Director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg putting their collaborative stamp on the Spenser novels (as well as the television show Spenser: For Hire) was always going to go one of two ways. Either their cinematic style would take the character and property in interesting new directions, or their version wouldn’t vibe. Well, Spenser Confidential falls way more into the latter category than the former. As a throwaway Netflix release, this has some mild charms. As a Berg/Wahlberg collaboration, it’s one of their most forgettable. It all adds up to a final product that never really makes a compelling case for its own existence. Sadly, it’s nothing more than instantly forgettable. The film is a comedic action outing, while more or less functioning as an origin story, as well. We meet Spenser (Wahlberg) right as he’s about to become an ex-cop. Having savagely beaten his Captain (Michael Gaston), Spenser spends five years in prison and plans on leaving Boston for good. Out of the joint, he hopes to move to Arizona and drive a truck, but first he gets roped into helping his out old boxing coach and mentor Henry (Alan Arkin). Henry has a promising new fighter in Hawk (Winston Duke) that Spenser won’t just be training, but rooming with in Henry’s old home. No sooner does Spenser try to get back into the movements of the world does two of his former colleagues turn up dead, including the Captain he beat. Unable to let things just be, especially when he’s initially pegged as a suspect, he recruits Hawk to help out his amateur investigation. Along with Henry and his feisty ex-girlfriend Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger), Spenser just might be able to bring those who did the killings to justice. Berg directs a screenplay by Brian Helgeland and Sean O’Keefe, adapting the novel Wonderland by Ace Atkins, who took over writing Spenser stories after author Robert B. Parker passed away. Supporting player include Post Malone (as Austin Post), Marc Maron, Brandon Scales, Bokeem Woodbine, and more. Steve Jablonsky composed the score, while the cinematography is by Tobias A. Schliessler. There are buddy cop vibes here that work, but Iliza Shlesinger’s scene stealing supporting part is the only thing to really get excited about. She’s got a sass and spark that livens up the picture whenever she’s on the screen. Unfortunately, she’s woefully underserved. Mark Wahlberg is bland and brings nothing […]