Mark Wahlberg and Director Peter Berg reunite for an easy going, stay at home Netflix movie which pays homage to 80s cop flicks. Loosely based on the novel “Wonderland” by Ace Atkins, who uses characters created by Robert B. Parker, your Dads or Titos may recognize Spencer from the 80’s TV series “Spenser:For Hire” starring Robert Ulrich.
This 2020 update sees the Spenser character become Mark Wahlberg with the Southie swagger and charm and of course that Boston accent!
An easy weekend watch if you are planning to stay at home and are craving for some good old action-comedy with a bit of a procedural plot. (Being set in Boston, you will actually crave for some lobster or shell fish at the end), Not much on mystery and plot twists and the comedic bits are not so much laugh out loud but more on the soft chuckle kind of funny.
Growing up in Boston, former boxer, ex-cop and now ex-con, Spenser is ready to leave it all behind and start a new life in Arizona, after servinig a five year term for assulting his Captain (Michael Gaston) after he finds him drunk and his wife beat up. Said Captain Boylan may actually be hiding more (but more on that later) since Spenser was in his face about the murder of a local which was being burried under mysterious circumstances.
His first night as a free man, Boylan is brutally killed and when a good cop, Spenser knows back in the day turns out to be the primary suspect, he can’t help but fight to try and find out the truth. With his mentor and former boxing coach Henry, (Alan Arkin) and new roomate, also an ex-con training to be an MMA fighter, Hawk (Winston Duke) – whom I love so much in this film, any film of his so far, for that matter. The three, go all Batman, Robin and Alfred and try to catch the real bad guys.
It’s not all testosterone driven, as both Walberg and Duke have a soft spot for dogs and cats (even if Spenser is mauled by a german shepherd in one scene). Also got a bit teary eyes with a scene between Hawk and a kid.
Amid all the action, getting beat up, shot at and having machetes flying in your face, Spencer and Hawk can take a beating but can also give one, when needed but they got their heart in the right place.