Which means there's little conflict outside of them fighting over the affections of a very old dog, named Pearl. But both are impulsive dudes with a predilection for condescension and violence. Genre expectations for buddy-cop movies might have you thinking these two characters would be polar opposites. The rising star who stole scenes as the growling M'Baku in " Black Panther" and impeccably pulled double-duty as hero and villain in " Us" is cast as Spenser's sidekick, Hawk. Vexingly, Winston Duke feels woefully wasted here. That one star at the top of the review? That's for her. Either Berg let her improvise left and right, or she's the only performer who managed to bring life to Sean O'Keefe and Brian Helgeland's limp script. But best of all, everything she says (mostly insults) feels refreshingly spontaneous. Her face is a parade of expressions so stark they could all be emojis. Her Boston accent is as thick as the city's clam chowder. But Shlesinger knows that and leans in so hard that Cissy becomes a chaotic parody of this tired stereotype. It's a paper-thin role of the nagging bitch that exists purely to tease cleavage and be a pain in the ass to the harried hero. Stand-up comic Iliza Shlesinger plays Spenser's girlfriend Cissy. Only one performer in "Spenser Confidential" seems to have a handle on what kind of movie she's in. The best I can say about his performance is he seems stoked to be there! The worst is he should keep his day job. ![]() Also, face-tattooed rapper Post Malone pops up to play a Nazi jailbird. In an abrupt cameo, grumbling podcaster/comedian Marc Maron tosses his agita shtick into a brief rant about "fake news bullsh*t." Though in the thankless role of Spenser's former partner, Bokeem Woodbine brings a bit of spark with that signature smile and some line deliveries that occasionally zing. It's a cheap laugh, but his annoyance seems genuine. His shining moment is when he hassles some kidnappers about needing to pee. Given dialogue that's 90% clichéd old-man moaning, Alan Arkin shrugs and mugs as the Alfred to Wahlberg's Batman. Much of the cast can't even get up the energy to care about this lackluster movie. Every aspect of the story feels like a copy of a copy to the point where you might begin to experience déjà vu and wonder if you've seen this lame movie before? Maybe on some lazy Sunday where you spent half your time on your phone? Well, your time would be better spent there. The plot is gobbledygook, flinging out a few grisly flashbacks, a slew of stock baddies like a tracksuit-sporting hitman, and a generous slathering of police corruption. Okay, and he brawls with some people of color, but only when they are machete-wielding drug dealers who wear hoodies and kill good, rule-following cops who are Black! See, Spenser is the good guy because he's hunting the real killer of a murdered Black officer who was framed for killing another white cop, who played by his own rules … but in a bad way, not a cool "bad boy" Spenser way! Got it? It doesn't matter. But this flick plays it safe by making sure that Wahlberg's white cop only beats up other white cops or white supremacists. Who needs evidence when you have a gut feeling?! In an age where police brutality commonly sparks headlines, that action trope has lost its charm. As the opening of this flummoxing film reveals, his rules include beating the hell out of a commanding officer because you suspect he beats his wife. Parker novel Wonderland, "Spenser Confidential" stars Mark Wahlberg as a Boston cop who plays by his own rules. ![]() Bong Joon-ho made " Okja." Noah Baumbach made " Marriage Story." Martin Scorsese made " The Irishman." And Peter Berg made "Spenser Confidential," an insipid buddy-cop mystery that feels like a forgotten artifact of the 1980s.īased on the Robert B. With deep pockets and the promise of creative freedom, Netflix has been luring noted directors away from Hollywood studios to create their dream projects.
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