Robert B. Parker’s alcoholic small town police chief is brought to vivid life by Tom Selleck in a series of films that Parker has said are the most accurate portrayal of his books on television.
What the back of the box says:
But things are not quite so heavenly in Paradise, as Stone starts off his first day on the job investigating a domestic abuse case that leads to money laundering scheme possibly involving bank manager Hasty Hathaway (Saul Rubinek, Unfoirgiven, The Contender), one of the men responsible for hiring Stone. Will town officials be able to stop Stone from digging too deep into their dirty secrets, or will Stone and his dedicated police be able to unearth a deadly cover-up in Night Passage?”
Technically Tom Selleck made 2005’s Stone Cold out of sequence, but this telefilm goes back to Parker’s first novel and explores how Jesse Stone came to be police chief in the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts. Stone has just been canned for the Los Angeles Police Department because once he starts drinking scotch he doesn’t stop. He’s also recently divorced from his wife and is still wondering if he couldn’t have done more to save the marriage. His last chance is an interview for the police chief of Paradise to replace the retiring Chief Lou Carson (Mike Starr) and when he shows up for the interview with scotch on his breath you’re sure he’s doomed.
However, in a move that even shocks Stone, bank manager Hasty Hathaway actually hires him. We later find out why since Hathaway is forcing Carson into retirement and thinks that he can control the drunk loser Stone. Stone has more stones than we think - especially when he shows up at the domestic violence call at Joe Genest’s (Stephen Baldwin) house and shows the violent husband a thing or two. Things are looking up for Stone when he starts dating lawyer Abby Taylor (Polly Shannon), but when Lou Carson ends up dead then Stone has a mystery on his hands.
Tom Selleck seems to play against what we usually think of him, he has a hangdog expression most of the film and we usually don’t think of Selleck playing an unapologetic alcoholic. Whatever the case he plays Stone magnificently and you’re reminded of what an excellent actor that Selleck can be.
Alcoholic police chiefs usually end up being on the take and the villains of pictures, but even if he has a predilection towards scotch Stone has definite morals and believes in upholding the law. I wasn’t too familiar with the books or the film series, but I’ll be on the lookout for the first film and the latest, Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007), when it hits DVD.
Night Passage is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.78:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Criminally there are no special features.
Tom Selleck has found a striking new character to play in this series of telefilms and author Robert B. Parker seems proud of the finished product. Let’s hope that Parker continues the series and that Selleck also does the same.
Jesse Stone: Night Passage is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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