User reviews

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.

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.

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost has the former Paradise, Massachusetts police chief trying for a comeback and his small staff of Kathy Baker and Kohl Sudduth wishing he hadn't gone. But he riled up some members of the town council and one of them has put his nephew in as the new police chief. The rather arrogant and fatuous new chief is played by Jeff Geddis.

Tom Selleck as Stone has a perpetual savior who has come for his aid on a couple of occasions. Stephen McHattie who is head of the homicide division of the Massachusetts State Police has a case he's having second thoughts about, but the trial is going on. Selleck interviews the defendant who is on trial for murder and who won't provide an alibi as to his whereabouts at the time of the crime. Selleck also has instincts that prove correct.

At the same time Selleck is investigating this crime a young girl whom he had arrested while on the job has died of a drug overdose. That investigation is on the house and with his credentials supplied by McHattie, Selleck goes off on another investigation and in his usual style steps on toes. What are they going do, fire him?

The Jesse Stone movies are all good, some are better than others. But Tom Selleck has totally gotten away from Magnum, PI. This grim man with issues is so different from Thomas Magnum. Check Selleck out in all of them if you can.

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.

The seventh film in the Jesse Stone series and not based on any book. Seems that's it, the adaptations are over. I thought it was a temporary diversion, but after the third straight film with no sign of going back, somewhat clear that it won't in the future as well. So only the characters from the book by Robert B. Parker was used to take the series forward with the original screenplays.

Jesse is preoccupied with new of him. He stopped talking to his ex- wife since the phone line he cut off. But it could be the reason a teen girl's death. I mean he's not responsible, but when she needed him the most he was unreachable. So he's kind of in guilt for her death and trying to find the real reason behind it. The police department closed the case with a simple statement, but Jesse knows there's something or someone to blame. Like usual, he goes after with the clues he got and also gets some help from his frenemy Mr Fish. Where it takes him and how he solves it comes in the last quarter.

In the opening credit, it was a different look, particularly the Jesse character was transformed into something new. When the rest of the film was in progress, there's nothing like that, just the old Jesse we all knew. He's trying to be close with Reggie, but it is not working. He's not in the force which is not looking good. Not just for him, but also for the film. Because he is a cop, a best one the paradise has ever seen, but his exit from the force was uninteresting the new development in the series. They are trying with the different things since it left the book, but not paying off with the success the series saw from the initial three films.

"What are you looking at?"

The director for this sequel has changed. This is the first time and I was not expecting that, because I thought that's the best thing about this series. I know the last couple of films were not up to the standards, but seems it's good that they wanted a fresh perspective, still, I don't think the new attempt worked out so well. I won't blame the director completely, first of all the story was pretty bad. This is surely the worst film in the series and it came in the time when the series needed a serious uplift. I don't know, from this position where it will head in the future.

It's not about the film is bad, but it does suit to be a part of the Jesse Stone franchise and that's the issue here. Because I felt it was out of the sync with the series. Those new characters, especially what they told us the dead girl Cindy was a close friend of Jesse is somewhat unacceptable. We have never seen her before and you can't just bring her in saying that's a very important person in Jesse's life. Because we know Jesse since he got to Paradise, so this girl is a mystery. Sorry, it did not work for me, maybe a prequel to that might do the fixing job all the damage done in this part. But I'm not confident about that would happen.

For the filmmakers, this installment is a bad dream. How could the writers did not think to include the flashbacks to cover up the flaws. I feel they should have sticked with the Robert B. Parker's book series. Other than the messed up story, as an individual film, it can be enjoyable. Many Jesse Stone fans upset with this one, though I hope the next one gets better. I'm saying that since last few films, but it is only going down and seems not recovering.

Like Selleck is the only reason this film still watchable. He was wonderful with a good supporting cast. So let's see what's going to happen to the film characters, looks some of the main ones useless here. With the wonderful characters, the makers are not developing the interesting story. I almost lost interest in this, but there are just a couple of films left, so I'm going to finish it off. I hope they can be what I'm expecting.

6/10

I missed the last Jesse Stone movie, but hope to see it when it is repeated. This may affect my knowledge of what is going on.

Jesse is no longer police chief of Paradise. He is now averaging two drinks a night, which seems fine to him. And while he had talked to ex-wife Jen every night since their divorce, he has not spoken to her in three weeks. This may be because he threw the phone and broke it, and he doesn't get cell phone reception where he lives. Also, he hasn't seen Dr. Dix in three weeks. But he gets a request to help the Massachusetts state homicide detectives once again. Soon after that, he is back in Dr. Dix's office trying to justify his continued drinking and deal with other problems.

