Jesse Stone: Ohne Reue

It has been a long time since I watched a series with such a delight. The Jesse Stone series is surely going into TV-History. It is beyond time and will be watchable even in 50 years from now. Tom Selleck is an icon of the 80's, but I'm sure he will be remembered for these wonderful movies. Tom is playing with minimalism, but every word, look, and breath is telling more than any short handed written hip cop series can say.

The pictures and the music are leading you into the small town world perfectly. If you are open for it, you can dive in and follow.

Even from an European perspective I can tell, that America can be proud of such a quality TV-work.

No Remorse, the latest installment of the magnificent Jesse Stone series is only for those who love good character driven drama performed by some of today's greatest character actors. And its for those who can appreciate lens work which teases our senses with charming Cape Cod scenery in contrast to gritty Boston backdrops. The multiple story lines keep it moving, some stories meandering through the work like a brook through the salt meadows, still others rushing with the force of a North Atlantic tide. But all the stories flow in the same direction, some to a conclusion and others to a continuance... like stories do in real life. And as in real life, Jesse's flawed character remains but we can forgive him. After all, who among us has not experienced a broken heart, if not a broken spirit? And who has not witnessed the struggle of loved ones with substance abuse? Talented, productive people with a problem... we have all known one and in some cases we have been one. And so we can all root for Jesse and in doing so we root for ourselves.

The stage curtains open ...

Captain Healy: "You look terrible." Jesse: "Thank you."

The stakes are raised a bit higher in "No Remorse", the 6th entry in the Jesse Stone television movie series. A killer is on the loose and it is only a matter of time before they strike again. Tom Selleck reprises the role he was made for once again as the Police Chief of Paradise. Only, he has been suspended without pay now, so I guess he isn't really the Police Chief anymore. But, he still lives in that old remote house at the end of the long wooden walkway and he still has his dog companion, Reggie.

The film starts out with a young man being shot in the back of the head in a parking garage. Jesse is no longer on the police force, so his pal, Captain Healy has asked him to serve as a temporary consultant on the case and investigate the killing, which turns into more than one over time. Meanwhile, Rose and Suit are the only 2 officers working in the Paradise police department, and they are feeling the overwhelimg pressure that comes with it in their efforts to stem a series of convenience store robberies leaving employees beaten and hospitalized. As Jesse digs deeper into his own sleuthing, he finds the trail leading back to his old friend, Gino Fish.

Even though I still really enjoyed this film, it felt like a departure from the norm. It just didn't seem right for Jesse to no longer be wearing his navy blue hat with the letters PPD on the front. I didn't like that he had been reduced to a struggling drinker who could only find work as a temporary consultant. Jesse, along with the help of Dr. Dix, tries to warm up more to Reggie, but the dog is quiet and distant. Hasty is out of prison now and runs a used car sales lot, having found his flashing bowtie and using it as a gimmick. And, Jesse has finally gotten his own cell phone, which Rose helps him to use.

I did like this film. To me, it was one of the weaker ones of the series. The final reveal on who the killer was and his motive felt a bit contrived, but as always, it was written and executed well. This is a good movie though. I would still recommend it. But, we need Jesse to be back as the Police Chief so he can go back to writing more parking tickets, and just be his normal self again.

I am already on the sixth film in the Jesse Stone series. Once again the film was not based on any book, but original characters from Robert B. Parker's novel. Very interesting opening credit, because that's the clips from a big city. So it leaves an impression that the tale has shifted its base to another town, but that's not entirely true. Yes, it is different from the previous ones, since Jesse's role slightly changed after what happened in the last film. Also a better film after the recent downfall, still not that great, but anyway, Jesse Stone fans will enjoy it.

There's a murder in the opening which was shown to us, but who was behind it remains a mystery, because that's the story of this film to reveal. So the one murder becomes two and followed by another, Jesse, who is now not in the force gets a chance to involve on it indirectly. Besides, the film not to focus on just one case, but multiple like the usual and that's the Jesse Stone series' special. With those layers, how it was developed and ended was smartly done.

Jesse's old boss is out of the prison and he lends some help on something to him. I surprised for the return of Mae Whitman, she's different and played a quite interesting part. I'm also happy for mentioning the Reggie in the film, so far he was unnoticed, but gets a slight recognition here. Finally the mysterious ex-wife's torture ends with this sequel; I believe that's what I saw. Besides, Jesse got a cell phone and there's a series of jokes regarding sharing the number, only minor ones.

"Jealousy's a powerful thing."

Still the same director, and he did a good job. Besides appearing in the lead, Tom Selleck also penned the story for this with another writer. They really did write a nice screenplay, even it could have been adapted for the big screen. So, for the television standard, it is a much better film. The sad part is the original writer, Robert B. Parker's unexpected death during before this film came out. So there's a mention at the end of the film with respect. His contribution must be appreciated, now there are many Jesse Stone fans out there after this series came out and I hope it continues for another decade.

Since the Jesse's absent in the force, his colleagues had taken some serious steps to fight the crime in Paradise. Particularly Luther has taken the charge of the force, and with Rose, only they two are the ones left in the station. On the other hand, they're facing a threat from the town council that they might be disbanded if their work or the result does not meet the target. So that's why this tale becomes so exciting, because they try their best to keep their jobs, but only the follow-up film would disclose about how it all shapes up.

Regarding the murders, the suspense was good, but also gives some hints for the viewers to have their opinion on the suspect. So the end was not bad or its simple twist. After what happened in this story, I'm curious where the next one would take us. Particularly, I'm eager to know Jesse's journey, whether he returns to Paradise or set to work for his boss at the Boston.

Anyway, this film was a turning point for sure; many unexpected things might going to happen in the remaining films. In the those remaining three films, I expect at least one of it would end as the best in the series. So can't wait for those ones to watch and let me meet you with the next review in a couple of days.

7/10

No Remorse (2010) stands out as an especially dark and bleaker Jesse Stone story. We see Jesse more troubled, more cynical and measurably grumpier than usual. For good reason though. The town council have suspended him without pay. I like it when Jesse is struggling with his demons so this episode should be one of my favourites but it's not. I found this one to be one of the least interesting in the series. I really like the town council scene though.

👍 Jesse more troubled than usual. 👍 Plenty of Jesse & Reggie scenes. 👎 Cast change. Krista Allen replaces Stephanie March as Cissy Hathaway. 👎 The amount of dialogue wasted on Jesse's dislike of mobile phones was too much. It got old and repetitive quick. 👎 Some of the stunt work, specifically near the end was very TV movie.