Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012) Reviews

• Equalizers

  stephenrtod2013-05-03

  Imagine that you and I could live our lives over again - or even a portion of them - and use the life lessons we have garnered, the hard way, to help ourselves and others. Police Chief Jesse Stone, portrayed by Tom Selleck, in the small Massachusetts town of Paradise, seizes such an opportunity. Divorce, alcoholism, murder, loyalty and betrayal, stupidity, false trust and false pride, dist integrating integrity, Stone has deposited lessons in some bank inside himself; and in these made-for-television modern morality plays, ironically, he is the right man in just the right place to help both himself and the small town. Stone is no Ebenezer Scrooge. The ghosts that terrified him back in Los Angeles where he took to binge drinking and lost a high profile law enforcement job, are within his soul still, permanently goading and guiding him. From 2005 through 2012, I watched, with increasing curiosity, involvement, and enthusiasm, as Tom Selleck and his cast maneuvered through five movies about Jesse Stone. Now, I have the distinct feeling that Selleck has assembled his favorite fellow actors to join in producing art and serious fun. Thirty years ago, after "Magnum P.I.," Selleck is still refining and perfecting his acting skills. The actor who lost the Indiana Jones franchise to Harrison Ford, is selecting his vehicles carefully, systematically. The dialog in the Stone movies is unusual, like the repartee one might overhear, by accident, between aged, battle-scarred warriors, or experienced EMT workers, in private, or out of ear shot, making ironic comments about life and love, death and destruction treating very serious subjects in a manner that sounds like light banter. The Jesse Stone movies will not be for everyone's tastes. Its humor evolves out of people continually reminding themselves of how easily they could become corrupted or dead, the kind of humor that keeps characters and audiences on edge. Serious drama tipped just enough on edge to allow the audience to glimpse just a bit of Abbott and Costello or "Waiting for Gogot," reflecting on what well-intentioned but often self-deceiving creatures we human beings are. Stone's drinking and womanizing somehow make him a sympathetic character where another actor might come across as a cad or pervert, a creep or monster. That is acting skill. This is Horation satire. It mocks and ridicules wrongs and weaknesses, but it is forgiving, unlike Juvenalian satire which is serious, grim, caustic and unforgiving, going straight for the jugular. Selleck and cast treat even gruesome death with the dark humor MASH surgeons use to keep their sanity as they continually patch up wounded soldiers sending them back again and again to try to kill other human beings. Some of the wittiest repartee since the 1980's "Equalizer" starred Edward Woodward and Robert Lansing, shows the verbal counter punching skills of Selleck and McHattie. This movie may appeal to students of successful failures. It may even appeal to people who believe in atonement and forgiveness, reformation and redemption. The movie manages to evoke an almost Vaudevillian humor out of events which in reality might feel like distilled sorrow or overwhelming grief. Devane, shrink, ex-cop and almost ex-drinker, is a reflector for Stone's struggles and misadventures with both women and the bottle, and their interludes are played both for serious intent and droll comedy, as men, as lovers, as drinkers, and as human beings struggling to help themselves and others. Aristotle said that a memorable character is (a) true to life (b) true to type and (c) true to self. The Stone movies turn the first two definitions on their heads a bit, but we know that it takes all kinds to make a world. Being true to oneself entails continual contemplation and application of the Serenity Prayer.

• Jesse's a flawed character

  Homersmsm12012-05-21

  The latest Jesse Stone installment, Benefit of the Doubt, is yet another reminder that Jesse is a flawed character. Tom Selleck does such a great job with this character you find yourself justifying these flaws and rooting for him to overcome and serve justice at the same time. Robert B. Parker's vision for Jesse to continue to be flawed has remained intact even after the scripts wandered away from Parker's story line. The supporting cast, Kathy Baker, Kohl Sudduth, Stephen McHattie, William Sadler, Saul Rubinek, and William Devane all return to Paradise to as well. Great acting by Selleck, good writing, and the talented supporting cast preserve Parker's vision for Jesse Stone and hopefully give it life for yet another CBS movie.

