Garbage
This thing shits all over the books and original tv series. Spenser is an intellectual tough guy. Here he's just Marky Mark. Let's hope Wahlberg didn't cripple any Asians just for being Asian this time.
shareIs this supposed to be Spenser for Hire. If so then, except for the two name drops, the description sounds nothing like it at all.
shareApparently it is, because in the end credits it says based on Robert Parker's Wonderland which was one of the books in the Spencer series that Spencer for Hire was based on. So yep... they took a known series took two names from it and pretty much ignored everything else. Not sure why they bothered to do this instead of just making up a new story altogether because it bare little resemblance to the the original books or TV show.
shareAgreed. The current trend seems to be reusing a thoroughly hackneyed storyline for the umpteenth time & trying to give it a little cachet by slapping a quality name on it, however loosely & poorly used.
shareand it's not like Spenser is a character known to the demographic.
shareSadly true.
shareI had no clue it was even based on the original until the end credits, I noted the names were Spencer and hawk but just thought it was a coensidence until the end because it truly had so little to do with the original and I used to watch the original TV series.
shareActually, 'Wonderland' was not one of Parker's 'Spenser' books, but one of the (so far) eight continuation Spenser novels written by Ace Atkins - a great writer in his own right, and a guy who is almost religiously true and respectful of Parker's creation in his books. Ace's Spenser IS Parker's Spenser. Ace is not going to come out in public and trash the movie people, but in his latest Spenser, 'Angel Eyes', the following bit of dialogue takes place between Spenser and a movie producer.
"What, did you write some cockamamie pilot about a Boston tough guy?" he said. "You trying to sell your life story?"
"How'd you know, Sandy?"
"I expected it," he said. "I'd change a few details, though."
"Like what?"
"You're too much of an old-fashioned good guy," he said. "White knight and all that crap. I'd make the hero fresh out of prison."
"Really?"
"Sure," he said. "Give him some mystery and edge."
"Ah."