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By WAYNE KLEIN
A well made unusual thriller
"Mr Brooks" features Kevin Costner in the title
role in a fascinating conceit--serial killing is
like an addiction and like addicts Mr. Brooks
believes he can reform. Although the various
subplots don't always quite gel, "Mr. Brooks" is
still a fascinating thriller with a trio of strong
performances. Costner's performance is a complete
contrast to Anthony Hopkins turn as Hannibal
Lecter which, along with the unusual approach to
the character, gives "Mr. Brooks" a very
refreshing take on a popular subject.
Like Dexter - The First Season, "Mr. Brooks" takes
an unusual approach to its subject that pays off
in the end. I have to give Evans and Gideon credit
for such an ambitious film tweaking Costner's
nice-guy personna. Even if the two parts don't fit
together seamlessly, "Mr. Brooks" is still a
terrific thriller that coasts along on the strong
performances of the actors even when the film
doesn' quite gel. I was a bit surprised by the
negative critical reaction to the film given the
strong writing and performances.
SPOILERS IN THE NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS:
What's a conflicted serial killer who wants to
just be "normal" to do when he's forced to kill
again a blackmailer? Or does Mr. Brooks (Kevin
Costner giving a terrific performance) want to
give up killing? He says he does and yet he and
his alter ego Marshall (William Hurt equally
marvelous)slip opening the door to a fan "Mr.
Smith" (Dane Cook in an excellent oily, slimy
performance)a wanna-be serial killer that wants to
learn the tricks of the trade.
The problem is that Mr. Brooks has Detective Tracy
Atwood (Demi Moore)a troubled cop that wants to
put him behind bars. Complications result when his
daughter returns from college with a dark secret
of her own.
END OF SPOILERS:
Directed and co-written by Bruce Evans ("Stand By
Me", "Starman")and William Gideon, this
psychological thriller is well worth a rental if
nothing else. The DVD has some nice
extras--there's a featurette "The Birth of a
Serial Killer: The Writing of Mr. Brooks" where
Evans and Gideon discuss the genesis of the
project and how they really wanted to get away
from the sweet and adolescent ensemble films they
had written in the past.
We also get "Murder on Their Minds: Mr. Brooks,
Marshall and Mr. Smith" which allows the Costner,
Hurt and Cook to discuss their characters and
their approach to playing the roles.
We also get a commentary track with Evans &
Gideon. They make some pretty intelligent
observations about the film and how it turned out.
We also get deleted scenes as part of the package.
although "Mr. Brooks" is flawed by two very
different tones for its plot and subplot (the
latter feels like it was lifted from a different
movie), Evans and Gideon manage to bring it
together to a surprisingly firm and powerful
conclusion. The performances of Costner, Hurt,
Cook and a scenery chewing Moore will pull in
viewers. |
