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'Mr. Brooks' movie review |
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Written by Carla Meyer, MCT
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Wednesday, 30 May 2007 |
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MR. BROOKS
3 stars
Cast: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Dane Cook, Demi Moore, Marg Helgenberger, Danielle Panabaker and Jason Lewis
Director: Bruce A. Evans
Writers: Evans and Raynold Gideon
Distributor: MGM
Running time: 120 minutes
Rated R (strong bloody violence, language, sexuality, nudity)
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Earl Brooks, the successful businessman played by Kevin Costner in "Mr. Brooks," is a serial killer. But his avocation is more symbolic than anything, since the film really is concerned with secrets people keep from loved ones.
Or at least that's what you tell yourself in order to continue to appreciate a creepy, clever thriller in which a serial killer is also the likable, if tortured, protagonist.
Make that two likable protagonists - Mr. Brooks and his alter ego, Marshall, played by William Hurt. The all-American Costner and the insinuating Hurt form an intriguing pair.
Mr. Brooks, who seems truly to care about his wife (Marg Helgenberger) and college-student daughter (Danielle Panabaker), keeps Marshall as the devil on his shoulder. Or rather, the devil in the back seat of his nondescript sedan.
Mr. Brooks goes to AA meetings because the structure helps him keep his urges in check. But Marshall coaxes him into a last homicidal hurrah.
Costner doesn't suddenly go weird and intense because his character is a psychopath. He brings the same relaxed manner to playing a killer that he does to playing washed-up athletes, to surprisingly powerful effect. Mr. Brooks is the killer next door.
Marshall, all id and squinty instigation, acts as the motor for Mr. Brooks' misdeeds. But this personality isn't completely split. Marshall and Mr. Brooks share a macabre sense of humor. When they erupt in laughter together, "Mr. Brooks" becomes the most disturbing buddy comedy ever.
And theirs is not the only buddy pairing. Dane Cook plays a neighbor of a couple Mr. Brooks kills and then poses for provocative postmortem photos (remember, he's a sicko). In a rare slip-up, Mr. Brooks leaves the drapes open, allowing the neighbor, who calls himself Mr. Smith, to witness the crime. But rather than out the killer to the police, Mr. Smith has other plans.
Cook, whose appeal can sometimes be elusive, is highly effective here. His character, full of false bravado, is a goofy counterpoint to cool customer Mr. Brooks and a stand-in for the audience. Or at least the segment of the audience that's seriously bent.
A fun moment occurs when the young man, growing increasingly impatient with Mr. Brooks putting him off, sits disconsolately in the passenger seat of Mr. Brooks' car. He wants the serial killer to notice he's sulking, Marshall informs Mr. Brooks.
Mr. Smith is on to Mr. Brooks, and Detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) is nearly on to Mr. Smith, who she suspects has information about the killer. Wealthy from family money, she does the job because she loves it. This makes her a crack detective and worrisome to Mr. Brooks, who knows a pro when he sees one.
Moore is steely here, and especially fierce in a physically taxing, well-choreographed action sequence. Director Bruce A. Evans, who co-wrote the script with Raynold Gideon, shows visual flair throughout, giving the film a moody yet clean look.
Scenes of Mr. Brooks and company driving at night are highly seductive. Evans also stages a jolt-scare moment so deftly that even people who've seen a million horror films will be taken aback. But this bloody scene also signals the point at which the story goes off the rails.
Charming killers aren't exclusive to "Mr. Brooks." What does seem unusual is the film's lack of mitigating factors. In "The Silence of the Lambs," for instance, Hannibal Lecter was allowed to charm because he was helping catch a more immediately dangerous killer. "Mr. Brooks" lacks such an out, which makes it not just a guilty pleasure but a truly queasy one. | Only registered users can write comments.
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