Mark Wahlberg a wise guy private eye on the sly in Spenser Confidential

The devil-may-care vibe of both leading man Mark Wahlberg and his collaborators behind the cameras pays off in new Netflix action comedy Spenser Confidential, making it one of the smarter dumb movies you’ll see.

One of the smarter dumb movies to come along in a while, Spenser Confidential is powered along its pulpy way by a name who will be familiar to seasoned readers of hard-boiled crime fiction.

The character of Spenser was first unleashed in print by author Robert B. Parker back in the early 1970s.

Though Parker is no longer with us, the unconventional private investigator that is Spenser is still going strong (his total book count is now nearing fifty).

Actor Mark Wahlberg is a longtime Spenser fan, and has been keen to play him for well over a decade. His affinity with the character is apparent from the opening scene, and it holds strong throughout the movie.

Mark Wahlberg stars in Spenser Confidential. Picture: Netflix

Our first sighting of Spenser is in flashback mode, when he was still a Boston policeman. After paying a visit to the home of a superior officer, an incident transpires that places Spenser in prison for what will turn out to be a five-year sentence.

We do not know (not immediately at least) what pushed Spenser to torch his career so definitively. However, we do know that jail is not the greatest place for a former man of the law to survive from one day to the next.

So after making it to his last day in the slammer in one piece – and despite a neo-Nazi gang trying to kill him as their way of saying farewell – Spenser activates his plan to relocate to Arizona to become a truck driver.

That idea lasts all of one day, give or take a few hours.

The casual devil-may-care attitude in Spenser Confidential pays off for the viewer. Picture: Netflix

Spenser’s former boss is murdered on the same night he leaves prison, which makes him the prime suspect by default.

A few twists and turns later, and Spenser finds himself investigating a mystery that will not only clear his own name, but also establish his credentials as the best private eye in all of South Boston.

(This last aspect is more important than it first seems once you learn producers have plans to churn out a few Spenser sequels in coming years.)

Neither Wahlberg nor his collaborators before and behind the cameras are taking matters very seriously here, and this devil-may-care vibe pays off in the movie’s favour throughout.

SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL (MA15+)

Director: Peter Berg (Hancock)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Alan Arkin, Bokeem Woodbine.

Rating: ***

Becoming a wise guy private eye on the sly

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