Spenser Confidential

Spenser Confidential

Spenser Confidential is a 2020 American comedy-thriller film directed by Peter Berg and with a screenplay by Sean O'Keefe and Brian Helgeland. It is very loosely based on the novel Wonderland by Ace Atkins, and uses the names of characters created by Robert B. Parker. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger, Bokeem Woodbine, Cassie Ventura, Donald Cerrone, Marc Maron, and introducing Austin Post and marks the fifth collaboration between Wahlberg and Berg after Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, Patriots Day, and Mile 22.

The film was released on March 6, 2020, by Netflix.
Plot
When two Boston police officers are murdered on the day that Spenser, an ex-cop, is released from prison, he teams up with his no-nonsense new roommate, Hawk, to investigate and take down the guilty parties. The complexities of the plot revolve around Spenser's refusal to walk away from an unjust killing (one murder was of the police captain he himself suspected of malpractice five years prior, and whom he attacked, landing him in jail). He is hated by many of the film's key characters - prison inmates and cops (mainly, corrupt ones).

The film unfolds in South Boston, where rising property prices and a casino project on the former Wonderland dog track, fuel greed and police involvement in selling drugs to obtain a share of the project. Spenser takes down corrupt police, through determination and an odd alliance with ex-con Hawk and their elderly boxing trainer, Henry. His dog, Pearl and ex girlfriend, Cissy, provide comedic elements.

Cast
Mark Wahlberg as Detective Spenser
Winston Duke as Hawk
Alan Arkin as Henry Cimoli
Iliza Shlesinger as Cissy Davis
Bokeem Woodbine as Driscoll
Marc Maron as Wayne Cosgrove
Austin Post as Squeeb
Cassie as Elise
James DuMont as Bentwood
Michael Gaston as Captain John Boylan
Colleen Camp as Mara
Rebecca Gibel as Mrs. Boylan
Big Shug as. W. Lintz
Donald Cerrone as Big Boy
Justus Carney as Liquor Store Worker
Christopher Gerard Weigel as Hipster
Production
On June 26, 2018, it was announced that Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg would collaborate for the fifth time on the film adaptation of Wonderland, one of the novel series written by Ace Atkins based on the Robert B. Parker's character Spenser, which would be streamed by Netflix. The script, by Sean O'Keefe, is a very loose adaptation of the novel. The characters in the film do not reflect the characters in the novel beyond the names used. Nothing else about them is reflected in the novel or the original works by Robert B. Parker. [1][2] The film was produced by Neal H. Moritz through his Original Film along with Stephen Levinson and Wahlberg, and Berg through his Film 44.[3] In October 2018, Winston Duke joined the cast to play Hawk.[4] That same month, Post Malone, Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger, Bokeem Woodbine James DuMont, Marc Maron and Michael Gaston joined the cast of the film.[5][6] In November 2018, Colleen Camp joined the cast of the film.[7]

Filming began in late 2018 in, Boston.[8] The residence of character Cimoli (with whom Spenser is staying) was filmed in the Jones Hill neighborhood of Boston, on the street where actor Wahlberg lived during his teenage years.[9]

Music
The film score was composed by Steve Jablonsky, who has worked with director Peter Berg on previous films. The soundtrack was released by BMG.

Release
The film was released by Netflix on March 6, 2020.

Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 4.61/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "While the buddy cops at the center of Spenser Confidential are plenty affable, the comedy never arrives as this half-hearted vehicle goes purely through the motions."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 48 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews"