Police Chief Jesse Stone now presides over the quiet, seaside village of Paradise, Massachusetts. When the facts don't add up in a brutal Boston-area murder case, Jesse opens an investigation filled with surprises, unlikely suspects and grave danger. Though it's widely believed the murder was committed by an incarcerated serial killer, Jesse suspects another killer is at large and is hell-bent on bringing him to justice.
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Reviews
You won't be disappointed!
Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.
Blistering performances.
It's a good show with complex characters that are easy to read. Their reasons aren't clear, their progress lacking, the emotions constrained and retarded. People move on from divorce, death, loss of children, and bad things that happen to them. We want them to. We need them to. If they don't they just become boring and tiresome. Jesse needs to move on from his wife, get over himself, find a love interest that inspires him and allow him to stop feeling so sorry for himself all the time. He needs a good laugh, a smile, something that makes you want to share his life with him instead of yell at the screen, "get over it and move on!" The production value is great. Too much emphasis on dogs. Too many lines repeated over and over. It's a 165 page script with 135 pages of dialog without the repetition. If he focused on Jesse Stone he could easily do two of these a year and have all the life he wanted instead of commuting to NY from LA. In fact, he could shoot them in British Columbia instead of Nova Scotia. I enjoy a good mystery, and at least these hold suspense throughout and don't give away who the bad guy is until the last 10 minutes. All in all, this series needs focus and directed attention and it could be one of the better, if not the best show on TV.
With a world hell bent on watching reality TV, the Jesse Stone stories are fiction that is like watching reality. The simplicity of the story makes it believable, and the simplicity of the characters make them believable. The characters have flaws and "character" but like the story, they aren't so complex as to "make you think" - but rather to make you sit back, take it in and enjoy watching the story unfold. Some may say the story is predictable, yet these have never been big plot twist "M. Night" movies. It helps a little to have seen the previous stories so you know some of the history of the characters, but I am sure you can enjoy it simply by seeing that some of the people already know one another, with small reminders of how. You will sit back and wish all policing could be done the Jesse Stone way - with respect, and a gentle but firm hand, and wish we could live in such a simple world. Jesse is a nice man, his dog is nice and the story is nice. Its the cop show you can watch with your grandmother.
Some might consider this to be a spoiler so reader be aware.I was so eager to see this movie & was really startled at how slow & dry the beginning was HOWEVER it was necessary to set the tone & put the viewer in the same proverbial boat with Jesse. It was very clever & made me start feeling antsy for the action the same as the character. Well done... very well done. This story had layers & depth. This story had some major ups & downs & Jesse continues to struggle which makes him flawed & so very lovable. Love Steve.I DVR-ed this movie & have watched it multiple times. I will be at the store the day this comes out on video (I HOPE for Christmas). I can't get enough of Jesse Stone. Tom Selleck gives a brilliant performance. I believe Robert B. Parker would be very pleased & they've stayed true to the character.I CAN NOT WAIT for the next one! Good job Hallmark & thank you for giving Jesse Stone a well deserved & perfectly executed home. The Jesse Stone series of movies is my favorite. You gained a loyal viewer from this fan.
I like the Jesse Stone movies probably because I was a fan of the novels: heavy on dialogue, sparse on description. Selleck as writer/collaborator maintained that balance. I don't like the dropping of characters from film to film but that may be because the films are so sporadic and actors need to eat. This entry is slow moving and focuses on Jesse being dissatisfied with the way the "last" victim of a serial killer was put to rest. Jesse battles his usual demons—drink, loneliness, emptiness—and doggedly pursues leads with the aid of a certain disreputable boxing promoter. There are a few toss away scenes with Luke Perry, William Devane, and Kohl Sudduth but that's about it. There is a minor subplot featuring Mackenzie Foy as a troubled teen. But the heart of the story is that the last victim, Mavis, was butchered while she was still alive and Jesse knows even though the serial killings have stopped, Luke Perry wasn't the murderer. In the end you won't be surprised to find out who the guilty party is, just follow the "scrubbed" file to the obvious end. Not the most satisfying film of the series. I did like Steve the dog.