Spenser Confidential

Sure this movie doesn't break any new ground, but its a fun & entertaining action movie.

The plot is basic. Try and get to the bottom of a police cover up. They throw in a twist or two to make it interesting (that you'll probably see coming), but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment. Wahlberg & Duke have a great chemistry together, both have some funny moments, and along with Arkin, its what sells the movie and will keep you watching.

The choreography in the fight scenes is also good. It looks very raw and authentic. The bathroom & restaurant brawls are the standouts. The only negative is that the fights scenes throughout the first hour or so are all very quick. All are under 2 minutes, and feel like they could (and should) have gone on longer.

Overall, I'd recommend giving it a watch

In Boston, the former police officer Spenser (Mark Wahlberg) is sentenced to five years in prison after beating his dirty Captain Boylan (Michael Gaston). On the day that Spenser is released, Captain Boylan and an honest police officer that was Spenser's friend are murdered. Spenser decides to investigate and teams-up with his roommate Hawk (Winston Duke) that lives with him in the house of their landlord and friend Henry (Alan Arkin).

"Spenser Confidential" is an entertaining action-comedy-crime film directed by Peter Berg. Mark Wahlberg's character is predictable following his code and the movie is funny in many moments. The conclusion is a cliffhanger for a possible sequel. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Troco em Dobro" ("Double Change")

Whatever the good you can say about this film, it is NOT a Spenser and Hawk story. Whoever wrote it took the names of the main characters and glued them onto a random buddy cop story. I like Wahlberg and Arkin is a great actor. But there is nothing in this movie which Robert Parker would recognize as the great characters he created. The most disappointing part is Hawk. In the books and the original series, he is a force of nature - cool, deadly and competent. Winston Duke is probably is a fine actor, but they wrote the character as if he were Michael Oher in the Blindside.

All that said, this is a good enough distraction as a whodunit action film. It has enough action, humor and conflict to fill the time. I do think they were trying to set this up as a pilot for a new Spenser series.

Typical Mark Wahlberg flick with likeable actors. Nothing new, still entertaining. I don't get why some people have to analyse this kind of movies to death just because it's not Oscar material.

Netflix makes a bunch of great stuff, often hits and misses, but in the niche of action/blockbuster movies, Netflix has a real knack for landing in the average and underwhelming section. "Bright" and "6 Underground" are spot-on examples & now "Spenser Confidential" has joined the bowl of expensive but mediocre action flicks.

"Spenser Confidential" is Peter Berg's fifth movie in a row (!!!) starring Mark Wahlberg, and the last two were a downgrade for both. Spenser (Mark Wahlberg), an honest, hard-headed ex-cop with a strong moral compass gets out of prison, reconnects with his mentor Henry (Alan Arkin) and his new roommate Hawk (Winston Duke), a no-nonsense MMA fighter with heart. Spenser got in prison for trying out some vigilante justice & that is exactly what he's going to do for the entirety of the movie, just now with his new friend Hawk. The story is as old as the world and nor Peter Berg nor the screenwriter Brian Helgeland (who really can do better than this) has done anything much to spice it up. "Spenser Confidential" has comedy, action, sentimentalism and all the basic, vital ingredients, none of which rise above the level of average. It's kinda like the movie's sort of 'muted', like softened up, watered down, muddled, call it what You want. You've seen and felt all of this before, probably a load of times. So, looking for silver linings, the cast (mostly) provides decent performances, some jokes land and some action parts are well done and edited. The pacing could've been worse. Visually, it's pretty standard, not confusing or amateur, just standard. One would say, meaning me, that the R rating hasn't been utilized much at all, apart from some swearing, one or two machete cuts and a clothed sex scene. Mehh.

"Spenser Confidential" is a lukewarm blockbuster, a lackluster cop/vigilante/p.i. action flick, an expensive movie made by big names and starring good names and that's about it. It's a light-hearted adventure, an easy Sunday watch, but the kind you're not very likely to remember. My rating: 6/10.