Get Out of Boston!
Introduction
I had wanted to hope that the movie industry in 2020 would improve and be remembered for many more works than just Sonic the Hedgehog and maybe a few indie films. Then, however, I watched Peter Berg’s film adaptation of Wonderland, “Spenser Confidential”, and I only have one adjective for it, unremarkable.
Plot and Setting
Spenser Confidential stars Mark Wahlberg as the titular character Spenser, a former police officer incarcerated for five years for assaulting his corrupt captain. After being released, he quickly finds himself embroiled in a case involving the double police homicide, including Spenser’s former captain.
An all-around generic film, Spenser Confidential feels more like the pilot episode for a 2000s crime comedy-drama series than a movie. The movie’s stakes all feel small and stink of a lack of urgency, with villains allowing the protagonist to just walk away with little more than a slap on the wrist.
As for the obligatory “twist” regarding the main villain, this is hardly difficult to miss either, as the character (and I hesitate to even use this word to describe the antagonist) constantly acts dubiously from the get-go, even when he is not doing anything hostile. This shows yet more staggeringly bad writing, or maybe Among Us has trained me too well to see through such deceptions.
Spenser Confidential’s premise appears decent on paper but is just messy in its execution. The tone in this film is just all over the place. The film seems to be trying to present itself as an action-comedy but constantly tries to shoehorn in drama, which feels out of place in a story where screaming public bathroom sex is a thing. Spenser Confidential wants to do everything, but in the end, collapses trying to juggle so many different genres.
There are comedic moments in this movie, but they may be a bit hit-or-miss for some viewers, relying on a lot of slapstick and raunchy humor for laughs. The action scenes mainly consisted of decently choreographed fistfights sprinkled throughout the movie, with a couple more entertaining gimmicks that add some minorly redeeming flavour.
Characters and Performances
In terms of performances, it feels like Mark Walhberg attempts to carry the entire film like Atlas holding up the Earth. However, the film’s questionable writing decisions are insurmountable and make his character feel like an absolute idiot most of the time. For every moment we have Spenser shining as a detective, we are slapped with thoughtless instances such as not understanding what cloud technology is.
For the most part, Wahlberg’s chemistry with most of the cast is fine, except for his roommate, Hawk. Winston Duke, best known for his performance as M’Baku from the 2017 Black Panther film and The Avengers movies, does get some opportunities to shine, but comes across as just filling in the big guy archetype for most of the film’s run – something which is way below Duke’s calibre. There is hardly any interaction between the characters throughout the film, which makes one question the reasoning for Hawk’s commitment in all this apart from “just doing the right thing”.
Illiza Shlesinger does her best while portraying Berg’s Boston lady parody, Cissy. An obnoxious and sometimes witty character, whose defining traits revolve around her massive libido and her dog grooming business. I have no idea what Berg was smoking while writing this character, but it surely didn’t do her any favours.
On the other end of the spectrum, Alan Arkin, who plays Henry, Spenser’s landlord, has relatively decent chemistry with the titular character. I understand that Berg was trying to force a buddy cop dynamic between Duke and the titular character, but was it necessary for Spenser to drag his geriatric landlord out on adventures with him as well?
Conclusion
Spenser Confidential is not the type of film one would spend €10 to watch in a cinema. Thankfully, one can stream it on Netflix and, depending on one’s taste in comedy, it can make for an okay flick for to switch off one’s brain in front of for an evening. It won’t reach the same level of entertainment as Hot Fuzz or the Rush Hour series, but it can make for a fine distraction nonetheless.
