I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

IMDb reviewers enjoy a challenge almost as much as Parker's Jesse Stone character in this series.For those recently arrived from another planet, this series is not exactly what it seems, to wit: 1. Selleck is in the "mature" stage of his career is here killing two birds with one (sorry for the pun) 'stone' -- the actor spends most of his time in Nova Scotia, loves it, and by producing/starring in this self-made series he gets to have his cake and eat it too 2. The negatives? Not many. You cannot even in this day and age do a Canadian film without casting at least one or two "Canadian extras" with their strange dialects and poorly-formed thespian skills. However the US contingent (Stone, Baker, deVane) are so goshdarned good, and the writing is so goshdarned sharp, and the scenery so goshdarned splendid, that these small moments of pain pass quickly.3. Slow moving to some, but what you do have on screen is what the late Spencer Tracey would have referred to as "choice"

I have seen enough Jesse Stone films to realise that they are not very good. If I want fun there are always re-runs of Columbo or the Perry Mason TV films.Once more with the long stares, sombre moody jazz music its a mission not to press the off switch. Even the dog looks miserable. The sight of catching William Sadler's name in the opening titles makes me persevere.William Butler the son in law of the Town Councilman is the new police chief and he has arrogance and incompetence in equal measures. You can immediately figure that he is not long for this world.Rose (Kathy Baker) finds Rutherford College student Cindy Van Aldan dead inside a car near Stone's house and it might be a drugs overdose. Stone who once arrested her feels guilty and wants to investigate the matter even though he has taken early retirement from the force.In Boston, Captain Healy asks Stone to investigate the case of a black man who might be innocent of holding up a liquor store as the evidence seems questionable and the man is reluctant to give an alibi. Stone is prepared to help but wants to be deputized so he can have a badge.He uses the badge to investigate Cindy's case who seemed to have dropped out of college, gone into rehab and then into a vice ring through a liaison with a Russian gangster.Jess being more smarter then Captain Healy figures out why the black man is reluctant to give an alibi and then locks horn with the Russian pimp instead of taking Captain Healy's offer of help with the Cindy case.Somewhere along the line he spends more time with his shrink, gets help from Geno Fish and borrows a car from ex-con Hast Hathaway and now getting involved in a relationship with his secretary who seems to be of mixed race.Jess Stone is so down in the dumps that even his dog is ringing the Samaritans and barking for help.As for the rest of the movie it drags along slowly in a predictable manner with a main plot,a side plot and a cast of recurring characters who presumably now just show up for the pay cheque and not the script. Incidentally Tom Selleck is credited as the co-writer for this film, a smarter man would had their name removed.

If you like police dramas you should like this one. Jesse Stone has been forced to retire early because the town council didn't like his policies concerning enforcement. In this film Jesse is out to find why a young friend of his (a girl named Cindy) has been found dead about a mile from his place. Supposedly she died from a drug over dose. His investigation leads him to several interesting finds. Turns out the rehab place she went to was just a semi sham. They let their patients go with drug prescriptions to replace (?) the addictions. One of the ex aides at the place used it to recruit drug addled girls as hookers. Cindy was one of them. Stone gets the scum bag in a hotel room stripped to his boxers. He is told to quit or die. Stone kills him when he breaks into Jesse's house armed to the teeth, I guess for revenge. This movie is also where Jesse's police chief replacement shows up. He is a real political tool, hired because of his relationship as the son in law of the head council member. Stone is again hired by the state to look into a murder case. Jesse investigates and finds out the guy is innocent of the murder charge but is guilty of a rape just a few minutes before the robbery/murder.

It's hard to do justice to Jesse Stone watching it on commercial TV: so far I have held out for the DVDs but the ending of the excellent last episode was so suspenseful, I couldn't wait. The greatest strength of this series has always been the subtle characterizations - of course Jesse himself, but also Suitcase, Rose, Dix, Healy, Hasty, Hanson, D'Angelo and Doc Perkins - all brilliantly drawn and acted, without any need to go overboard. Yet, this time, I felt there was a bit too much dependence on past character development and a rehashing of a lot of their old lines (Hasty, for example, must always say "I'm very fond of you, Jesse"): I didn't find any of the new appearances were particularly engaging; with the possible exception of the wonderfully odious new Chief (sorry I didn't get his name), they seemed rather a grey lot - and the issue here is direction and screenplay, not acting.The end was a bit too sudden for me and, yet again, we must wait for the next episode before a number of loose ends get resolved (including the main plot-line). Actually, my channel concluded so abruptly that there were no end credits and I didn't realize it was over. Robert Harmon builds atmosphere brilliantly, the screenplay is witty and taut (but rather less so this time) and some clever in-jokes with Jesse using Dr. Dix's "what do you think of that?" At times it teeters on the edge of sentimentality with Jesse almost weeping and Gino Fish becoming almost affectionate – on the edge, I say, but certainly not over it.It's not the best episode but I hugely look forward to seeing it on DVD and may then be obliged to revise some of my first impressions.The synopsis here is incorrect, by the way, when is says that Jesse is reinstated.