The plotting of No Remorse is fairly simple, with Stone spending much of his time in Boston helping to solve a string of murders. The Paradise Police force is struggling without him, chased in part by their own demons and the fact that they aren't allowed to have any contact with their suspended Chief of Police. Selleck chooses to distance Stone from his ex in L.A., which is probably a good thing, but staple characters from town all make some type of appearance. At times, it feels like characters are trotted out as little more than fan service, especially when they play no functional role in the story. Since there are nine Parker novels featuring Stone as a character, it seems strange that only four films use source material. The intrigue that was a big part of earlier movies gives way to some fairly obvious devices. Watching Stone try to reclaim a normal existence after all the tumult that has taken place in Paradise is the most interesting part of the film, and Selleck plays everything with seriously low affect.
Made-for-TV doesn't get much better than this, and No Remorse even with its faults is still easy to watch. The music continues to be a standout, and there's decent camera work throughout that showcases the beautiful waterside locations around town. Interior shots of Stone's house have now warmed up, depicting it as a safe haven more than some dreary isolation chamber. Parker was apparently proud of Selleck's accomplishment, and there's good reason to imagine that fans of this series of books will appreciate No Remorse, at least for its imagination. Keeping the character alive will only go so far unless future movies can dig back into the source material, or harness some more compelling writing talent. All things considered, I've paid to see movies in theaters that didn't hold my attention nearly as well as No Remorse. Perhaps I'm just wistful and teary-eyed for the old days of Magnum P.I., but Selleck does an admirable job serving the memory of a great writer's great character.
