That was good, I'll give you that one. (Spenser Confidential 2020)

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Spenser Confidential

7.5/10

Not too many movies left on my Netflix list now and we head into S with Spenser Confidential. The only real things I knew about this movie was that it starred Mark Wahlberg, he is a cop of some sort and there's a cameo from Post Malone. This is a Netflix original and adds to the list of movies that the streaming service is dishing out. Going into this one with no expectations other than expecting Wahlberg to be the same cocky guy that he portrays in 90% of his movies, leaves me with an open mind. 

The movie starts pretty deep as Spenser, played by Wahlberg, heads to his Captain's house with his partner to question why a murder isn't being looked in to. Whilst entering the door, we see that the Captain's wife has taken a beating and Spenser drags the Captain named Boylan, outside before unleashing a few rights. Spenser is found guilty and sentenced to jail where he studies to become a truck driver. On his last day, he is set upon by a prison gang led by Post Malone's character and is warned to leave Boston. 

Spenser is then picked up after release by his friend Henry who will be giving Spenser a place to stay. At the house, Spenser is met by his old partner Driscoll and also finds out he has a roommate named Hawk, who is played by Winston Duke. Duke also plays M'Baku in Black Panther. 

Now the movie takes a massive turn as Boylan is murdered and Spenser is the man at the top of the suspect list. Driscoll has to ask the questions but with some alibis, we are fine. Once a young cop is pinned with a murder-suicide, Spenser knows something up and the pedal is pushed down as we speed through the twists and turns of the story that comes. Now I don't want to go deep into the movie's storyline due to the number of spoilers. The amount of corruption that Spenser has to work through as dirty cops, politicians and even gang involvement for a payday from a drugs run is crazy. There are massive cover-ups but if you are in tune with the movie, you can work out who is involved and where the story is truly going. We know that Spenser will be able to come to the aid of the town, clear people's names and even gain the respect of others that he lost when he was sent inside. It was always going to be the happy ending but it's the journey that you take to get there that makes this movie.  

The movie was made better by the cast of this one. Wahlberg once again let his mouth run and if he plays that character the best, then keep with it. To be paired with Hawk, played by Winston Duke, complimented the character choices as Hawk was a quiet, serious guy but also had a no-nonsense approach. When we needed a different direction for the story, one of our characters would therefore shine through. Moving through to the side characters, a few were around for the comedic aspects of the movie and as things got a little darker, they would drag the movie back from the brink. We should also mention Bokeem Woodbine who plays Driscoll and you'll understand on watching.

The movie contains plenty of action scenes whether they involve gunfights or fistfights, there is never a dull moment and Spenser puts himself in some pretty compromising positions to simply just get ahead but this is only a good thing for the audience. If you're a fan of Wahlberg, a fan of a gritty crime movie with some plot twists or even a fan of a little comedy with an action movie, I think there is something for almost everyone in this couple of hours of viewing. With it being a Netflix movie, it will probably be around for a while so this would be recommended for a Saturday night without fail. It may be something that you've felt you've seen before but if it's a winning formula, why not follow the blueprint.