Movie Review: Mr. Brooks

    

Mr. Brooks
2007, 120mins, R
Director: Bruce. A. Evans
Writer (s): Raynold Gideon, Bruce. A. Evans
Cast includes: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, William Hurt, Marg Helgenberger, Danielle Panabaker, Reiko Aylesworth

Mr. Brooks is the sort of films that it’s hard not to love, it’s well acted, deftly written, solidly directed and engaging from start to finish. Most horror/thrillers that Hollywood has in production are all gore and bore such as the degenerative Saw franchise, and so by infusing genuine intelligence and effective acting between its thrills Mr. Brooks is easily the best offering this patchy genre has made in recent years.
Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) has just been voted Portland’s “Man Of The Year”. The people see him as a successful yet down to earth businessman and he’s the head of a beautiful family whom he genuinely loves and cherishes. However Earl has a dark secret- he’s addicted to murder and has been for years now having come to be known in the media as the elusive and masterful Thumbprint killer. This desire to kill manifests itself in an alter-ego named Marshall (William Hurt) who is in effect the dark side of Mr.Brook’s himself. After one particular murder (his first in over two years) Earl makes a slip up which allows both the police and a peeping tom named Mr. Smith (Dane Cook) to follow hot on his heels. Mr. Smith simply wants to be taught the art of serial killing for himself and to enjoy the same sick thrill Earl gains from bloody carnage in exchange for his silence, whilst as the head of the police Detective Atwood (Demi Moore) starts to piece together the Thumbprint case after years of having no clues to go on.
Costner is the real reason why Mr. Brooks works so well- coupled with the crafty screenplay Costner somehow manages to make Brook’s a sympathetic lead and suitable anti-hero despite the gross nature of his crimes. In the end this is a man who loves his family dearly and is ashamed of his bloody addiction to death, which coupled with the Costners charm makes him a shockingly engaging and winning central figure. The rapport that Costner and Hurt share is priceless, Marshall isn’t as interesting a character as Mr.Brooks himself but together they make an interesting cocktail. The chemistry that the pair have is sensational and the interesting dynamic this pairing creates allows the picture to explore psychological consequences other thrillers can’t dream of touching. There is no denying that on their day both Costner and Hurt are excellent thespians, but their work here is still surprisingly strong and touches the upper end of both men’s respective CV’s.
The supporting characters are solidly acted and far more three dimensional than most Serial Killer movies muster, these people aren’t just knife fodder but rather are just as vital in powering forward the plot as Brooks himself. As Atwood Moore does a decent job of portraying a cop going through an ugly phase in life (a divorce and several unsolved cases) who has just been gifted the chance to turn everything around by nabbing the most notorious killer in town. Moore isn’t an actress who I’ve ever really been a fan of but on this occasion I have to admit she provides a believable cop and person, more than can be said for most actors stuck in such conventional roles. However there is nothing conventional about the character of Mr. Smith, for most of the runtime the clear cut and beyond redemption villain of the piece. He’s an ugly human being and Cook makes him sufficiently repellant, in the scenes between Cook and Costner it’s the latter who’s the criminal but also the person the audience is rooting for. Cook gives the character a life and energy that comedians usually bring to their roles, but also a dramatic weight and acting ability they often don’t. It’s not a knock out turn but I’ll certainly watch Cook’s more serious acting career with interest, because here he shows the same sort of promise that Will Ferrell demonstrated in Stranger Than Fiction. As Brook’s wife Marg Helgenberger is underused but young Danielle Panabaker shows promise as his daughter, whom Brooks begins to suspect may have murderous tendencies herself.
The story is extremely entertaining and frequently exciting, I often rail against movies drawing themselves out to hit the 2 hour mark but Mr. Brooks completely needs and uses its 120 minute runtime. There are no dull patches which is an extreme rarity within the genre and whilst you could argue that there is a subplot to far (the one involving Atwood and another killer comes to mind) at the least the material put up on screen is watchable and frequently so much more. The visual feel to the picture is high quality; the cinematography is slick and effective whilst Bruce Evans direction is energetic yet not overly kinetic and rushed. Certainly this is a movie that is easy on the eyes and leaving aside one bad move the music also is well suited to the detailed and eloquently told plot it slides into.
The film has a few instances of gore and explicit sexual material but that never becomes the movies point unlike so many of its modern genre counterparts. The movie is much more interested in the analysis of the human mind and is always focused in blending in psychological elements to its dynamic and intriguing structure. This sort of intelligent and respectable manner toward the audience always makes the viewer feel rewarded, and even on surface level the picture operates smoothly as an exciting and rather unique little thriller. Evan’s has also put in plenty of black humor to give proceedings that slightly wicked edge which benefited the like of American Psycho, a film that Mr.Brooks may surpass purely in terms of cinematic quality.
I really was drawn in by Mr.Brooks and even those not particularly fussed on the whole serial killer genre are likely to find it hard to look away from this brutally engaging and effortlessly entertaining new perspective. When push comes to shove it may not exactly be typical Hollywood fare, but Mr.Brooks never trys to be and is all the better for moving down a path more reliant on strong acting and interesting plot concepts. Highly recommended.