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From: BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Subject: Re: What Did You Watch? 2025-04-29 (Tuesday)
Date: Thu, 1 May 2025 18:09:29 -0000 (UTC)
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On Apr 30, 2025 at 9:48:43 PM PDT, ""Adam H. Kerman"" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:
> 
>> I watched SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL on the Netflix. A Mark Wahlburg action
>> movie from 2020 that somehow slipped under my radar. It took me about
>> 1/3rd of the way through before I realized it's actually an attempted
>> reboot of that old TV show SPENSER FOR HIRE from the 80s.
> 
> I just looked at the Wikipedia page. I think this was intended to be a
> theatrical movie that got dumped onto Netflix due to COVID. I see no
> Netflix production funding.
> 
> I loved Robert Urich in the tv series, truly embodied the Robert B.
> Parker character. Of course, the scripts were weak and they got rid of
> the girlfriend (then brought her back), and Avery Brooks was a fine
> Hawk. Really can't picture Mark Wahlberg.
> 
> How did the cast do playing these familiar characters?

As I never watched the original series or read the books, I have no idea how
well they pulled it off. The movie was of average entertainment value, though.
For about 75% of the movie I thought Spenser was one of those action heroes
who eschews guns but then at the end he armed himself for the big battle.
Rejecting guns only works if your enemy also rejects them. Otherwise you end
up like that swordsman in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.

> This is an adaptation of a novel that Parker still put his name on, not
> letting death stop him from writing more Spenser novels (nor voting in
> Chicago).