User Reviews

While I do agree with this being the least of the series, I enjoyed the episode. However, my wife (who would leave me for Tom if he asked, I'm not kidding) didn't like it.

As an example of our tastes, I loved Clint Eastwoods "Unforgiven" because the distinction between bad and good wasn't clear. My wife did not like "Unforgiven" because the distinction between bad and good wasn't clear.

I think the story line was needed or the series would have fallen way to far into a formula driven format. That's why I think it would destroy the series if it was a week to week show. This episode must set up at least one or two more stories.

I look forward to them.

This is clearly written as the first of two or three stories. It continues several of Robert Parker's characters very well, while seriously taking a couple along different paths. Most notably, Jesse's character has gotten more serious, and more challenged by life. There was always the sense in Selleck's portrayal of a wounded soul . . .much more so than in the books about Jesse Stone.

Overall, I liked this movie a great deal. I liked the expansion of William Devane's Dr. Hix character ("Dix" in the novels) and Suitcase Simpson's continuing confusion from his previous coma is still amusing, and occasionally disconcerting. But, although I liked the character of Rose, she is no replacement for Molly. Molly and Jesse's banter from the earlier movies is sorely missed. It added the levity needed as a counterweight to the heavier story lines.

I did like those story lines. The shooting of Healey at the beginning of the show starts the story with a bang, and Jesse's dogged determination to track down whoever is responsible is completely in character, even if it does hurt him professionally. The other story line, about the mother looking for her lost child, seemed at the beginning to be entirely predictable, but then it was not. Camryn Manheim, as the mother, is amazingly good here.

And may I just say that I love the music in these last couple movies. The music has gotten much stronger. Piano-based with a feel of Ravel or Satie, the soundtrack composer was listed during the credits, but I didn't catch the name. I might consider buying this soundtrack.

I liked the ending, but it is clearly leading to the next movie. I can only hope that "Jesse Stone: No Remorse" finishes up a couple of these story lines. I'd like to hear what's happening with Molly. And although I think they tied up the story of the lost child fairly well, the plot with Geno Fish, and the shooter of Detective Healey, seems to have much more to play out in the next movie. And of course, we need to find out what happens next with the police chief of Paradise.

A fair mystery and secondary plot, but this one doesn't measure up to the previous episodes in the series. Changing Molly to Rose is inexplicable, the town council is larger than the police force and Sidney Greenstreet(!) are just a few of the irritants. Tom Selleck is terrific as usual, Cathy Baker does a fine job as Rose and William Devane is sarcastic and entertaining but the plot with the town council just doesn't seem believable or logical.With the force down to three people with one on light duty, it seems counterproductive to threaten Chief Stone over such petty matters. Oh well, what can you expect from politicians? We hope there are more movies coming. My wife and I really like the Jesse Stone movies, but this one is not as good as the rest, not really bad, just not on par with the rest.

I love the feel of these (made for TV) movies. And as another person commented, I also like the music and how it adds to the atmosphere. This one had good attention to detail, I thought. At least, based on a couple of things I noticed. At the firing range Suitcase had a Bic four color pen in his breast pocket; when he was taking notes on his observation of the bad guy outside the bar, he used the same (sort of?) pen to write them. There were a few other little details like that - clearly, the people who put this together took good care with the film. And I continue to be impressed with how Tom Selleck portrays Jesse Stone. Tom might be older than Jesse, but he does a fantastic job. I'm sure that Robert B. Parker would have been happy.

... on its own this one in the series is good; different of course, but good. some changes are blatant of course, molly and d'angelo. but still has that small town, big city cop feel. it moves the series along just enough, without being silly or indulgent. parallels and parables still tag teaming in the storyline. which works well. i enjoy this series very much, it will eventually standup well against the test of other cop shows that have come before it. Selleck is great, and so is the whole cast, including the antagonistic others(city council). i'll sum up this series like this... after a long day its good to be cozy in ur favorite chair and sweats, flipping on the electronic device of choice and finding some new twist or beat that seemed not there before, and relishing it anew, once again.

Watching this latest Jesse Stone film Thin Ice put me in mind of Murder She Wrote and Jessica Fletcher's little hamlet by the sea Cabot Cove. The similarities between Cabot Cove and Paradise are striking, but the attitudes are certainly different among the residents.

As usual there are two cases for the small town police force to solve in this film. It opens with Tom Selleck and his friend Stephen McHattie from the State Police on a most unofficial stakeout when both are shot. Selleck manages to get off some shots and may have wounded one of the two shooters. The second is Camryn Manheim who came in from New Mexico. Her day old infant was snatched from the hospital several years ago. Mother's intuition and a strange letter tell her that her kid is in Paradise. On that very thin evidence and on her women's intuition Kathy Baker investigates with silent approval from Selleck. By the way Manheim's one scene with Selleck and Baker is unbelievably moving.

But it was the side issue that grabbed me. The town council is having a hissy fit over Selleck doing a little moonlighting with McHattie. His chief critic on the council Jeremy Akerman who after unsuccessfully trying to get Selleck to hire his nephew makes it clear that his chief function as police is to nail those speeders at the local trap and generate some revenue. Selleck who worked homicide in the LAPD really thinks it beneath him. Not to mention that those murders from previous Jesse Stone stories are giving Paradise a bad name which could affect the tourist trade.

Contrast that with Cabot Cove and how they treat Jessica Fletcher and think of all the murders she solved in Murder She Wrote's long run. The residents there certainly never thought of firing Tom Bosley or Ron Masak and certainly weren't about to tar and feather their most famous resident. Cabot Cove in fact had to be the murder capital of the United States. Paradise has a long way to go.

I think it's the provincial attitudes of some of the people you will take away when you watch Thin Ice.

All the Jesse Stone movies are very well written and acted. Only one inconsistency I found in the screen play for this one. When Rose Gamon (Kathy Baker) visits and questions the neighbor of the suspected child kidnapper, they talk in detail about the suspected woman. While the long-time neighbor seems to know all about the woman and the so-called birth of her child, she fails to mention that the child was killed in an unfortunate, accident. When Jesse and Rose finally confront the kidnapper, she shows them a newspaper article she has kept about the accident and the child's death. Obviously, this would have known to the neighbor, but she never mentions it to Rose. Am I wrong? Did I miss something? Only flaw in an otherwise excellent movie with a steller cast.

The fifth film in the Jesse Stone series based on the characters from the book by Robert B. Parker. That's right, this film is not an adaptation of any book, for the first time in the series it is an original screenplay. But the director was retained for the fifth time and that's a plus point here. Particularly who can understand not just this one film, but the whole series to take it on the right path. There is also lies some weakness that it's not getting better as it should be, but I would say it's the writing that did not impress me.

This is the half way mark and another film in the series that's not so good, but counting it as an individual, definitely it is a better one. I expected this film after the previous one was not up to its previous one, but I must say I'm slightly disappointed. It is enjoyable, as a television film and its production quality was undeniably great, but I think my over anticipation is what barred me from having a good time with it. I am not blaming the story, but the scenes which were not strong enough. The positives were you can't predict them, and what's more important than that in a detective story.

It opened with a shootout and Jesse got injured, though there's no serious. Now he has a case to pursue, but not official and his chief warns him going after certain person. Jesse also got enquired by an Internal Affair for him involving in the recent shootouts which is above normal. Besides, a mother came afar to him requesting to investigate her baby went missing seven years ago. Among the cases, the narration splits, but holds the suspense till the final act. There's no big twist, but both the cases come to end with Jesse's unique way of dealing.

"The information's out there. All you've to do is let it in."

When the tale is about to conclude, there comes a big blow to him and his future hangs. An interesting ending, maybe a turning point in the series like the season one ends here and the season two is about to commence. If it was a television series, this is where the split happens between the seasons. The Jesse's walk out of the station at the final scene brings a new perspective. A bit emotional, if you are a Jesse Stone fan.

The last two films were average compared to the earlier ones, so this change might refresh in the series going forward. It should be, otherwise I might lose interest in the series. This film is not bad, but after the fine developments in the mid part which was hyped, did not stand up to the expectations once the revelation came. There was no big expansion in the cast, but like usual some of the new ones, those who came only for this film had made some decent contribution. Like Jessica Hecht was the only known person to me who have made into it. And the rest of the cast including Selleck was great as usual.

Jesse still remains dominated, but kind of losing strength while other characters around him gaining the momentum in their small part. Because he's the same from the first film, though needs some upgrade like nothing for the additional, but feeding with what he's good at. I mean, he's a badass and a daring character, but lately his parts were not appealing enough as what he's known for. On the other hand, he's just a small town cop; his work is under a limit and that kind of big excuse we definitely don't want. Hope it will not be the case for the next one.

I thought I was a Jesse Stone franchise fan after the first two films, but I'm not sure now, the only next couple of films would decide that. So I'm eager for the next sequel. Talking about this installment, I find it above average, but for being a television film and a film series, you can't blame entirely. Because like I said in the earlier review, the ups and downs are part of a film franchise and sometimes they're on purposely done to balance the good and bad side of the story and characters. Like a wheel it has to come up sooner or later, that means the next one in the series is very crucial. It's not the cast or the crew, but the story should be at its best. I hope it all comes back to the normal there. So I meet you there.

7/10

In addition to the problems stated in previous reviews, some of the dialog seems stripped (in its exact form) from previous episodes. Old characters that once provided meaning and added to mood now just seem like familiar on-screen forms.

What was spare and inviting the first time around just seems lazy now. I think what is missing is a compelling story.

And I really miss Molly.

I like the characters and the setting so much that I was willing to watch Thin Ice but I would not have been encouraged to watch other episodes had this been my first contact with the series.

The opening scenes to Thin Ice (2009) are intense and exciting! The movie wastes no time and dives straight into the action. Whilst juggling the usual demons and baggage, the troubled chief that "mostly gives out parking tickets" needs to find out who shot his friend. The town council have it in for Jesse and to make matters worse he refuses to hire a relative of theirs. Starts off gripping but later the pace slows to a crawl. Still entertaining and easy to watch.

