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Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Spenser Confidential (2020) in Movies

Mar 16, 2020

Spenser Confidential (2020)

2020 | Action, Crime, Drama

7.1

(18 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Mark wahlberg (0 more)

Obvious villain (0 more)

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Contains spoilers, click to show

Spenser Confidential is a hard hitting action comedy, loosely based on the novel Wonderland by Ace Atkins, and stars Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Iliza Shlesinger, Bokeem Woodbine, Donald Cerrone, Marc Maron, and Austin Post.

After a stretch in prison for a violent attack on another officer, Spenser is released, that night the officer who he did time for attacking is murdered, which throws Spensers name into the fire.
When a second officer from his former precinct is murdered, Spenser teams up with his no-nonsense roommate, Hawk, to take down criminals and uncover the truth before it's too late.

A great movie-
even though the story has had very similar ones berfore it, it's a nice throwback to them whilst injecting a dose of witt to it.

Kudos

Swann's Way

Marcel Proust and Susanna Lee

8.0 (1 Ratings) Rate It

Book

Marcel Proust's seven-volume masterpiece, In Search of Lost Time (A la recherche du temps perdu),...

David McK (3843 KP) rated Tarkin in Books

Jan 28, 2019

Tarkin

James Luceno | 2014 | Science Fiction/Fantasy

7.7

(3 Ratings)

Book Rating

"That's impossible! How will the Emperor maintain control without the bureaucracy?"
"The Regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear will keep the local systems in line. Fear of this battle station."

That exchange, from the original Star Wars film, pretty much sums up what would become known as the Tarkin Doctrine: that of rule by fear.

While there have been other Star Wars novels based on the other 'bad guys' (Vader, Boba Fett, etc), this is also the first - to the best of my knowledge - based on Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin, as portrayed by Peter Cushing in the films, and the first Grand Moff of the Galactic Empire.

"Evacuate? In our moment of triumph? I think you overestimate their chances ..."

While it may not be apparent in the film - particulary when he utters that line seconds before the Death Star is blown up - this also makes him out ot be a strategic mastermind - it is he who oversaw the construction of the Death Star, and he who (in this) works out the identites of those who have stolen his starship that is now cayying out strikes agaisnt Imperial installations, the pursuit of which is the main driving force of the plot behind this novel.

This also goes to show how Vader came to work with Tarkin on board the Death Star, and the defining events of Tarkins earlier life that would go to shape the character he would become.

With all that said, however, the writing style did - at times - put me off, with the novel never really getting me hooked into just what would ahppen next - we all know, for example, that he would survive and not only survive, but prosper by the end of it! It's also not the worst Star Wars book, nor even the worst of the 'New Canon' such books I've read, but nor was it the best - a solid middle-of-the-road entry for me.