Jesse Stone: Sans remords

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.

Jesse Stone: No Remorse is a movie that chooses substance over style. The movie stays away from tons of action scenes, impressive camera angles and CGI. Instead this is a movie with a story that actually focuses on the story (consisting mainly of dialogue). The movie is labeled as a crime/mystery but personally I would label it more as a drama centering around burned out detective Stone's life and his interactions with other interesting characters in his small town, and a subplot about the solving of a couple of murder cases and robberies. The subplot isn't as thorough though. Therefore I advice people that are going to watch this movie to not expect to watch a complex 'whodunit' movie. I haven't seen the previous installments of the Jesse Stone series but I can say that in the way this movie was presented I was able to follow the plot. I must say this movie did raise my curiosity, so I might watch the other Jesse Stone movies. I'm not much of a television viewer, let alone a television film viewer. I was very surprised to see how good this movie is. I found this to be better than a lot of movies I watched in the cinema recently. The intriguing dialogue and good acting makes this charming little film a worthwhile experience. 8/10

I am a huge fan of Jesse Stone series of movies. The storylines are well written ,and acted by a wonderful cast. The location is stunning , and adds to the moody atmosphere ,and the gentle unobtrusive background music creates a mysterious foreboding feel throughout. If I have any criticism it would be the constant stream of women offering themselves to Jesse on a platter! Yes he is" Magnum PI The Hunk! " , however, I do find it a little cheesy , It kind of seems that there are not too many available men, and too many single women in the town, and nearby area ! Jesse, show some self control, and stop giving these poor women false hope!!! However, that applies to each movie in the series. For me " No Remorse" was equally as engaging and interesting as the previous ones . Slow and deliberate , atmospheric and deep....... a winning formula.

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.

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.