that aren't Jack Reacher. 

One of those came with "Above the Shadows," a 2019 supernatural romance written and directed by Claudia Myers, in which Ritchson plays a down-and-out former mixed martial arts fighter who finds his way back to prominence courtesy of an invisible woman. Doesn't sound great, does it? But "Above the Shadows" was actually received quite well, is currently streaming on Prime Video, and contains an overlooked Ritchson performance that proved he had what it took to fulfill all the requirements of the Jack Reacher role.

"Above the Shadows" stars Olivia Thirlby, who you might remember as Judge Cassandra Anderson in the beloved Karl Urban action outing "Dredd" (2012). Thirlby plays Holly, an invisible woman. But this isn't the cool, superpower kind of invisible. Rather, it's a metaphor for the isolation that follows grief. Holly's mother died some years prior, prompting her daughter to withdraw from life to the point that nobody, even her own family, could see her anymore, which I could have sworn was pretty much the plot of that invisible girl "Buffy" episode. Still, Holly has at least learned how to use her invisibility to her advantage, working as a paparazzo to take candid photos of celebrities in situations where regular photographers would never be able to gain access.

Alan Ritchson plays Shayne Blackwell, and in case you were worried he wasn't going to punch anyone in this supernatural-tinged meditation on grief, don't worry. Shayne is a former MMA fighter who is somehow the only person who can see Holly. That's just as well because it turns out Holly took a compromising photo of Shayne that resulted in the breakdown of his relationship with his former partner, Juliana (Megan Fox). Now, Holly has a chance to redeem herself and begins helping Shayne, supporting his training and ultimate return to the world of fighting, which means we get to see a lot of pre-"Reacher" punching from the man in question.

On the other hand, Ritchson had been showcasing his combat prowess prior to the arrival of "Above the Shadows." In 2019, he was playing Hank Hall, aka Hawk, in "Titans," the comic book adaptation series that debuted on the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) DC Universe, before transitioning to HBO Max for its third and fourth seasons. With "Titans," Ritchson had already proved his toughman bona fides and sense of humor, both of which have always been integral to the Jack Reacher character. While "Above the Shadows" also allowed him to showcase his tough-guy persona, it also allowed him to reveal more of his dramatic capabilities, with Ritchson adding a human touch to his portrayal of Shayne that would come in handy for "Reacher."

"Above the Shadows" didn't cause much of a stir upon its debut. It premiered at the Brooklyn Film Festival on May 31, 2019, before being given a video-on-demand release alongside a limited theatrical run. The movie made just $1,594, so that must really have been a "select" few theaters. Clearly, the real focus was on the video-on-demand release, though there's no way to know how well "Above the Shadows" fared in terms of audience share there. However, Rotten Tomatoes suggests it might have done okay since critics and audiences seemed to respond quite well.

The film currently has a 70% critic score based on 10 reviews, alongside a 64% audience score. Courtney Howard of Variety praised the "magical-realist fairy tale" describing it as "imaginative and intelligent in its ideas," even if she also criticized the movie's sentimentality. Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times also praised the film, noting Olivia Thirlby's performance in particular, but also wasn't too impressed with the way in which "the more Holly comes into view, the blander her character becomes." Marina Antunes of AWFJ.org, meanwhile, praised Alan Ritchson for doing "quite well here with some emotional moments."

Ritchson has since demonstrated yet more of his sensitive side in "Reacher," which requires a surprising amount of nuance from its leading man for a show that's essentially about a large man hitting smaller men. He's also shown off his ability to handle "emotional moments" in "Ordinary Angels," an overlooked 2024 drama for which Ritchson had to quickly shed his "Reacher" weight. No doubt we'll see more of that as his career continues to flourish in the wake of his Jack Reacher performance.