Spenser Confidential  ★★½

THE Peter Berg/Mark Walhberg bromance continues with the comedy-drama Spenser Confidential.

This is the fifth film since 2013 directed by Berg and starring Wahlberg, the others being Deepwater Horizon, Lone Survivor, Patriot’s Day and Mile 22.

Apart from Mile 22,  a poorly edited and confusingly written actioner, they have all been pretty decent.

Spenser Confidential is different to any of these, both in story and approach, and achieves mixed results.

It’s a reboot of a short-lived 1980s’ television series called Spenser For Hire which featured a private detective played by Robert Urich and partner Hawk (Avery Brooks).

The series was set in Boston, which is a regular stamping ground for Berg and Wahlberg, and the film authentically stalks the same streets.

Wahlberg’s Spenser is a former police officer who has just got out of jail after serving five years for beating up his commanding officer whom Spenser had accused of interfering with a murder investigation.

The day after Spenser is released two police officers are murdered and Spenser becomes one of the main suspects. He joins up with a giant, would-be MMA fighter Hawk (Winston Duke), who is renting a room from Spenser’s old boxing coach and mentor Henry (Alan Arkin). The trio seek to unravel a murder mystery with links to a multi-million dollar property deal fuelled by political and police corruption.

Along the way Spenser also has to deal with a fiery former girlfriend Cissy (Iliza Shlesinger) and a succession of characters who may or may not want him dead.

Wahlberg is good in the lead role, although a better actor may have found more, and the quirkiness of the characters, particularly Arkin’s of course, and situations maintains the interest more than the actual mystery.

For a murder/drama there isn’t a lot of action or surprises, but it’s still better than average entertainment.