Spenser Confidential

“Hawk is the name of the guy with the shotgun. Spencer does your taxes.”

Filmology Rating: 1.5 out of 4

Spenser Confidential marks the return of the Wahlberg and Peter Berg team-up. Their latest film being 'Mile 22' (not worth anyone's time). This time, their work is being produced by Netflix.

When two Boston police officers are murdered, ex-cop Spenser (Wahlberg) teams up with his roommate, Hawk (Winston Duke), to take down criminals.

Peter Berg has made some very fine films in the past. However, films such as 'Battleship' and 'Mile 22' were awful. Unfortunately, Peter Berg does not reinvigorate his filmography with this new Wahlberg film.

One of the most distracting elements the film decides to put near the beginning was an appearance by Post Malone. Now, he wasn't that bad in terms of acting, however, there comes a point when one becomes so famous that when they appear in a film, you cannot help but get distracted. Similar to Ed Sheeran in 'Game of Thrones.' The film's establishment of the status quo was also very abrupt. So Mark Wahlberg used to be a cop, but then he's not. Now he's in prison. Then he's released from prison. All of this is accomplished in the span of the first fifteen minutes. Then for the next half hour, nothing happens.

Mark Wahlberg sits at home, decides he wants to drive a truck for a living, teaches his new roommate to punch, and deals with his romantic issues with his ex, Cissy. Whilst in the background, two cops are murdered and it doesn't directly impact Mark Wahlberg until he just decides to do something about it though he has no reason to anyways other than, literally, his ego.

There are many subplots to this film, all of which were a waste of time. Mark Wahlberg is trying to become a truck driver while teaching Hawk how to punch and also deals with his ex, Cissy. However, all are tied up in a very dumb way at the end. It felt like the ending to a Roland Emmerich film where each character has one very specific character trait and it's all conveniently paid off perfectly at the end. It's not so much an arc, but rather a flat line.\This film felt like five seasons of a television show condensed into a two hour film. It also felt like a very generic level of the game L.A. Noire where all of the clues are very easy to follow and it doesn't take a genius to solve the case.

It's also strange that this is a buddy cop film, but the buddy cop aspect is hardly focused on at all. Hawk and Mark Wahlberg team up because Hawk just decides to for no reason other than the movie has to happen. The plot does not affect him at all, but he decides to join Mark Wahlberg in his pursuit of taking down criminals.

The buddy cop aspect is also executed poorly in that both characters are just the same people. The best buddy cop films are when two complete opposite characters are forced to work together. I'm not particularly fond of 'The Other Guys', but even that film understood the buddy cop dynamic by pinning two opposites with interpersonal conflicts together.

In 'Spenser Confidential', both characters just solve all of their problems by punching people. Never at all do they do anything clever that makes you like them or appreciate their intelligence of uncovering the truth.

I am also not a fan of Peter Berg's impulses as a filmmaker, especially the shots he chooses. So much of this film is just close up, cut to a close up, medium shot, cut, cut. I just get very anxious watching his films in scenes where you're not supposed to be.

Full of obnoxious characters who have no arcs and an incoherent plot, 'Spenser Confidential' is cliched beyond comprehension with no likable characters, but rather actors you recognize and may put up with.

Rating: Let It Burn

-Nolan