Spenser (Mark Wahlberg), an ex-cop better known for making trouble than solving it, just got out of prison and is leaving Boston for good. But first he gets roped into helping his old boxing coach and mentor Henry (Alan Arkin) with a promising amateur. That's Hawk (Winston Duke), a brash, no-nonsense MMA fighter convinced he'll be a tougher opponent than Spenser ever was. When two of Spenser's former colleagues turn up murdered, he recruits Hawk and his foul-mouthed ex-girlfr... (Full plot summary below)
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Spenser (Mark Wahlberg), an ex-cop better known for making trouble than solving it, just got out of prison and is leaving Boston for good. But first he gets roped into helping his old boxing coach and mentor Henry (Alan Arkin) with a promising amateur. That's Hawk (Winston Duke), a brash, no-nonsense MMA fighter convinced he'll be a tougher opponent than Spenser ever was. When two of Spenser's former colleagues turn up murdered, he recruits Hawk and his foul-mouthed ex-girlfriend Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger) to help him investigate and bring the culprits to justice. Inspired by Robert B. Parker's Wonderland, a best-selling novel by Ace Atkins.
Leave your thoughts about Spenser Confidential.
| Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperIt’s a fantastically over-the-top, drive-in B-movie for the streaming generation. |
| The New York TimesElisabeth VincentelliThe prospect of spending more time with this crew is not a bad one. |
| PolygonKaren HanAs Berg and Wahlberg (perfect partners, even in name) ascended inexorably toward a parodic level of Bostonian-ness in Spenser Confidential, I wondered if I wouldn’t be having a better time just getting a more concentrated dose of Arkin in The Kominsky Method. |
| Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAdapted apparently quite loosely from Atkins’ Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland, Spenser Confidential has ended up with a genially amusing script expertly tailored to its actors by Sean O’Keefe and the canny veteran Brian Helgeland. And, as smartly cast by the veteran Sheila Jaffe, Spenser Confidential gets spot on performances from a variety of actors, from household names including Alan Arkin to other less celebrated but undeniably talented folks. |
| VarietyPeter DebrugeThe film even pokes fun at itself in the process, fully aware that Spenser Confidential isn’t meant to be taken as seriously as Wahlberg’s last few movies — and just as well, since irreverence plays well on Netflix. |
| New York PostJohnny OleksinskiHere’s some perfectly mindless couch viewing. |
| Movie NationRoger MooreTone counts for everything in action mysteries like this, and the team that made “Lone Survivor,” “Deepwater Horizon,” “Patriots Day” and the debacle “Mile 22” know each other’s strengths and play to them. |
| Consequence of SoundMike VanderbiltA boilerplate action-comedy, that, while not wholly original, provides enough memorable two-fisted tough guy action and likable characters to waste a Wednesday night with on the fly. |
| Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattFists will smash; pecs will flex; hard consonants, like dirty cops, don't stand a chance. It's the only sure thing in this crazy world, kids — except maybe a sequel. |
| Rolling StoneDavid FearYou might not pay money to see this in a theater, but you’d watch it on your couch in a second, which is why Netflix makes perfect sense for it. A coda sets up a sequel. There are worse things to look forward to. |
