Do you like Mark Wahlberg? I have been a fan since I watched him for the first time, on the big screen, in his 1996 feature film, “Fear.” Before that time, I really did not know who he was and since then, my admiration and fandom has only grown, with movies like: “Boogie Nights,” “The Departed” and “The Fighter,” among many others. Movie homage aside, it has truly been a remarkable career, even when some of the bad films are taken into account. We will not go there today, though.
Instead, let me tell you about a new, Netflix original film, entitled “Spenser Confidential.” It starts out with a brush of violence, at the hands of a Boston police officer; this being Mark Wahlberg, as Spenser. It did not take long for me to spot the apparent strengths of this movie: cinematography, which was done by Tobias A Schliessler (“The Good Liar”) and the use of source music, throughout. However, it was obvious that the choreography would not be as top-notch, as well as the storyline, itself. At least, not from where I was sitting.
As the story moved along, I was reminded of some of the films from Wahlberg’s past. I already mentioned a couple of them, but another one that came to mind was “Four Brothers.” As a template, of sorts, that is not necessarily a bad thing. However, the real test is whether it makes you enjoy this particular movie even more or just makes you wish you were watching the one you were thinking about, instead. So, let us find out.
Beyond Wahlberg, the cast has another notable face, Alan Arkin (“Dumbo”), who plays as Henry Cimoli. He has limited screen time and is mostly forgettable, if not for the fact that he is Alan Arkin. Winston Duke (“Avengers: Endgame”) is Hawk, a roommate and eventual friend/team player with Spenser.
Iliza Shlesinger (“Instant Family”), played Cissy Davis, a somewhat neurotic and clingy ex-girlfriend to Spenser, or is she really out of the picture? Last, but not least, we have Bokeem Woodbine (“Queen & Slim”) as Driscoll, a former friend and co-worker from Spenser’s cop days. He is probably the most familiar actor, outside of the first two that I mentioned, though Winston Duke has certainly earned plenty of recognition from all of the Marvel movies he has appeared in, recently. However, all of these principles leave their own impression in their own way, in total. Acting performances were certainly not a troubling issue for this film, although editing might have made some of the lesser roles seem too over-the-top. I think story pacing caused things to be chopped up and shortened down a little bit too much, perhaps, but who knows?
I have often stated, “It is not what you do, but how you do it that is important.” The same can be said about moviemaking. I do not expect too much originality these days. So, I do not mind that “Spenser Confidential” seem to lack originality, in its story, more specifically. Still, it took too much time for the plot to become more interesting and enjoyable. Therefore, for a good portion of the film, things were dragging along just a bit. I kept thinking, “Hey, this reminds me of ‘this,’ from ‘that.’” I, also, realized that the joke behind middle-aged characters, involving the lack of understanding for modern technology has become an overused cliché.
One thing that I will say is that once you are able to identify with Spenser’s situation, which does come, eventually, it is easy to admit that the prognosis is a scary one. Can you imagine not feeling at home in your hometown? Presume that you have never left, at any point in your life, and, suddenly, grabbing a bite to eat at a familiar restaurant becomes unsafe because you are surrounded by cop-haters who would like to cut you up with machetes. Yes, I thought about that, in a single moment, but then I moved on.
As the movie was starting to wind down, I was beginning to get into it, but why? I think it was because I was finally starting to see a past between two, important characters. Why did it take this long to arrive? Oh, yes, this is a plot-driven movie. Yet, the plot was not driving fast enough to be exciting. It was on “cruise control,” or something. Ironically, that is a more common choice made when one is taking a long drive, but it also means one is more-likely to fall asleep at the wheel. Speaking of that, the ending left the door open for a sequel of some kind. Spenser was training to become a truck driver. I hope that he does not plan on cruising too much.
In summation, the reminders of other Mark Wahlberg films only made me want to watch those movies, instead of this one, because they were all, basically, better. I have not lost hope for Mark Wahlberg, though, and so I will keep watching his work, for better or for worse. Hey, “Spenser Confidential” is not a bad film. It just is not good, either.
Director: Peter Berg (“Mile 22”)
Screenwriters: Sean O’Keefe and Brian Helgeland (“Legend”)
Cinematography: Tobias A Schliessler
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger, Bokeem Woodbine, Mark Maron (“Joker”) and Austin Post (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”)
Distributor: Netflix
Release: March 6th, 2020
