Stone Cold (2005) (TV)

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writers (WGA):

Robert B. Parker (novel)
John Fasano (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

20 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

Jesse Stone (Selleck) is a New England police chief investigating a series of murders, in an adaptation of Robert B. Parker's novel.

Plot Keywords:

Police Chief | First Of Series | Attorney | District Attorney | Medical Doctor

Cast

Tom Selleck	...	Chief Jesse Stone
Jane Adams	...	Brianna Lincoln
Reg Rogers	...	Andrew Lincoln
Viola Davis	...	Molly Crane
Alexis Dziena	...	Candace Pennington
Kohl Sudduth	...	Luther 'Suitcase' Simpson
Polly Shannon	...	Abby Taylor
Stephen McHattie	...	Captain Healy
Shawn Roberts	...	Bo Marino
Alex House	...	Kevin Feeney
Mimi Rogers	...	Rita Fiore
Vito Rezza	...	Anthony D'Angelo
Victoria Snow	...	Margaret Pennington
Ralph Small	...	Chuck Pennington
Thomas Gibson	...	Troy Drake

Also Known As:

Robert B. Parker's Stone Cold (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)
Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (USA) (new title)
Stone Cold (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violent content, some sexuality, nudity and brief drug use.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:PG | USA:TV-14 | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Company:

Brandman Productions

Trivia:

Paradise, Massachusetts is supposedly a caricature of Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The bathroom Bo is cornered in is clearly a women's bathroom. There are no urinals and as he knocks open the doors to the stalls, a tampon dispenser can clearly be seen on the wall.

Quotes:

Chief Jesse Stone: I'm just a small town cop, mostly I give out parking tickets.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007) (TV)

"Stone Cold," a 2005 made for television movie.

"Stone Cold" is a 2005 made for television film noir starring Tom Selleck. While the plot is rather simplistic, Tom Selleck, as the film's star, offers a strong performance as Jesse Stone, a worn down police chief now serving in the small Maine coastal community of Paradise.

Formerly a high profile homicide detective from Los Angeles, Selleck as Stone gives this film great appeal. In addition, the supporting roles are all well cast, albeit with largely unknown actors except for Mimi Rogers who stars as a local defense attorney.

Police Chief Jesse Stone has to deal with an ex-wife who is a national news reporter who is always hungry for a scoop. He still has conflicted romantic feelings about her and will listen attentively to her messages on his answering machine, but he refuses her entreaties to insulate herself into his investigation in the hope of gaining inside access to the identity of a serial killer or killers suddenly plaguing the town.

Helping Stone to pass the time in Paradise is the joyful presence of a much younger woman who is not only a dear friend but also a welcome sexual partner. She would love to mean more to Stone, but he is so burned out by his previous work in L.A. and his recent divorce that he keeps her at a safe emotional distance. For the most part, alcohol offers about as much of a constant relationship as Stone has any desire to deal with.

The quiet peacefulness of Paradise is shattered one day by the discovery of a body lying near the craggy shore close to the lighthouse. The young man had been shot twice at close range, apparently by two different 22 caliber guns as the angles of the bullets' entry into his body are different.

Making life more difficult for Chief Stone is the gang rape of a young high school student, Candace Pennington (Alexis Dziema), whose parents are strangely uncooperative when they all sit down in the police station for an interview. Her mother had bathed her before coming down to the station, most likely compromising the physical evidence. They withdraw their complaint and leave in a huff after Stone wants the girl to go to the area hospital for a check up and further tests.

A trusted female officer sent over to the high school quickly deduces the identities of the three rapists when she observes them all taunting Candace in the high school cafeteria. They turn out to be popular students who play football for the local high school team. In an effort to separate the three boys into accessories to the crime and rapists, Stone is immeasurably helped by the discovery of incriminating photographs in the knapsack of one of the kids. Now he and his three man staff have to deal with angry parents and high priced defense attorneys brought in to get the kids off the hook.

The day goes from bad to worse when another body, this time a young woman killed in her car in a parking lot, is discovered with the exact same M.O. as the young man. Chief Stone realizes that he has what looks like a serial killer operating somewhere in town and he begins to wonder who will be next since he has no evidence to suspect anyone much less charge anybody.

"Stone Cold" is one of the better television movies that I have recently seen. As the author has written several books starring Chief Stone, my sincere wish is that Selleck will soon reprise this role.