Jesse Stone: Night Passage

In 2006, Tom Selleck produced and acted in a marvelous mystery series, known commonly as the Jesse Stone made-for-TV movies. Viewers, this series is fantastic! Check out an earlier review from 2010 on Selleck's Jesse Stone: No Remorse. We lauded that piece of work. Now I must similarly laud the first in the series.

Night Passage tells the story of a burned out cop, Jesse Stone, who has just divorced, left L.A. where he was a homicide detective, and moved with a mangy dog to a small town in Massachusetts. He will be the new police chief there. Jesse figures the biggest crime in a small New England town will be a stolen bike. He does not count on murder.

There. The scene is set. No more details, lest I give away too much.

The beauty of this film is not in the plotting, however, so don't expect a very detailed whodunnit. The marvel is Jesse's characterization. He's a depressed alcoholic, who lives a solitary life and likes it that way. He's a man of few words. Thus the sparse, terse, magnificent dialog, which is the charm of the film.

Jesse may drink too much and say too little, but he's a man of integrity and strength. He is one tough SOB. Example: When he confronts a bad guy who claims to have "rights", our hero simply kicks the dude in the family jewels! Yeah, he's got some Dirty Harry in him.

The tone is somber but shaded. The acting is incredible. Check out Viola Davis as the subordinate cop, long before she landed her golden role in Doubt. Check out Tom, mature actor now, way better than the old days.

I'm gonna watch ALL the Jesse Stone flicks. Can't wait!