Standup Guy (Stone Barrington)
A hefty load of ill-gotten cash is at the heart of Stone Barrington’s problems in the latest entry in Woods’ (Doing Hard Time, 2013) long-running series. When ex-con John Fratelli pays Stone a visit seeking legal advice about the $2 million his cellmate bequeathed him, Stone helps Fratelli around some of the potential illegalities of the situation, given that the cash was obtained more than two decades ago in a robbery. Once Fratelli, grateful for the advice, takes off for Florida, Stone thinks he’s seen the last of him, and he never imagines that he’ll get wrapped up in a dogged pursuit of the money. But soon an ex-cop, the Secret Service, and a determined thug are questioning Stone about its whereabouts. The thug proves especially problematic, grabbing Stone’s latest paramour and holding her hostage for $5 million. Woods sets up a potentially interesting presidential bid that will presumably be explored in future installments, but this outing is fairly run-of-the-mill and predictable at times. And do we really need multiple scenes of Fratelli golfing with his girlfriend? --Kristine Huntley