Based on the best-selling books from retired Navy Seal Jack Carr, The Terminal List follows James Reece (Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy) who returns home after his platoon of SEALS are ambushed during a covert operation. Having suffered an apparent head injury during the fire-fight, his recollection of events conflicts with the details presented, which brings into question the culpability of him and his men. Trying to make sense of things while adjusting to life back home with his wife Lauren (Riley Keough, Mad Max: Fury Road) and daughter Lucy (Arlo Mertz, Mank), Reece serves as an unreliable narrator of the story. In his mind, he’s certain there is a larger conspiracy someone is attempting to cover up – one that puts everyone he loves in harm’s way.
The series, which is executive produced by Antoine Fuqua, is available on Prime Video, and all eight episodes have tremendous production value. It’s truly a cinematic experience with exotic filming locations, extensive set design, and, most importantly, authentic action sequences, of which there are several, many large in scale. It’s easy to discern that all involved with the project have a healthy appreciation for the men and women in the armed forces, especially for the special operators depicted on the show.
There is a clear focus on realism throughout, at least with the fighting and weapons handling, to make sure that Pratt and co-stars all move correctly. For a series like this, it may go unnoticed by many, but to those that have lived that life, small details that are missed could easily take them out of things completely. To achieve that, many of those depicted on screen are SEALS themselves and served as advisors throughout filming. It certainly pays off in the dramatic opening of the series and remains evident throughout.
The show is called The Terminal List, so when Reece meticulously writes down a growing list of names that he intends to kill and then emphatically crosses them off one at a time, you really can’t roll your eyes. Sure, it’s a little over the top, but it’s symbolic and better than saying the title out loud on screen. Is there also some cheesy dialogue where it seems like Pratt is auditioning to be the next Batman? Yes, that absolutely exists, and enjoyment also calls for the standard suspension of disbelief at times. It is very apparent that everyone involved has seen each of the Rambo films several times over, but if you’re enjoying the show, so have you.
The Terminal List is at its best when interweaving between being a straightforward action series and a psychological thriller. Not knowing that you can trust what Reece is seeing has you questioning things early, and that paranoia mounts through a series of flashbacks and some clearly defined delusions. It’s not until a pivotal moment of Episode 3, “Consolidation,” that you begin to take some things at face value, and then it pivots towards a wavering revenge thriller.
A lot of times when a book is made into a film, so much is scaled-down and diminished to where it loses its heart in favor of an acceptable runtime. In the case of The Terminal List, it certainly benefits from being a series, but it also feels like it was thinly stretched to its eight episodes, with a story that could have been told in six. There are a lot of unnecessary plot points, extended and repeated sequences, and an overload of superfluous characters. There are elements that could have been tightened up enough to where momentum is uninterrupted and nothing of importance is lost.
With the impressive cast involved, it was likely difficult to cut anyone out. Most recognizably, Jai Courtney, Jeanne Tripplehorn, LaMonica Garrett, Sean Gunn, Marco Rodriguez, Arturo Castro, Geoff Pierson, Nick Chinlund, Alexis Louder, and Drew Starkey appear in various roles, some far more integral and fleshed out than others. As Reece begins to punish those he deems responsible, the circle of people he can count on grows smaller, while the list of those looking to bring him in expands, led by FBI agent Tony (JD Pardo, F9: The Fast Saga) and U.S. Marshal Mac (Christina Vidal, The Guilty). Pardo effectively serves as Tommy Lee Jones’s character from The Fugitive in this, with an “I don’t care if you’re innocent” attitude in his pursuit.
Reece reluctantly pairs up with reporter Katie Buranek (Constance Wu, Crazy Rich Asians), who is willing to help, as it also unravels the story she’s after. Fearless in her pursuit of the truth, Katie is used to dangerous situations, but brutal circumstances begin to push her to the brink. Wu shines in this role, encapsulating someone that runs parallel to Pratt’s character, with both willing to stop at nothing and utilize the skills they possess to achieve their goals.
In the field, there is nobody he trusts more than Liz Riley (Tyner Rushing, Stranger Things), a former Army pilot who Reece once disobeyed orders to save from an overrun crash site, and Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), who he went through training with and served alongside overseas before Edwards joined the CIA. As his best remaining friends and people who care for him and his family deeply, when a target calls for surveillance or violence, they step in.
Kitsch has always been someone with a level of charisma that commands your attention, and he has the acting chops to back that up. Despite the almost constant tension that stems from handling dark material, there are brief moments of levity worked in, and the majority come from their interactions. It works because you genuinely feel like Edwards knows Reece is constantly on the edge of losing it, and he’s doing his best to interject humanity when he can.
There are some issues that come from having Reece portrayed and reaffirmed as someone that’s seemingly justified in their actions at every turn. He puts civilian lives at risk often and essentially murders a lot of people that are simply performing a protection job they’re paid for. It’s a bit jarring at times and makes him harder to rally behind as a character. It’s a bit like setting fire to a house with innocent people inside and then being called a hero when you pull a few to safety. Clearly, he’s struggling to see things objectively, and maybe that’s the point.
In a show that seems to adopt the infomercial cliché “wait…. there’s more” attitude as it pushes towards its conclusion, there are at least one too many revelations in its duration. The Terminal List absolutely is entertaining at times, but it’s not especially original – retreading themes we’ve seen before and overextending itself – never finding the right balance of character development. While Pratt portrays Reece as written, he’s primarily a stoic, blunt instrument, who also happens to be proficient with a hatchet. It’s Kitsch, Wu, and even some villains and throw-away characters that interject life into most episodes. Despite its weaknesses, it satisfies in its fundamental core as an action series, even if it missed an opportunity to be better, or something more.
