Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

When the body of a fourteen years old teenager is found in the margin of the river in Paradise, Massachusetts, the Chief of Police Jesse Stone (Tom Selleck) and his officer Simpson (Kohl Sudduth) seek clues in the spot. Through a graduation ring of a student that they find nearby the corpse, they identity the dead girl, the local slut Billy Bishop. Meanwhile, his department deals with a domestic violent situation with an aggressive and abusive husband that beats his wife. Along his investigation, Stone discloses that the famous writer Norman Shaw (Gary Masaraba) was too much close to the victim and intended to write the biography of the famous gangster Leo in his next book. Joining the pieces of evidences like a puzzle, Stone unravels the identity of the criminal.

"Death in Paradise" is the second excellent movie that I see with Tom Selleck in the role of Chief Jesse Stone. Both films show simple, credible and effective police stories, with great performances, magnificent cinematography and realistic screenplays. Jesse Stone seems to be tailored to Tom Selleck, who is perfect in the role of the cynical, stubborn and flawed but fair chief of police. I believe this character deserves a TV series, so good these stories are. I have just seen in IMDb that there are two other movies of this character, unfortunately not released in Brazil. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Crimes no Paraiso 2" ("Crimes in Paradise 2")

These movies done by Tom in this time period are a little piece of history, and they deserve better than they got. Selleck is not only an A-lister, but also a pro who never gives a bad performance. In that decade, one of the options open to actors like him, not as young as they used to be, was to head to the Great White North, and work in Canada's growing film sector. Selleck's performance is perfect and the technicals are also. The story is comfortable. That may not sound like high praise, but in countries like England, comfortable mysteries are literally an addiction and part of the culture. Recommended. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

This is the third in the Jesse Stone movie series and I thought it was the best. Selleck is just perfect as the flawed, but honorable main character. What makes this series so good is what others have written; the pacing of the films is thoughtful; the characters are adult and complex; it has plot and intelligence over car crashes and special effects though it has action and romance in it to be sure. You like Selleck's character instantly and his scenes with his other officers,the State Police Detective and the shrink he see's about his drinking, are all terrific.

In the special features on Stone Cold Selleck says people have a 'hunger' for this type of adult entertainment where plot and story are more important than rapid fire visuals--and that is so true. It's surprising how good this series is--it's way better than 95% of what's in the theaters. Tom Selleck in a really good cop movie or Pirates of the Caribbean part IV--it's no contest.

Like the film before this one, "Jesse Stone: Night Passage", "Death in Paradise" is a flawless, highly entertaining television movie that is so powerful and so realistic that it almost looks like something you would have to go see in the theaters. When a low-budget television show becomes that, then you know that you are really looking at a true masterpiece of film-making. I've seen big budget Hollywood mysteries that weren't as good as this. It stars Tom Selleck in another fabulous performance as Chief Jesse Stone, a troubled cop in a small town called Paradise on the eastern seaboard if I'm not mistaken.

What I liked a lot about "Death in Paradise" was how it didn't just focus on one single case by itself. Instead of just Tom Selleck and his team trying to solve the main mystery, the death of a girl, they also tries to handle a second case at the same time, which enhances the power and overall authentistic atmosphere of the movie.

I'll keep my review short and just end it by stating that "Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise" is like "Night Passage" and the sequel after this one, "Sea Change", a fantastic mystery movie and a delightful discovery to find. It's really impressive that a movie this magnificent could have been made on such a small budget, if it was. Most television movies are like that, but I can't be sure. If it was made on a higher budget, I can believe it. It's highly recommended by me.

Look, this isn't a great dramatic film. It won't have you on the edge of your seat. The script is clunky. The dialogue is stilted at times. It didn't transfer well from Robert Parker's novel to the screenplay. Tom is clearly still discovering who his character is.

Regardless of these things ... Tom Selleck is just a likeable guy. Women (and men) want to be with him. Guys want to be him. Since he is so well-liked and relatable, you'll find yourself ignoring flaws and going along for the ride.

This story doesn't rely on blood and guts here. The plot is actually driven by Tom's character's demons which is what really saves it.

Viola Davis could be in a toothpaste ad and still give an Oscar performance. That woman is a force.

This is a movie that's worth the time if all your looking for is a decent story with some decent acting that doesn't make you feel like completely wasted your time and you're tired of gratuitous violence, sex, and the deviant and dysfunctional.