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Product Description: A prequel to "Stone Cold" in the series of Jesse Stone novels by Robert B. Parker the story picks up after Jesse Stone is fired from the Los Angeles Police Department. He becomes an unlikely candidate recruited by the town board of selectman to become police chief of Paradise a small town on Boston's North Shore. The board hopes his failed experience will keep him from digging too deep into the town's secrets. Hungover on his first day on the job he must investigate a domestic abuse case that ends up leaduing to a money laundering scheme perpetuated by a manager of a local bank.Run Time: 89Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 043396144699 Manufacturer No: 14469 Amazon.com: How Tom Selleck's world-weary cop Jesse Stone became the police chief of sleepy Paradise, Mass., is revealed in this engaging prequel to the first made-for-TV Stone feature, Stone Cold (2005). Selleck is once again well cast as the rough-around-the-edges Stone, whose drinking problem gets him ejected from the Los Angeles police force; he soon finds himself the head lawman in a small New England fishing village, where his slow dissolution continues until a routine domestic disturbance case reveals connections to money laundering and murder, with several of the town's most affluent names as possible suspects. Selleck is well-matched by veteran scene stealer Saul Rubinek, and there's good work by Polly Shannon as a city attorney who becomes Stone's romantic interest, and Stephen Baldwin as an ill-tempered local. Fans of author Robert B. Parker (on whose books the Jesse Stone films are based) and Selleck won't be disappointed by this smart thriller. --Paul Gaita Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-03
A perfect role for Selleck
I'm a fan of Robert Parkers "Paradise" series featuring the Jesse Stone character. I like his Spenser books somewhat less because the Spenser character has grown tiresome and repetitive over too many installments (to me at least).
Tom Selleck is perfect as Jesse Stone, a brooding Police Chief of a small New England township. He's battling alcoholism and a continuing love connection to his ex-wife. This character is pretty much the polar opposite of his Magnum P.I. character but he nails it - just enough brooding with sparks of wry humor. These series of movies (Stone Cold, Death in Paradise, and Night Passage are three of four, I think) are all beautifully shot and feature a great supporting cast.
Rating: 
Date: 2008-04-14
Very good movie
Very good movie, but why it's the second movie of the show? The first
was Jesse Stone "Stone Cold".But in the first is the result of the second! Anyway the both are excellent and Tom Selleck is a very good
actor.
A watch and keep it! Rating:
Date: 2008-04-03
Great production values
I'll skip commentary on the plot or Tom Selleck. Most people have covered these very well. My perspective is production quality. Generally, television movies are merely okay when judged by music and camera work. After all, the little screen is cheaper than the big screen. The stunning production of the Jesse Stone series sets it above anything seen ever.
I would love to know the location setting. I was born and raised in MA and can't imagine a village like Paradise within commuting distance of Boston. The entire North and South Shore above and below Boston are teeming with residents so tightly packed that merely setting off to pick up milk takes resilience and cunning.I'm thinking that it's really Canada or the state of Maine.
It's the harsh and compelling scenery of the shoreline wrapping around the tiny town of Paradise that sets the appropriate mood for the brooding and iconoclastic new police chief, LA fugitive Jesse Stone. Gorgeous, sunny fall days full of spectacular, sharply displayed color recede into damp, rainy, foreboding nights full of those quietly desparate people who rarely dare to leave. The camera work is as stunning as I've ever seen out of Hollywood. One could find entertainment playing this DVD over and over even with the sound turned off.
Crank it up, though. Don't miss the poignant score artfully articulated by Jeff Beal. I hope the soundtrack will be released as well as future movies. I always play the credits that role too briefly at the end. Big screen movie credits go on interminably citing the great contribution of everyone from the executive producers to the gal that keeps the coffee fresh on set. The Jesse Stone series is just a few names at the start and the end. Still, I find it hard to shut the television off until the last note is played.
The cast is a great blend of old pros and new talent. Selleck's trademark laid back style envelopes the storyline like a perfectly broken in leather chair. Kohl Sudduth as Luther "Suitcase" Simpson, the eager young officer, moves into a favorite son roll that contrasts very well against the paternal Jesse Stone. The dispatcher is commandingly played by the amazing Viola Davis who takes her character from skeptical resentment to protective admiration swiftly and smoothly.
Saul Rubinek, the crooked but likeable banker squeezes two movies out of what is usually a throwaway roll. Rubinek may be one of those names you can't place because he's pretty much a utility actor rather than a first stringer. But he's never failed in being a notorious scene stealer in the best sense of the term. He has capacity to spare in his acting and prevents any flattening of character. The viewer roots for his comeuppance and then regrets his punishment.
The Tony D'Angelo character simmers in petty irritaion as the oldest cop at the station who's forced to play bridesmaid to every bride when the job of chief is 'stolen' from him by the incoming LA stranger Stone. Vito Rezza's expressive face and talented posturing creates an enduring tribute to the self-obsessed "little guy" steeming in his own resentments and obsessed with lame efforts to get back at the new chief.
But the real prize is the main character. There's a great deal of viewer satisfaction in seeing a powerful, confident man who, despite his own personal demons, sees crime and punishment through a complicated but common sense lens. Whether in a big city or a tiny village, he operates on his own keenly tuned intution, dispensing justice with supreme condidence. In this world of man-made conflict it is very rewarding to see a man who can un-make the troublemakers.
Rating:
Date: 2008-03-10
Jesse Stone is FANtastic!
Anyone looking for Magnum P.I. in the Jesse Stone character should look elsewhere. Tom Selleck does a magnificent job in his portrayal of a rough, very flawed, but brilliant sheriff as he cracks the case, but interacts genuinely with his fellow officers and the people he serves. I enjoy this series and have all of the Jesse Stone DVD's. PLEASE GIVE US MORE! Terrific series! Intense, dramatic, wonderful sound track and scenery...you really care about these people. Don't miss this one! Rating:
Date: 2008-03-08
First in the series - not a bad start
I hoped the movie would do justice to the story. It almost does. The problem is not with Tom Selleck - he's perfect for the part. The problem lies in the way the story was butchered to make the film. They could have done much better - hell, I probably could have done better and I've never written a script. Still it was good and entertaining. |
