Stone Cold (2005)

Being a fan of Blue Bloods and seeing several of Tom Selleck's films as Jesse Stone to me it's proof what a great actor Tom Selleck has become. You couldn't find more different characters than the patriarch of the law enforcement family Frank Reagan with as strong a support system with said family with Jesse Stone the rather lonely figure who is police chief of a Massachusetts coastal town. Jesse for one reason or another can't keep attachments when he makes them. He does acquire one though that will last through the series, a dog who was owned by one of the murder victims here.A man is found with two bullets in his chest on the beach and a few more victims show up as well with same M.O. No other clues. But Stone has got some real good instincts and after a lot of patient investigation he zeroes in on a pair of thrill killers.The other case his department is working on is a gang rape of a 14 year old with accompanying pictures that the boys who did this threaten the young girl Alex Dienza if she rats them out. One of the deputies Viola Davis takes this one real personal. Just beautiful how she nails the ringleader of the gang rape in boy's room.Other noteworthy performance is from Mimi Rogers who plays the attorney for the punk and his family who has a job to do, but really dislikes her clients. Also from the chief punk Shawn Roberts.This was an excellent beginning for the Jesse Stone series.

Jesse Stone: Stone Cold is directed by Robert Harmon and adapted to teleplay by John Fasano and Michael Brandman from a Robert B. Parker novel. It stars Tom Selleck, Jane Adams, Reg Rogers, Viola Davis, Alexis Dziena and Kohl Sudduth. Music is by Jeff Beal and cinematography by Rene Ohashi.In the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts, world weary Chief of Police Jesse Stone (Selleck) is thrust into a twin investigation involving a high school gang rape and what appears to be a serial killer at large.What a pleasant surprise! I'm not familiar with the Parker novels that feature the character Jesse Stone, nor was I aware that this was the first of many TV films to feature said character played by Selleck. In an undemanding mood and scratching around for something to watch before retiring to bed I gave this a spin purely because I have always found Selleck an immensely likable actor. What I got was a very well constructed thriller/crime TV movie led by an impressive Selleck."I hope you don't take this in any negative way, but you may be the simplest person I've ever met. You know what you know, and you do what you do, and you just keep doing it. Like a mule."The story itself, with its double crime investigation core, is simple and nothing remotely mysterious. In fact the perpetrators are evident to us early in the piece. This is about introducing us to Jesse Stone the man, what sort of cop he is? Why does he drink so much? Will he ever let go of the emotional demons that haunt him? As written it's a standard "troubled copper" role, but Selleck elevates it to greater heights with a telling turn of emotional force. Such sadness resides in his face, even if he is just staring out at the ocean you can feel the world pressing down on his shoulders. He not only garners our sympathy, he has us firmly rooting for him for the type of policeman he is, his methods and way of handling tricky situations are cheer worthy. He may be damaged emotionally but this is one copper you want overseeing your town.Obviously with it being a TV movie there's budget restrictions and the odd flash of amateurism, yet this never hurts the movie. The setting of small town Americana keeps things intimate, with director Harmon making sure we are part of the intimacy courtesy of the small handful of characterisations on show. There is no need for crash, bangs and wallops either, it's not that type of film, and the story is far better for it. The photography is of the misty lenses type, something that keeps the mood on the right side of ethereal and offers up a portentous cloak. While Beal provides a lovely musical score that could quite easily form part of a bigger budgeted picture. The acting alongside Selleck isn't all good, though the dog Reggie is marvellous (seriously), and the absence of depth for a couple of key characters is very much felt. But this is a little treat for Selleck fans and certainly enough for me to take more interest in his Jesse Stone series of films. 7.5/10

Even though it was the fourth in a long line of very good detective books by Robert B. Parker, "Stone Cold" was the first to be translated for the screen. Since its adaptation, all of the Jesse Stone movies have been directed by Robert Harmon and have all starred Tom Selleck and this is a team that I say really works. Not only is the star matched up perfectly to the character and the director perfectly to the material, but the movie stays very faithful to the great book by Robert B. Parker and even makes a few twists that some could argue even improve upon the already absorbing storyline.For those who don't know what the Jesse Stone books/movies are about, here's what you're missing. Jesse Stone is a former LA cop now chief of police of a small Massachusetts town. Stone is a grass widower and former alcoholic, and still has somewhat of a drinking problem. While trying to mend the relationship between himself and his ex-wife, as well as solving a rape case at the local high school, Stone finds his toughest challenge ahead when two thrill-seeking serial killers enter town and go on a spree, eventually zeroing on him.What really makes this movie work as well as it does is Tom Selleck's performance. As Robert B. Parker himself commented, Selleck "nails the character." Selleck is charismatic, he has a lot of strong screen presence, he never gives a bad note in his performance, he is funny when he's supposed to be, sympathetic when he needs to be. He's just buttoned up and solid playing the character that he very well may have been destined to play. He captures the laconic personality of the alcoholic police chief wonderfully. Selleck has always been an interesting actor to watch and playing Jesse Stone is one of his crowning achievements.Robert Harmon's directing is also fabulous with wonderful shot set-ups, fast pacing, and a wonderful way of working with his cast and crew. The movie is also beautifully shot, outscoring the cinematography of many big-budget Hollywood productions that I've seen as of late. And he does a good job working with this great story written by Parker and adapted by John Fasano and Michael Brandman. Like I mentioned earlier, uses the changes made to, some could say, improve the overall product. I particularly liked the twist at the end, which I thought was more effective than the ending and coda of the novel. And I most certainly cannot omit my praises for the film's music composer, Jeff Beal, whose score is hands-down brilliant and beautiful. He uses the piano mostly throughout his soundtrack and each time a key is pressed, it engraves a memory in our subconscious. The music in "Stone Cold" is absolutely memorable.In regards to the supporting cast, it's as close to perfect as any cast can be. Viola Davis, a very good actress, is wonderful as the dispatcher with a passion for her job. Kohl Sudduth perfectly captures the personality of his character from the book. Polly Shannon is wonderful as the city attorney with a soft spot for Selleck. There is also Mimi Rogers, Stephen McHattie, Alexis Dziena, and Shawn Roberts, all of whom are perfectly matched to their roles. And Jane Adams and Reg Robers are unnervingly great as the two strangers in Paradise.

As the alcoholic top cop in a small Massachusetts town, Tom Selleck gives one of his best performances in years. Having left California and his marriage, Selleck seems to settle in this cold town but a rape and serial killer soon keeps him hopping.We never fully realize why the husband-wife killing team are doing what they're doing. Their characters are not fully developed and when they are not shooting, they are reciting some sort of nonsense or poetry. Even insane people have reasons for going on killing sprees.After 3 killings in the town, the couple kill Selleck's girlfriend because she is too young for them. They claim they want to annoy him. Something is wrong with this kind of dialogue.3 high school students rape a young girl but this has nothing to do with the serial killings. Maybe, had they tied the rape and the serial killings together, we would have had a better picture.The film ends where I can see a possibility of Selleck doing a weekly show on his character. He is subtle here and delivers a powerful performance in an otherwise flawed production.