No Remorse

I have never been a big Tom Selleck fan. But in recent years, with more maturity, the actor seems to be better than ever.

He does a fine job of playing the hard-boiled, ex police chief in a small town. No spoiler here, but the police have some unsolved murders on their hands, and clearly there is only one guy in town with enough savvy to figure them out.

Now for the interesting part: The film is based on a Robert B Parker story. I have long been a fan of Parker's mysteries. Unlike other writers who strive to sound real but rarely succeed, Parker always creates outcast cops and detectives who are quiet loners, often down on their luck, with terse lines, macho layers, superficial friendships, and a bottle of whiskey at hand.

So the fun in this film is in the dialog. With Kathy Baker playing the only real friend Selleck has, the exchanges of words are minimalist at best. An example: When the seductive wife of an old acquaintance offers herself to Selleck, he simply says, "Wow"....and leaves the room! What a guy.

Not a great film, and certainly not worthy of hyperbolic critical note. But if you want to sit back and enjoy a solid mystery with weird, offbeat characters, give this flick a try.