Customer Reviews

Thin Air:A Spenser Mystery [VHS]

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As with SMALL VICES, this is edgier than the old TV series and Lifetime movies, stays fairly true to the book, has iffy casting choices (they're on their fourth Belson), and was filmed in Canada rather than anywhere near Massachusetts. They didn't even bother to get any Boston PD paraphenelia when Quirk and Belson make their appearances. I first saw this shortly after seeing WITCHBLADE, so I felt that Yancy Butler didn't really fit as Lisa, since the role is a lot weaker and passive than anything else I've seen Yancy do in the past. But it was interesting to see Spenser work with Vincent del Rio's enforcer Chollo, since Hawk is off in Burma for the duration of this one, and get a look at the Latino shadow world in the fictional town of Proctor.

I've long been a fan of Robert B. Parker Spenser books but, even though I watched them, I didn't really care much for the Robert Urich "Spenser for Hire" series. Too 'goody two-shoes' and 'television-ized.' That's why, when I found these Joe Mantegna movies, I enthusiastically thought that someone made some Spenser movies that were a little more 'raw' and true to the books. What a disappointment! The stories were accurate enough, but Joe Mantegna as Spenser? A former cop and boxer? I don't THINK so! I found him, and the actors filling the roles of Hawk and Susan to be completely unbelievable and wrong for the parts. These movies really made me MISS the Robert Urich series!