From 2006, Jesse Stone: Night Passage introduces us to the characters in the subsequent films, and shows how Jesse came to be Sheriff of Paradise.When the beloved Sheriff Lou Carson (Mike Starr) retires, Jesse Stone, who lost his job with LA Homicide for drinking on the job, is invited to interview. Jesse loads his dog Boomer into his truck and drives from LA to Massachusetts in order to interview. When he lands the job, he's instantly suspicious. "I wouldn't hire me," he says.He uncovers corruption, which ultimately leads to murders. Viola Davis is Molly Crane, who works in the Sheriff's office, as does Suitcase (Kohl Sudduth), Hasty Hathaway (Saul Rubinek) is head of the town council responsible for hiring Stone; Stephen Baldwin is wife beater and general bad guy Joe Genest; and Polly Shannon (Abby Taylor) is a woman Stone is seeing.The Stone films are dark, and this one is especially sad. Good performances, though I'm not sure I would have cast Tom Selleck in such a dour part. He's always likable, but I'm not sure he's creating a specific character here, rather, just a generic depressed person.

For those unfamiliar, Jesse Stone is the legendary, fictional, Police Chief in the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts, created by Robert B. Parker. The Jesse Stone franchise has spawned over a dozen novels and eight feature films. While being the first book in the series, strangely enough, Night Passage was the second movie shot, and the third one released. It seems odd, but Night Passage is more of an introduction to the character and the town. If this were a TV series, it would have been the pilot, but when you're trying to start a film franchise, you want to start it off with a film that hits harder and is more memorable, the way Stone Cold was. As for Night Passage, it introduces audiences to Jesse Stone, as he leaves L.A. a disgraced homicide detective, with an alcohol problem, coming on the heals of a divorce. Stone drives across the country in hopes of taking over the seemingly easy job of being a Chief in a small town, but he quickly learns that Paradise is not your ordinary small town. Tom Selleck stars and was the obvious choice to play Stone, because the man has been playing a cop for almost forty years! Unlike many of those other Policemen, Stone is more withdrawn and uses his experience to take care of business, so he can go home to his dog and his alcohol. Each story centers around a crime, but also has a secondary story, Night Passage is no different as Stone must deal with a homicide, and a domestic situation that has torn a family apart. Similar to the other films, they get big names to co-star and in Night Passage we get Academy Award Winner, Viola Davis, and Stephen Baldwin. These guess stars, along with deep characters, and complex stories are the difference between the Stone films and a TV series. While Jesse Stone would transfer into a tremendous TV series, you wouldn't get the same feel that you do from the films. The world of Jesse Stone is a cold, dark one. He must do his job while battle his own demons at the same time. With a perfect leading man, coming from some very well written novels, the Jesse Stone films have been a treat, and Night Passage is where it all started. I'd highly recommend getting into the series, but watch the films in order of the novels, not in the order the films were released.

I watched this movie last night, a year after it originally came out. I believe it was on CBS. I had no idea that Selleck was involved in another TV series. Well, at least a TV series of movies. I have often wondered why it has taken him so long to get back into television. Having not read any of Parkers's books, I cannot comment on the plots in any of these Jesse Stone movies. I would, however, like to suggest that this series may want to follow a storyline similar to the old Route 66 with George Maharis and Martin Milner, with Stone as a retired drifter cop getting himself involved in situations as he travels the country and then assisting law enforcement in a behind-the-shadows way. When one crime is solved he moves on to another but never settling down.

This was very good for a TV movie. Tom Sellek played a likable but deeply flawed character, which is a refreshing change to his squeaky clean image. Reminded me a little of a more dramatic version of Jim Rockford. His attraction for women was a bit over done, with several babes literally flinging themselves at him as soon as they meet. Also a bit unrealistic that this small, somewhat rural MA town has several truly knock out women. However, that is a general TV tendency, which I would not dump specifically on this movie. The movie dragged a little at times, but was well acted and suspenseful. Sellek showed some dramatic acting chops several times, especially when dealing with calls from his ex-wife and the death of his dog. Supporting cast was also good, with their response to the new (drunk) sheriff realistically portrayed. Would make an excellent pilot for a series, which may be the intent.