Six Years On, Spenser Confidential Still Runs Too Long Behind Its Own Good Ideas

Mark Wahlberg plays Spenser as a man who knows exactly what he is getting into. He is a former Boston patrolman, just out of prison, and he has spent his time locked up studying to become a truck driver in Arizona. That is a joke about the kind of man he is, and the film does not waste time explaining it. He teams up with Hawk, an aspiring fighter played by Winston Duke, to find out what happened to two police officers who were killed.

This is a film built around a simple engine: Spenser chases a yellow Corvette, gets attacked by a dog, and reads the toothpick clue. The problem is that the engine runs on gasoline that is not quite enough to keep it going. The script, written by Sean O’Keefe and Brian Helgeland, tries to balance comedy with action and thriller, but the comedy lands as jokes about Spenser’s truck-driving study, and the action and thriller parts are mostly set dressing for a chase that never quite pays off.

Trailer, via Netflix.

Spenser’s Prison Study

Spenser’s time in prison is where the film’s central joke lives. He learns to drive trucks in Arizona while he is in there, and he is warned to leave Boston when he gets out. This sets up a running gag about his chosen profession, but the film does not know what to do with it once Spenser is back on the street. The joke is fun when he first says it, but it stops working once the film stops returning to it.

Wahlberg plays Spenser as a man who is always one step ahead of the people chasing him, and that works in short bursts. When he is questioning Letitia Graham, the widow of the dead detective, or when he is reading the clues left at the murder scene, he carries the weight of the investigation with a calm that feels earned. Duke’s Hawk is a fighter, and the film leans on physical comedy with him, but the writing does not give him much to do beyond being a sidekick who can catch license plates.

The Case Against Captain Boylan

The case starts with the murder of Captain John Boylan, who Spenser believed was involved in the death of Gloria Weisnewski, a family friend who protested gentrification. Detective Driscoll, Spenser’s former partner, accepts his alibi and urges him to leave the city. That sets the stage for the film’s central mystery, which involves a handoff between Bentwood, a mercenary, and Macklin, and a surveillance operation by an FBI team led by Agent Burton.

The plot is full of moving pieces, but the film does not spend enough time letting them settle. Spenser finds CCTV footage of Terrence Graham getting into a yellow Corvette, while two others get into his SUV and follow him. He finds a toothpick at the murder scene that matches ones Driscoll uses. He chases the yellow Corvette on foot and is attacked by a dog. These are good ideas, but the film rushes through them, leaving the audience behind.

The Dog Attack and the Chase

The dog attack is the film’s best moment. Spenser is chased by a dog while running from the yellow Corvette, and the scene works because it is a genuine threat, not a joke. It is the clearest example of the film finding a way to make its premise feel dangerous, even when the script is not giving it room to breathe.

The chase that follows is less successful. Spenser chases the yellow Corvette across Boston, and the film cuts between him running and Hawk catching the license plate number. The scene is meant to build tension, but it drags because the stakes are never made clear. The audience knows Bentwood is bad, but the film does not explain why, and that leaves the chase feeling hollow.

Where the Film Falls Short

The biggest problem with “Spenser Confidential” is that it does not trust its own material. The film is at its best when it slows down and lets Spenser talk to people, ask questions, and follow leads. It is at its worst when it tries to be a fast, action-packed thriller. The comedy, too, falls flat when it is not tied to Spenser’s truck-driving study or his relationship with Hawk.

The supporting cast is strong. Alan Arkin plays Henry Cimoli, Spenser’s friend, with a warmth that grounds the film’s more absurd moments. Iliza Shlesinger plays Cissy Davis, and Bokeem Woodbine plays Detective Driscoll. Marc Maron plays Wayne Cosgrove, and James DuMont plays Bentwood. Post Malone appears as Squeeb, an inmate who provides information about Wonderland Greyhound Park. None of them are given enough to do.

The Verdict on Spenser Confidential

“Spenser Confidential” is a film with a good idea and a bad execution. It wants to be a crime thriller, a comedy, and an action movie all at once, and it cannot hold together. The chase scenes drag, the comedy falls flat, and the mystery never fully resolves. It is watchable in short stretches, but it does not reward a full sitting.

The film is not a disaster, but it is not a success either. It is a middling effort from a talented cast and a director who has made better films before. It is worth seeing once, for the dog attack scene and the early conversations between Spenser and Hawk, but it is not a film that demands a second look.

Key Facts

• Director: Peter Berg
• Screenplay: Sean O’Keefe and Brian Helgeland
• Based on: Robert B. Parker’s “Wonderland” by Ace Atkins
• Runtime: 110 minutes
• Release date: March 6, 2020, on Netflix
• Score: 4.9 of 10

Cast Comparisons

What Works and What Does Not

The film is a mixed bag, and it is best enjoyed as a curiosity rather than a masterpiece. It is a film that knows it is silly, and it is not afraid to be silly, but it is not clever enough to make that silliness work.

action thriller · Mark Wahlberg · movie review · Netflix · Spenser Confidential