The new chief is William Butler, who doesn't seem especially well-suited for this small town. He is nice enough as he takes over from acting chief Simpson (D'Angelo is gone), but he calls everyone "detective" even though Paradise is too small to have detectives. He makes Rose the dispatcher and has a conflict with Simpson over whether to give the town a positive image rather than telling the truth. And he certainly doesn't make a positive impression on Stone.

While driving to Stone's house, Rose finds Rutherford College student Cindy Van Aldan (Eileen Boylan) dead inside her car on the side of the road. Stone once arrested Cindy for drug use and made her spend the night in jail; we see their relationship through flashbacks. Officially, this appears to be a suicide, but Stone has doubts.

In Boston, Stone is asked to help with the case of Charles Morris, a black man who insists he is innocent of holding up a liquor store. Stone thinks Charles is the victim of racism. Stone, incidentally, has a light-skinned black girlfriend these days, Thelma, who is younger than some of his hats but has children in college.

Stone asks to be given a badge and official title by the state homicide department, but of course Stone is not known for following the rules. He uses his badge to look into Cindy's case. Cindy spent time at Tranquility, an expensive rehab facility which Sister Mary John says doesn't accomplish anything. Dr. Parkinson (Mark Blum), who just happens to live in Paradise and knows Stone is a potential patient, won't give out any more information than he has to.

Eventually, Stone manages to make progress on both his cases. But does he accomplish enough to get back on Paradise's police force and send William packing?

People who are new to Jesse Stone's character, and especially those who get bored easily, should probably skip the first few minutes. But the excitement level builds, at least for those interested in solving a mystery or two rather than gunfire and explosions. While there is some of that second type of excitement at the end, this movie is really for those who want to see Tom Selleck's talent playing a flawed but intelligent cop getting things done that others can't. These movies tend to spend more time looking closely at Stone's character than actually solving crimes. And that can be a good thing.

This movie lives up to the reputation the other Jesse Stone movies have established. It is not based on any of Robert Parker's books directly, but on the character. And there are plenty of other good performances.

This is my first Jesse Stone and it may be my last. In Innocents Lost, Jesse tries to find out what happened to a young woman he once arrested with whom he lost touch. She went into a rehab facility, was released on antidepressants, and died of a heroin overdose.

Part of my problem is not knowing all the characters who surround Jesse, and it is certainly an excellent cast: Kathy Baker, William Devane, Stephen McHattie, et al., and I suppose that would help subsequent viewing.

To me this seemed slow-moving and I found Selleck as dull as dishwater. He shot to fame thanks to his wonderful looks, a relaxed charm, an ability to play humor, and warmth. I guess it all left on the last train. This character does not draw on any of his best assets. I just don't find him enough of an actor to give us a multilayered, depressed character. Instead, he comes off as grim and boring.

I once read that a self-help guru did a workshop for actors. One of them was always one of the last two in an audition but lost the part. The teacher investigated and told him the reason was he had no talent. She explained it was a good thing because he didn't have to worry about "acting" any longer. He could use his charm, his presence, his looks, his demeanor, and his personality instead. She went on to write that he became a household name in the '80s. I'm convinced it was Selleck.

I'm sure no one else will agree with me, and I may feel differently if I view more of these. But it was slow going watching one of the bright lights of '80s television meandering through this. One smile would have been welcome.

IMDb reviewers enjoy a challenge almost as much as Parker's Jesse Stone character in this series.

For those recently arrived from another planet, this series is not exactly what it seems, to wit:

1. Selleck is in the "mature" stage of his career is here killing two birds with one (sorry for the pun) 'stone' -- the actor spends most of his time in Nova Scotia, loves it, and by producing/starring in this self-made series he gets to have his cake and eat it too

2. The negatives? Not many. You cannot even in this day and age do a Canadian film without casting at least one or two "Canadian extras" with their strange dialects and poorly-formed thespian skills. However the US contingent (Stone, Baker, deVane) are so goshdarned good, and the writing is so goshdarned sharp, and the scenery so goshdarned splendid, that these small moments of pain pass quickly.