👍 Suitcase's continued confusion and slip-ups since his coma are still entertaining. 👍 An appearance and decent performance from Jessica Hecht. 👎 Found it to be slower paced than usual. 👎 More shots of Reggie looking disappointed at Jesse drinking needed! 👎 No Viola 👎 No DeAngelo

Poor Jesse is up to his neck in trouble with the Town Council - big surprise - when he and his friend State Homicide Commander Healy (Stephen McHattie) are shot at during an unofficial stakeout on a Boston street. Healy is badly injured. Boston Police Internal Affairs investigates.

As long as they're angry with him, Jesse fires the department's biggest ticket writer and also fixes the sign so that drivers aren't fooled into going the wrong speed.

Then the woman appears looking for her missing child from several years earlier, and Jesse agrees to look into it.

Kathy Baker and Kohl Sudduth appear in this episode as well as William Devane as Jesse's psychiatrist, Dr. Dix.

I think these are good movies, some better than others. As I've written a million times I am a big fan of Tom Selleck's but there are more levels to Jesse than he's able to portray. He has great ability, but his talents are in another direction. I can certainly understand that he wants to do something different, though.

To a series which for a "cop series" is decidedly different in many ways. Just watched this one for the 2nd time. For me, I would not want to work for employers that Jesse Stone has to work for and in a town that turns its back on corruption but dishonestly obtains money thru its radar (blocked by a tree-so you cant see the speeding sign!). Some lovely scenery in most of the others in the series, in this one you see very little. That said, every member of the cast contributes to this one when the team deal unofficially with a missing child and a shot police chief that no one seems to care about. Watch this one: how the writers pull the two story lines together is rather good, as is the ending. This makes for a really good story worthy of watching

Another good episode of Jesse Stone.

Nothing new here, but just another story...

I'm a longtime fan of Tom Selleck and am really enjoying this series. To the person below who said I miss Molly...I do too!

On the other hand, she's been kinda busy winning an Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar and a Tony! Which puts her in a very exclusive sorority. And a BAFTA...

I was shocked and thrilled to see her in this franchise.

The "slow-boil" approach to this fifth (2009 release) instalment in what would become a span of nine stories spanning production dates from 2005 to 2015 (eight on CBS, the final on Hallmark).

Several storylines are interwoven, with a link back to Boston. Jesse works through the evidence and the distractions, keeping the Town Council updated despite their small-,minded approach.

Creative use of a chainsaw is interwoven with a very sensitive investigation into an out-of-state child abduction (the forlorn mother is played with pitch-perfect glumness, but remining faith, by Camryn Mannheim). The ultimate fate of the child is played beautifully by all the cast members.

Apparently this is the first film that was not based upon the original author's novels - you would not know.

The approach of shipping out an episode at roughly yearly intervals (then catching up on them all, late in 2023) gives a chance to see the characters (ensemble) developing along with Sellick's inevitable move through middle age.

Enjoyable and well worth a couple of hours.

I understood this movie much more when I learned that this was the first episode in the series that was not based on a book. It seems the writers were not allowed to create new scenes or dialog and were forced to cut and paste from the previous movies. how many cop/donut jokes can be straight armed out the screen before an intelligent audience starts to feel abused? How many "pals that have sex" can one over the hill emotionally detached has-been hook up with? And how many people over the age of 6 use the word "pal?" And really, has anyone looked up the definition of alcoholic? Two drinks per night for a 200lb adult male is not alcoholism, it's good for your heart. I doubt he could even get a buzz off that.

Others have reviewed this series saying it is sparse and hard hitting. I more or less agree in respect to the first several installments, but not this one. It was boring, predictable, repetitive and lacking in drive. I don't blame the actors. It seems they did their best with a cut and paste script.

The only reasons I can think that this movie would be worth watching is if you were wholeheartedly committed to the series, rented it for free from the library, or you were uncontrollably hot for Sir Tom.

I must differ from the previous reviews of this movie, in my opinion it is just awful. I had the misfortune of watching a Jesse Stone movie last year and had hoped that the 2009 version may be a little more entertaining but was very disappointed. Tom Selleck, who is one of my favourite actors, looks like a human version of my grandmother's Bassett Hound, all sad and droopy, I hoped a dog-catcher would spot him and take him away permanently. His character is so wrapped up in his alcoholic misery it cast a depressing pall over the story. "Joe the Dog" was without a doubt the star of the show, I hope he was digging Jesse Stone's grave beside the sea shore! The movie has one really great benefit, you do not have to take a sleeping aid the night you watch.

Tom Selleck's Jess Stone is more serious and wounded here especially as he has been shot and Captain Healy ends up in hospital when they are shot at in a stakeout.

The main plot is trying to find the shooter while he is fending off Paradise town council, ends up romancing the Internal Affairs investigator who is supposed to be enquiring about him and not bedding him.

There is a sub plot involving the disappearance of a baby boy some years earlier as his mother gets strange letters. I found this television movie to be better than Sea Change, more involving but although our hero is damaged I do find that both he and some of his colleagues are hyper efficient in their investigations. Sometimes the clues just fall into their laps.