• Very Enjoyable Work & Appreciated by Adults

  adrossan2012-07-26

  Sorry to those who found much fault with this instalment of Jesse Stone, however I found it a vast improvement over the preceding episode. Selleck's portrayal of troubled thinking and composure resonates strongly with me, having done investigative work for 26 years I can see & feel that sense of "something isn't right", and the doggedness that is required to uncover the truth behind a shifty event. Self-medication with alcohol is a job hazard, so is withdrawal and reluctance to commit emotionally - investigative work takes you to very dark places & also tends to take over your life. Stone is left with almost nothing to work with, the only local ally being the doctor who doubles as his ME. The Paradise PD is under resourced & always was, but this reflects real life situations where other people (such as support staff, witnesses etc) have to be exhorted to give their best where they very often don't want to be involved. Yes there were plot holes & unrealistic areas (I hope my hair is still naturally that dark when I hit Selleck's age!), but on the whole I was very pleased with the reduction of Stone's tendency to immediately identify the bad guy, follow him & shoot him - PLEASE DIAL THIS DOWN TOM !!! I've enjoyed all episodes for this character because of Selleck's ability & watchability, but the prior 2 efforts tended to be somewhat repetitive in shoot-outs and ending with the bad guys not just caught, but shot by Stone. The intellectual stimulation for adults is the drama and the entire character of Stone; I don't follow these for bang-bang action and frankly it doesn't belong too much, and this film was all the better for less of it. Being an avenging killer is still being a killer and morally bankrupt in someone who upholds the law - I don't feel the constant shooting of the crim to be in keeping with Stone or that it deepens or expands the character. Shooting in the line of duty is far different (and less prevalent) and Stone's ability to cope (or not) with "what has to be done" and "what happens on the job", would be even more compelling viewing. In my work I found watching the twists and efforts of the guilty to avoid detection & "get away with it" to be incredible to see - the ability of human beings to act, lie, steal, cheat and do anything for money, and the application of justice and jail is far more interesting than play-acting with guns. The strain of uncovering devious doings and defeating them, and dealing with the fact that they often do get away, is intense, draining and hugely real. It must be difficult to follow in Robert Parker's footsteps, but intelligent adult viewing is becoming very rare these days & in my opinion the writing team are trying very hard to stay faithful to the character and carry on his work. However, there is a tendency in this script to pitch to the lowest common denominator, or in other words "you tell 'em what you're going to say, say it, then tell 'em what you just said". We don't need constant repetition of phrases such as "I don't believe I said that" and other obvious pretensions, such as Suitcase's "my sense is that..." and so on.They're OK once or twice to get the point across but over-use is dumbing down the product and detracting from the overall "likeability" of brand Jesse Stone. I found the secret affair out of character too, but presumably we'll see more of this later. Sorry Saul Rubinek, but I think Hasty's time has come and the character should depart - especially that dopey bow-tie, ditto for Stone's reliance on Gino Fish for all underworld information. I don't understand Gino's motivation for assisting Stone(other than trying to foster favour with a police chief), it's never been explained and has worn thin; some new characters wouldn't go amiss. I'm pleased Chief Stone also decided to break his co-dependency with his unlikable ex-wife Jen, and I can feel the growing friendship with Captain Healy - it's already there with Dr Dix. William Devane & Stephen McHattie are perfect in their roles. I do enjoy these shows immensely, can't wait for the next & look forward to further character & plot development - keep up the good work for many more episodes to come.