3. Slow moving to some, but what you do have on screen is what the late Spencer Tracey would have referred to as "choice"

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost is the seventh in a series of nine television films based on the characters of Parker's Jesse Stone novels. The usual multi storylines see the (forced) retired Jesse this time investigating the suspicious death of a young friend from an earlier episode, while Rose and Suitcase adjust to the reality of station life with new police chief William Butler who is the son-in-law of a town councilman. Jesse is also asked by Captain Healy to consult on a Massachusetts State Police case involving a robbery and murder suspect.

Innocents is a little unusual in that it has a different director from normal in Dick Lowry and Tom Selleck himself is a co-screen writer, with the episode not being based on any of Robert B Parker's work. However practically, nothing greatly changes from the formula used in the previous 6 episodes, employed to create these superior quality telemovies.

All the usual suspects and great supporting characters (Dr Dix, Hasty Hathaway, Gino Fish, Sister Mary John and my personal favourite, Reggie the golden retriever) are on hand to both aid and abet Jesse (mostly aid or attempt to) in his driven task to seek justice for those who can't always seek it for themselves. The acting is top drawer, the Nova Scotian locations are picturesque and Jeff Beal's theme music is hauntingly apt as is usual. And of course the strongest drawcard is the wonderfully flawed character of Jesse himself played by the seemingly unflappable Tom Selleck, with that ever present atmosphere of eternal irony surrounding him, which helps all the films avoid descending into throes of sentimentality and self-pity.

Some viewers may get a little antsy with the somewhat left up in the air climax, which clearly sets certain things in play for the next episode. But that's OK as far as I'm concerned. I'm always ready for another chapter of the rough-hewn, but generally socially agreeable detective, who despite his personal demons, always has his heart in the right place.

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.

Fans of this serious deserve a medal for being the most patient fans on the planet. Most fans have had to resort to DVD supplements (or the Hallmark Channel) to even catch all the installments. Luckily places like Office Depot and big chain Grocery Stores carry most of the DVD's cheap. CBS hasn't been very helpful, the first two episodes were aired in reverse order and the latest two episodes (parts 6 and 7) put on a shelf for over a year while negotiating with Tom Selleck to do the TV series BLUE BLOODS. Part 6 ultimately aired with little fanfare in a terrible time slot and Part 7 finally found a decent home (and will be released on DVD August 2nd, probably). Even if you were able to catch all of them on TV the time period between films was pretty lengthy to remember some of the plot points in the continuing story line. The 6th film, SEA CHANGE, for example, the one that sat on the shelf and then given a bad time slot, brought back guest characters from all the previous episodes. Nifty idea if you watch all the DVD's in a month, but not spread out over 3 years. For the record in case you need to catch up, the story order of the DVD's (not the order they were aired or related to the book title order) are: 1. Night Passage 2. Stone Cold 3. Death in Paradise 4. Sea Change 5. Thin Ice 6. No Remorse 7. Innocents Lost. So are they worth it? Yes. They are character-driven moody dramas with just enough quirky moments to add some jokeless humor. Jesse Stone is a cop and a drunk who goes from being an LAPD robbery-homicide detective to police chief of a small town in Massachusetts. He solves all the cold cases (unsolved crimes), including the grisly ones that no one in town even knew existed, merely as a way to pass the boredom. This actually upsets the status quo of townsfolk that would rather leave their not-so-peaceful past buried. Story lines unexpectedly spill into sequel films making this a continuous story-line series.

I really enjoy the complete series. I have all 9 and watch often because other then old movie greats, most the stuff on tv today is crap

I've read the books by Robert Parker and Paradise is filled with creepy, gloomy characters, so all the movies are certainly spot on. I can get past the cryptic and stilted dialog in the books because I'm curious to see how the plot plays out but for some reason, the dour characters become tedious when you have to actually watch them glumly interact with each other. It's also highly annoying to listen to the cast beat to death the 'it's a small town' gag from beginning to end. I was amazed to see that even the dog looked like a miserable wretch. Tortured characters are always a great hook in both books and movies but there is such a thing as beating a premise to death and Mister Parker is no slouch in this department. The writers, directors and producers of the series of movies would have been prudent to dial back most of the author's character idiosyncrasies because they're more irritating than compelling.

