Jesse Stone: Operazione Mosca

Fans of this serious deserve a medal for being the most patient fans on the planet. Most fans have had to resort to DVD supplements (or the Hallmark Channel) to even catch all the installments. Luckily places like Office Depot and big chain Grocery Stores carry most of the DVD's cheap. CBS hasn't been very helpful, the first two episodes were aired in reverse order and the latest two episodes (parts 6 and 7) put on a shelf for over a year while negotiating with Tom Selleck to do the TV series BLUE BLOODS. Part 6 ultimately aired with little fanfare in a terrible time slot and Part 7 finally found a decent home (and will be released on DVD August 2nd, probably). Even if you were able to catch all of them on TV the time period between films was pretty lengthy to remember some of the plot points in the continuing story line. The 6th film, SEA CHANGE, for example, the one that sat on the shelf and then given a bad time slot, brought back guest characters from all the previous episodes. Nifty idea if you watch all the DVD's in a month, but not spread out over 3 years. For the record in case you need to catch up, the story order of the DVD's (not the order they were aired or related to the book title order) are: 1. Night Passage 2. Stone Cold 3. Death in Paradise 4. Sea Change 5. Thin Ice 6. No Remorse 7. Innocents Lost. So are they worth it? Yes. They are character-driven moody dramas with just enough quirky moments to add some jokeless humor. Jesse Stone is a cop and a drunk who goes from being an LAPD robbery-homicide detective to police chief of a small town in Massachusetts. He solves all the cold cases (unsolved crimes), including the grisly ones that no one in town even knew existed, merely as a way to pass the boredom. This actually upsets the status quo of townsfolk that would rather leave their not-so-peaceful past buried. Story lines unexpectedly spill into sequel films making this a continuous story-line series.

The stage curtains open ...

"I'm not in the right and wrong business. I'm in the legal and illegal business."

"Innocents Lost" is the 7th film in the Jesse Stone crime/drama series starring Tom Selleck as the flawed main character. As you can imagine, being 7 movies in, certain things need to change to allow for character arc and depth, while others still need to remain in place to keep the familiarities alive. Though things around him may change, Jesse Stone is still Jesse Stone. Of note, this was the only episode that wasn't directed by Robert Harmon, and it shows.

The Paradise police department has hired on a new Police Chief, who also happens to be Councilman Hanson's son-in-law. Unlike Jesse, he is more interested in greasing the wheels with the local dignitaries than he is in pursuing justice and honesty - causing friction between he and his two officers, Rose and Suit. Meanwhile, Jesse is pulled in again to be a temporary consultant for Healy in a murder case in Boston, while investigating the apparent suicide death of a friend who was on her way to see him. What Jesse uncovers has even Gino Fish worried, leading to a life and death confrontation.

Things seem to be falling apart in the Paradise police department with the arrival of the new chief. Suit resigns, and Rose only stays on because she can't afford to leave. Hasty is still busy selling cars, and we are introduced to his new receptionist, Thelma, played by Gloria Reuben, who would appear again in the final two films. Gino Fish also has a new assistant, Amanda, played by Christine Tizzard. Jesse is still having difficulty figuring out how to have a romantic dinner with a nun, and his dog, Reggie, is still distant.

As things unravel in Paradise, my interest in the series is also starting to unravel, even though this is just as well made as the previous films were. What keeps me coming back and still enjoying this movie, is Jesse and Selleck's portrayal of him. But, things change, and they certainly have in the series. Though it isn't as strong, I still recommend "Innocents Lost". The flashback scenes between him and his friend are compelling, and the story is engaging.

I missed the last Jesse Stone movie, but hope to see it when it is repeated. This may affect my knowledge of what is going on.

Jesse is no longer police chief of Paradise. He is now averaging two drinks a night, which seems fine to him. And while he had talked to ex-wife Jen every night since their divorce, he has not spoken to her in three weeks. This may be because he threw the phone and broke it, and he doesn't get cell phone reception where he lives. Also, he hasn't seen Dr. Dix in three weeks. But he gets a request to help the Massachusetts state homicide detectives once again. Soon after that, he is back in Dr. Dix's office trying to justify his continued drinking and deal with other problems.

The new chief is William Butler, who doesn't seem especially well-suited for this small town. He is nice enough as he takes over from acting chief Simpson (D'Angelo is gone), but he calls everyone "detective" even though Paradise is too small to have detectives. He makes Rose the dispatcher and has a conflict with Simpson over whether to give the town a positive image rather than telling the truth. And he certainly doesn't make a positive impression on Stone.

While driving to Stone's house, Rose finds Rutherford College student Cindy Van Aldan (Eileen Boylan) dead inside her car on the side of the road. Stone once arrested Cindy for drug use and made her spend the night in jail; we see their relationship through flashbacks. Officially, this appears to be a suicide, but Stone has doubts.

In Boston, Stone is asked to help with the case of Charles Morris, a black man who insists he is innocent of holding up a liquor store. Stone thinks Charles is the victim of racism. Stone, incidentally, has a light-skinned black girlfriend these days, Thelma, who is younger than some of his hats but has children in college.

Stone asks to be given a badge and official title by the state homicide department, but of course Stone is not known for following the rules. He uses his badge to look into Cindy's case. Cindy spent time at Tranquility, an expensive rehab facility which Sister Mary John says doesn't accomplish anything. Dr. Parkinson (Mark Blum), who just happens to live in Paradise and knows Stone is a potential patient, won't give out any more information than he has to.

Eventually, Stone manages to make progress on both his cases. But does he accomplish enough to get back on Paradise's police force and send William packing?

People who are new to Jesse Stone's character, and especially those who get bored easily, should probably skip the first few minutes. But the excitement level builds, at least for those interested in solving a mystery or two rather than gunfire and explosions. While there is some of that second type of excitement at the end, this movie is really for those who want to see Tom Selleck's talent playing a flawed but intelligent cop getting things done that others can't. These movies tend to spend more time looking closely at Stone's character than actually solving crimes. And that can be a good thing.

This movie lives up to the reputation the other Jesse Stone movies have established. It is not based on any of Robert Parker's books directly, but on the character. And there are plenty of other good performances.

I love the Jesse Stone series but I have to say this is the worst one of the bunch. The storyline and plot are pretty bland and a lot of the same dialogue from the other films. The way the actors talked did not seem real as they were spouting off fast dialogue and weren't talking in a tone or pace that most people do(hard to explain if you haven't seen it) Hopefully the next movie will learn from this one's mistakes. Jesse is still seen moping around and doesn't go anywhere with his exwife. Nothing really changed from the other ones. While this was not as in depth or just not as interesting as the previous 6, which I really enjoyed.

Weakest of the series. Should be subtitled: A brooding Jesse stares at his dog. Abrupt transitions and ending. Issues left resolved. Feels incomplete.

I read that Chief Stone gets re-instated. I kept waiting for it to happen within the last half hour of the program. I suppose he might be re-instated by the next film. Reggie did a superb job of acting, as always. He has an impressive resume.

I'm glad some things haven't changed, the excellent music by Jeff Beal (I asked him if I could purchase his soundtrack and he sent it to me free via Amazon), William Devane is still the doc, the usual characters were there which is a treat.

The station didn't allow the end credits to roll. Felt like the show ended two minutes too soon. Don't rush the audience. This is why viewing via DVD is much more satisfying.

I hope the next movie will be done this year.