• Plot Problems? Sure. Love Jesse Stone anyway.

  sharbrough2015-03-10

  I like Jesse Stone and would watch one every week. I quibble about the story - but I love the visuals and the music. New England is a moody place. As was suggested in other reviews, Paradise seems big enough to have more policemen. We see one, they ought to have more. But my struggle with Benefit of the Doubt is a more basic plot question. What was gonna happen on the 24th? Let's review. 1. Sometime prior to 21-Apr, Butler made a cryptic entry on his desk calendar, 2AH10, which we later learn referred to Hasty and Pier 10. 2. On 18-April, Hasty serviced one of the Paradise patrol cars, and planted a bomb on it. 3. On 21-April, a fake call about some kids starting a fire was called in. Cash and drugs were placed in the trunk of the squad car with the bomb. This might have happened while it was being serviced, but we aren't told when. 4. Butler and D'Angelo are barbecued by the car bomb. Long before we had IED's, the mob had car bombs. It doesn't burn all of the money or drugs, just some of it. 5. When Stone tells Hasty about his theory that Hasty is the boss, Hasty reacts in haste, calling Art Gallery (that's a hoot) and saying that "the 24th won't work." The implication is that the thing on the 24th was a sniping murder of Jesse Stone. So, are we to understand that Hasty was planning to blow up Butler, reinstate Jesse, and then shoot him too? And that Butler got wind of it before the movie started? I guess Hasty planned to call in a fake report of a fire on the ship or something? Because when he moved it up, he didn't call Jesse out there or anything. If Jesse hadn't shown up, what would Art have done at the ship? What would Hasty have done? I can only imagine how slow the ending would have been if they had spent a whole afternoon out there and no one ever showed up. Are we supposed to figure that Hasty was leading Jesse to the ambush? They didn't offer much hint or explanation of that. As has been speculated elsewhere, why would Jesse have focused on the calendar clue in the first place? We are told it was a hunch. Fine, but no hunches about anything else? I can't wait to see the next one. I'll try to pay better attention.

• This one isn't up to the standards of the first seven.

  jertrav332012-05-21

  The eighth Jesse Stone movie, Benefit of the Doubt, was on the tube last night. I loved the first seven in the series but was disappointed in this one. Tom Selleck and Michael Brandman co-wrote it, with Brandman probably supplying the plot and Selleck the character. Just as Robert Urich became Spenser, Selleck has become Jesse Stone, the laconic, dark drinker of black coffee and Johnny Walker Red. This time, though, I got the feeling they were stretching for the Parker style and not quite reaching it. For example, after the new chief and one of his deputies are killed in an auto explosion, everyone keeps saying, "You didn't like him, did you, Jesse?" to which Jesse replies, "I don't believe I ever said that." Four times he's asked and four times he replies with the same words. Parker might have gone for two times, but never four. In fact, almost all the dialog is short and repetitive, but not quite up to Parker's standards. What can I say about the plot? Well, there wasn't much plot and much of what there was didn't make any sense. After the double killing, Jesse is temporarily made chief again. He goes to the police station but has to break in because they've changed the locks and the security code. He discovers a day-calendar sheet for April 24 with a cryptic series of letters and numbers. Why did he assume it was a clue into the death of the chief? Neither the viewer nor anyone else in Paradise knows. Rose and Suit have resigned from the force and both make only brief appearances. And Jesse seems to be the only one on the force. Paradise is a large enough city that there would be at least fifteen officers serving, but not a single one is ever seen after Jesse takes over as chief. Someone has been following Jesse for several days, following in a car almost riding Jesse's bumper. Jesse pulls him over and tells him not to follow him anymore. In the final scene, it's revealed that the man was a hit man with a contract on Jesse. Hasty Hathaway, the obnoxious auto dealer who had originally hired Jesse, is really the boss of Gino Fish, one of the biggest fish in the Boston racketeering pool. When Jesse seems to be getting close to the truth, Hasty takes his ill-gotten gains, what looks like nearly a million, and flees by speedboat. Jesse kills the hit man and is about to take Hasty, but Hasty gets away. End of movie. It felt too much like a series cliff-hanger looking forward to the next episode. I don't think there'll be another episode, and if there is, it had better be better than this one. The good news about Benefit of the Doubt is that ex-wife Jen is nowhere around and that Reggie, the sad-eyed retriever, is still trying to win Jesse's love.