While this is a welcomed continuation of a good (excellent) Tom Selleck series (I don't care for "Blue Bloods"), I was a bit disappointed in "Innocents Lost." For one, it clearly,clearly plays to Selleck's vanity as he lays (not so cleverly) the decided foundation for the next episode. While that is good, this one was too incomplete for my liking. Second, the pacing of "Innocents Lost" seemed to be out in the netherworld--slow at times, possibly to make sure that the full two hours time slot was completed yet not forgetting to set the stage for the next episode, when? In six months' time? A year? New viewers could easily have been baffled by the "inside" story, events and characters based upon previous episodes (which really isn't fair to new viewers, that is, if new viewers were wanted). Character development lagged (we've a new police chief and we know we don't like him and we know that he's bound to be "gone" in another episode, but, please, don't tease us to the extent that it did. And, Jesse, forget about your ex-wife. Pul-eeze. Enough whining. Move on. Please.

All this said, though, I didn't regret watching "Innocents Lost"--but was quite let down by its "incompleteness."

I liked this movie so much that I immediately went out and bought all eight (as of Spring 2015) and I will buy #9 when it comes out. This is a great drama, doesn't feed you the information, lets you take the lead only to find out later. I liked Rose Gammon in the series and would like to see much more of her. Could there be some electricity between Jesse and Rose if she returns? Jesse needs to catch Hasty. The homicide chief in Boston needs to keep up the dry whit with Jesse. Great job. There should be a closer bond with the dog. He is beautiful. I really enjoy the Jesse Stone series and look forward to many more episodes. Thanks.

I have seen enough Jesse Stone films to realise that they are not very good. If I want fun there are always re-runs of Columbo or the Perry Mason TV films.

Once more with the long stares, sombre moody jazz music its a mission not to press the off switch. Even the dog looks miserable. The sight of catching William Sadler's name in the opening titles makes me persevere.

William Butler the son in law of the Town Councilman is the new police chief and he has arrogance and incompetence in equal measures. You can immediately figure that he is not long for this world.

Rose (Kathy Baker) finds Rutherford College student Cindy Van Aldan dead inside a car near Stone's house and it might be a drugs overdose. Stone who once arrested her feels guilty and wants to investigate the matter even though he has taken early retirement from the force.

In Boston, Captain Healy asks Stone to investigate the case of a black man who might be innocent of holding up a liquor store as the evidence seems questionable and the man is reluctant to give an alibi. Stone is prepared to help but wants to be deputized so he can have a badge.

He uses the badge to investigate Cindy's case who seemed to have dropped out of college, gone into rehab and then into a vice ring through a liaison with a Russian gangster.

Jess being more smarter then Captain Healy figures out why the black man is reluctant to give an alibi and then locks horn with the Russian pimp instead of taking Captain Healy's offer of help with the Cindy case.

Somewhere along the line he spends more time with his shrink, gets help from Geno Fish and borrows a car from ex-con Hast Hathaway and now getting involved in a relationship with his secretary who seems to be of mixed race.

Jess Stone is so down in the dumps that even his dog is ringing the Samaritans and barking for help.

As for the rest of the movie it drags along slowly in a predictable manner with a main plot,a side plot and a cast of recurring characters who presumably now just show up for the pay cheque and not the script. Incidentally Tom Selleck is credited as the co-writer for this film, a smarter man would had their name removed.

I enjoy all of the Jesse Stone mini series. To bad they were not filmed in the New England area and Boston. I'm sure the costs would have been substantially higher

I enjoy every one of the 9 series and watch them many over. So much better than the junk on TV

In this episode, Jesse is still the retired ex-chief of the Paradise police force and his replacement is a man easy to dislike. Cindy Van Alden was a young woman that was a close friend of Jesse's until she went off to college and they no longer stayed in touch. Suddenly, Cindy is found dead in a vehicle on the side of the road in Paradise and the preliminary conclusion is that she died of a drug overdose.

Determined to learn the truth, Jesse does some investigation on his own and faces a lot of pushback. Cindy had been in a rehab clinic and as Jesse investigates, it appears that she was worse off when she was released than she was when she checked in.

Healy is involved in a case where a young black man is accused of murder and while he has no proof, he believes the man is innocent. At that point, he hires Jesse as a consultant and this time Jesse requests a badge. He then uses the authority that the badge gives him to probe both cases. Being Jesse Stone, he presses people to the point where they resist, yet his superb investigative skills allow him to "solve" both cases.

People familiar with the Jesse Stone series of films will recognize the formula where Jesse gets stuck and consults mobster Gino Fish, a dangerous man that likes Jesse and has some scruples in his illegal business dealings.

As is the case with the Parker books, the dialog in this video is sharp, concise and deadpan humorous. Selleck is the perfect actor to play Jesse Stone, he has the size, stern look even when friendly and he plays the functional drunk to perfection. In spite of his flaws, Jesse Stone is a superb police officer.