Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost

The stage curtains open ...

"I'm not in the right and wrong business. I'm in the legal and illegal business."

"Innocents Lost" is the 7th film in the Jesse Stone crime/drama series starring Tom Selleck as the flawed main character. As you can imagine, being 7 movies in, certain things need to change to allow for character arc and depth, while others still need to remain in place to keep the familiarities alive. Though things around him may change, Jesse Stone is still Jesse Stone. Of note, this was the only episode that wasn't directed by Robert Harmon, and it shows.

The Paradise police department has hired on a new Police Chief, who also happens to be Councilman Hanson's son-in-law. Unlike Jesse, he is more interested in greasing the wheels with the local dignitaries than he is in pursuing justice and honesty - causing friction between he and his two officers, Rose and Suit. Meanwhile, Jesse is pulled in again to be a temporary consultant for Healy in a murder case in Boston, while investigating the apparent suicide death of a friend who was on her way to see him. What Jesse uncovers has even Gino Fish worried, leading to a life and death confrontation.

Things seem to be falling apart in the Paradise police department with the arrival of the new chief. Suit resigns, and Rose only stays on because she can't afford to leave. Hasty is still busy selling cars, and we are introduced to his new receptionist, Thelma, played by Gloria Reuben, who would appear again in the final two films. Gino Fish also has a new assistant, Amanda, played by Christine Tizzard. Jesse is still having difficulty figuring out how to have a romantic dinner with a nun, and his dog, Reggie, is still distant.

As things unravel in Paradise, my interest in the series is also starting to unravel, even though this is just as well made as the previous films were. What keeps me coming back and still enjoying this movie, is Jesse and Selleck's portrayal of him. But, things change, and they certainly have in the series. Though it isn't as strong, I still recommend "Innocents Lost". The flashback scenes between him and his friend are compelling, and the story is engaging.

I read that Chief Stone gets re-instated. I kept waiting for it to happen within the last half hour of the program. I suppose he might be re-instated by the next film. Reggie did a superb job of acting, as always. He has an impressive resume.

I'm glad some things haven't changed, the excellent music by Jeff Beal (I asked him if I could purchase his soundtrack and he sent it to me free via Amazon), William Devane is still the doc, the usual characters were there which is a treat.

The station didn't allow the end credits to roll. Felt like the show ended two minutes too soon. Don't rush the audience. This is why viewing via DVD is much more satisfying.

I hope the next movie will be done this year.

I love the Jesse Stone series but I have to say this is the worst one of the bunch. The storyline and plot are pretty bland and a lot of the same dialogue from the other films. The way the actors talked did not seem real as they were spouting off fast dialogue and weren't talking in a tone or pace that most people do(hard to explain if you haven't seen it) Hopefully the next movie will learn from this one's mistakes. Jesse is still seen moping around and doesn't go anywhere with his exwife. Nothing really changed from the other ones. While this was not as in depth or just not as interesting as the previous 6, which I really enjoyed.

Weakest of the series. Should be subtitled: A brooding Jesse stares at his dog. Abrupt transitions and ending. Issues left resolved. Feels incomplete.

Although the Jesse Stone character was created by Robert B. Parker, and he wrote an entire series of books based on him, this particular story was penned by the star, Tom Selleck, along with Michael Brandon (one of the executive producers). As such, their collaboration has resulted in a most-excellent continuation of the Stone series. But Jesse is not reinstated as Chief of the town of Paradise as is stated in the IMDb movie description. Instead, he works solely on his own this time as he strives to solve two unassociated crimes, one which involves the death of a young friend of his. Unfortunately, Jesse is still struggling with personal issues including his interest in hard liquor. Although there may be several times during progression of the story that viewers may feel frustration over how things are going, everyone will come away from the film with an undeniable sense of satisfaction, and the ending, as always, will leave you yearning for additional future stories. Tom Selleck is an impressive, professional actor, and his exquisite portrayal of this role is part of what keeps people coming back for more.

It's hard to do justice to Jesse Stone watching it on commercial TV: so far I have held out for the DVDs but the ending of the excellent last episode was so suspenseful, I couldn't wait. The greatest strength of this series has always been the subtle characterizations - of course Jesse himself, but also Suitcase, Rose, Dix, Healy, Hasty, Hanson, D'Angelo and Doc Perkins - all brilliantly drawn and acted, without any need to go overboard. Yet, this time, I felt there was a bit too much dependence on past character development and a rehashing of a lot of their old lines (Hasty, for example, must always say "I'm very fond of you, Jesse"): I didn't find any of the new appearances were particularly engaging; with the possible exception of the wonderfully odious new Chief (sorry I didn't get his name), they seemed rather a grey lot - and the issue here is direction and screenplay, not acting.

The end was a bit too sudden for me and, yet again, we must wait for the next episode before a number of loose ends get resolved (including the main plot-line). Actually, my channel concluded so abruptly that there were no end credits and I didn't realize it was over. Robert Harmon builds atmosphere brilliantly, the screenplay is witty and taut (but rather less so this time) and some clever in-jokes with Jesse using Dr. Dix's "what do you think of that?" At times it teeters on the edge of sentimentality with Jesse almost weeping and Gino Fish becoming almost affectionate – on the edge, I say, but certainly not over it.

It's not the best episode but I hugely look forward to seeing it on DVD and may then be obliged to revise some of my first impressions.

The synopsis here is incorrect, by the way, when is says that Jesse is reinstated.