Well done; Stone certainly not "good cop"

vchimpanzee

I just saw this after not paying close attention to TV listings months ago.

At the start of this movie based on a Robert Parker novel, Chief Stone is on a stakeout with his friend Captain Healy, the Massachusetts head of homicide. The two are talking and not paying enough attention when someone shows up and shoots both of them. Stone, naturally, recovers, but Healy may not.

Town councilman Carter Hanson wants to hire his nephew to replace D'Angelo, though what he really wants to do is get rid of Stone, whose reputation is hurting the town's image as a tourism destination.

Eilzabeth Blue shows up wanting the Paradise police department to find her son who was kidnapped seven years ago. She has received a letter from Paradise suggesting her son may be alive in Paradise. Actually, she didn't see the letter for two years because her ex-husband hid it from her. Stone doesn't really want to investigate but Rose does.

Stone's ex-wife Jenn, who does the weather on a Los Angeles TV station, calls to say she is moving in with her producer. Stone doesn't approve. His dog doesn't either, but I think the dog is reacting to Stone drinking again. Dr. Dix doesn't approve of much of anything Stone does, and one wonders where he's getting the nearly $200 he has to pay per hour. Jenn has talked to Dr. Dix, who won't reveal what she said.

Sidney is Stone's latest girlfriend; she is investigating him for Internal Affairs after Stone shot his shooter, which is standard procedure. But she is also investigating him because he is "on thin ice" with the town council.

Suitcase provides a critical clue in the Blue case. One would expect Stone to be so smart he'd see it, but I'm sure this makes Suitcase look good.

Tom Selleck gives his usual fine performance. Even though Stone meets a new standard for unethical behavior, Selleck makes us like him. Actually, Stone is more moral than the town council on one issue. Stone doesn't seem to want to be liked except by his friends, but that doesn't matter.

The lead actors all give good performances as well, and Camryn Mannheim stands out among the guest stars. Many of the guest actors also give good performances.

Somehow I didn't enjoy this as much as other Jesse Stone movies, but it was still worthwhile.

score /10

vchimpanzee 5 January 2010

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2186452/