Crimes no Paraíso

I am an avid reader, and I seldom enjoy film versions of novels that I have read. It is amazing how Hollywood can take an interesting and exciting book and turn it into total garbage.

The Jessie Stone novels by Robert Parker are some of my favorites. I prefer them to the Spenser books because the Stone character is more realistic and multi-dimensional than Spenser.

Having said all that, this adaptation of the Parker book is exceptionally well done. Selleck is perhaps a bit too old to play Stone, but he is the perfect person in all other respects for the job. It has been a while since I read the book, but unlike most other adaptations, this one stays true to the original, and the story survives in the film.

I was not aware that this movie had even been made until I saw and rented it this afternoon in my local video rental store. It was well worth the price.

This movie is not going to stand out as one of the top ten crime dramas of any year, but it is extremely well made and fulfills the job of keeping one interested and entertained for a couple of hours. The script is good, for which we can credit the redoubtable Robert Parker and the screenwriter John Fasano. The film looks great, and captures the small-town New England atmosphere (although it was filmed in Nova Scotia). Acting is OK all around, especially from the underrated Tom Selleck, who does a fine job portraying the flinty, laconic police chief Jesse Stone, whose dialogue seems to come right out of a Hemingway novel. It should be mentioned that, although made for television, it stands up very well as a straight movie. My only, minor criticism is that I find the perpetrators of the crimes - and the movie lets us know up front who they are, so this is not a spoiler - to be a rather implausible pair. A nice note is the recurring presence of the charming golden retriever, who as sort a wordless Greek chorus to the proceedings. All around, a worthwhile popcorn burner.

This is not a police movie. It does have the police chief as the main character and it does present most of the movie investigations and killings and rapes and lawyers, but what it is really about is the personality of Tom Selleck's character.

I personally like Tom Selleck and I think he could have been a great actor not given his apparent gentleness. I don't see him performing great action roles or emotional roles for the money and the fame, I see him as a quiet guy and probably so do many casting people, although I am sure he would have done great in any of the above roles.

The film is nicely shot, mixing the cold atmosphere of a small sea shore town with the beautiful scenery and the plot. The 'perps' are not really presented, they are only doing what they do and Tom gets them. He is also developed through actions and not description. His character's coldness and the last name Stone give the (I think unfortunate) name for this film.

It is a good film.

"Stone Cold" is a 2005 made for television film noir starring Tom Selleck. While the plot is rather simplistic, Tom Selleck, as the film's star, offers a strong performance as Jesse Stone, a worn down police chief now serving in the small Maine coastal community of Paradise.

Formerly a high profile homicide detective from Los Angeles, Selleck as Stone gives this film great appeal. In addition, the supporting roles are all well cast, albeit with largely unknown actors except for Mimi Rogers who stars as a local defense attorney.

Police Chief Jesse Stone has to deal with an ex-wife who is a national news reporter who is always hungry for a scoop. He still has conflicted romantic feelings about her and will listen attentively to her messages on his answering machine, but he refuses her entreaties to insulate herself into his investigation in the hope of gaining inside access to the identity of a serial killer or killers suddenly plaguing the town.

Helping Stone to pass the time in Paradise is the joyful presence of a much younger woman who is not only a dear friend but also a welcome sexual partner. She would love to mean more to Stone, but he is so burned out by his previous work in L.A. and his recent divorce that he keeps her at a safe emotional distance. For the most part, alcohol offers about as much of a constant relationship as Stone has any desire to deal with.

The quiet peacefulness of Paradise is shattered one day by the discovery of a body lying near the craggy shore close to the lighthouse. The young man had been shot twice at close range, apparently by two different 22 caliber guns as the angles of the bullets' entry into his body are different.

Making life more difficult for Chief Stone is the gang rape of a young high school student, Candace Pennington (Alexis Dziema), whose parents are strangely uncooperative when they all sit down in the police station for an interview. Her mother had bathed her before coming down to the station, most likely compromising the physical evidence. They withdraw their complaint and leave in a huff after Stone wants the girl to go to the area hospital for a check up and further tests.

A trusted female officer sent over to the high school quickly deduces the identities of the three rapists when she observes them all taunting Candace in the high school cafeteria. They turn out to be popular students who play football for the local high school team. In an effort to separate the three boys into accessories to the crime and rapists, Stone is immeasurably helped by the discovery of incriminating photographs in the knapsack of one of the kids. Now he and his three man staff have to deal with angry parents and high priced defense attorneys brought in to get the kids off the hook.

The day goes from bad to worse when another body, this time a young woman killed in her car in a parking lot, is discovered with the exact same M.O. as the young man. Chief Stone realizes that he has what looks like a serial killer operating somewhere in town and he begins to wonder who will be next since he has no evidence to suspect anyone much less charge anybody.

"Stone Cold" is one of the better television movies that I have recently seen. As the author has written several books starring Chief Stone, my sincere wish is that Selleck will soon reprise this role.

A better than average TV-drama/thriller.

Tom Selleck is marvelous in the role of Jesse Stone, a former Los Angeles cop who, due to drinking problems, has relocated to a small town called Paradise. He has his hands full as two out-of-towners are killing residents simply for the fun of it. It's only a matter of time between things become personal, both for Stone and the killers.

The character of Jesse Stone makes or breaks a film like this. Fortunately he's a very interesting character and well played by Selleck. Very serious, brooding and a borderline alcoholic but with a good heart, Selleck's Jesse Stone will make you nearly forget you're watching the same guy who played Magnum P.I. As for the story, it's never boring, it's fast paced and somewhat suspenseful but it's somewhat shallow. It could have been longer, it's only just 80 minutes. I actually liked the subplot part of the story better, the one concerning the rape victim.

Director Harmon effortlessly creates an ominous atmosphere, and the town of Paradise is very well realised. This seaside town is an important character here and will undoubtedly play a part in the sequels.

All in all a good TV movie with Tom Selleck in top form. I think I'll check out the rest of the Jesse Stone films.