Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt

Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt is the 8th entry in the Jesse Stone series of TV Movies that are based on the Jesse Stone Novels written by Robert B. Parker. It was released on 20 May, 2012. Benefit of the Doubt is not based on one of Robert Parker's novels. The original screenplay was written by Tom Selleck and Michael Brandman.

Summary
Jesse Stone comes out of involuntary retirement after his replacement as Chief is killed in a suspicious vehicle explosion where both the new Chief and an officer who Jesse had recently fired were killed. The other officers Jesse had previously worked with have left the department, so he is forced to solve the crime on his own.

Plot
Jesse Stone still misses the Paradise, Massachusetts police chief position, which he lost because the current town council president, Carter Hansen (Jeremy Akerman), wanted his son-in-law, William Butler (Jeff Geddis), to have the job. A suspicious police cruiser explosion kills chief Butler and officer Anthony D'Angelo (Vito Rezza). Curiously, the former town council president, Hastings "Hasty" Hathaway (Saul Rubinek), appeared to know about the incident before the current town council president was officially notified. Jesse is reinstated as "temp chief" by Hasty and uncovers apparent (but unproved) police corruption involving Butler. Jesse discovers a possible clue: the characters "2AH10" written on the April 24 page of Butler's desk calendar.

Jesse attempts to reassemble his team, starting with his deputy Luther "Suitcase" Simpson (Kohl Sudduth) and then longtime assistant Rose Gammon (Kathy Baker), but both have moved on to other pursuits after choosing to not work with Jesse's replacement, thus Jesse is left to solve the case himself. State Homicide Commander Healy (Stephen McHattie) also returns, along with Jesse's psychotherapist Dr. Dix (William Devane). Thelma Gleffey (Gloria Reuben) also remains in Jesse's life, and continues to work as a sales associate at Hasty's luxury car dealership. Gino Fish (William Sadler) is still in town as well, also still apparently in the illegal drug business while using his boxing business as a "front".

Along the way, Jesse discovers that the most likely perpetrator of the cruiser explosion, a former associate of Gino, has apparently hanged himself. He learns from Amanda (Christine Tizzard), Gino's executive assistant, that Gino "has a boss", whose identity is a mystery. An otherwise routine traffic stop adds an additional clue: there is an assassin, Arthur "Art" Gallery (Robert Carradine), who has been following Jesse. Despite finding a deer rifle in the car's trunk, Jesse lets the man go with a warning: "Don't follow me around!" The flashlight which was attached to the barrel of the "deer rifle" would have been illegal for hunting game, but would be quite helpful, for the assassin's assumed purpose, the killing of a man.

To integrate all these seemingly disparate clues and to get to the truth, Jesse employs "carefully applied pressure" to former town council president and felon Hasty (and ultimately exposing Hasty as the true drug kingpin and Gino's boss).

Jesse tells Hasty about the 2AH10 clue & lets him believe that data on the police Laptop hard-drive is being recovered. As a result Hasty panics and calls his people, telling them they have to "move it up" (presumably Jesse's murder, but also the scheduled April 24 drug sale). The events are rescheduled for later that day, although a daylight murder/drug sale is risky for all involved. ("Risk is the price you pay for opportunity", to paraphrase Hasty's orders to his people.)

At the shipyard, Gallery tries to murder Jesse using his deer rifle, but Jesse tricks him into exposing himself to deadly force and he proceeds to take him out with five shots from his .45 ACP semiautomatic pistol, which is always at Jesse's hand. Hasty escapes via motor boat, and is now "on the run" and wanted for drug distribution, money laundering and conspiracy to murder sworn officers and others.

In the end, Simpson returns and it is implied that Rose may return as well. As Jesse has proved Hansen's beloved son-in-law to be corruption-free, it is also assumed that Jesse's position as chief is permanent, and not "temp chief".

Cast/Characters

 * Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone
 * Kathy Baker as Rose Gammon
 * Kohl Sudduth as Luther 'Suitcase' Simpson
 * Gloria Reuben as Thelma Gleffey
 * Stephen McHattie as Captain Healy
 * William Sadler as Gino Fish
 * Robert Carradine as Arthur Gallery
 * Jeremy Akerman as Councilman Carter Hanson
 * Christine Tizzard as Amanda
 * Jeff Geddis as William Butler
 * Vito Rezza as Anthony D'Angelo
 * Saul Rubinek as Hasty Hathaway
 * William Devane as Dr. Dix
 * John Beale as Doc Perkins
 * Brian Heighton as Stan
 * John Maclaren as Jim Gammon
 * Christopher Killam as Steven
 * Sheena Larkin as Rose's Mom
 * Naomi Blackhall-Butler as State Police Officer
 * David Christoffel as H. Henry Uppman
 * Brian MacWilliam as Luther's Dad
 * Robert Racki as Mr. Thompson
 * Colm Magner as Hal the Doorman
 * Bill Stevenson as Pianist
 * Joe the Dog as Reggie (as Joe)