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Review #465 of 365
Movie Review of Mr. Brooks (2007) [R] 120 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $13.50
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 1 June 2007
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: 23 October 2007
Directed by: Bruce A. Evans (Kuffs)
Written by: Bruce A. Evans (Jungle 2 Jungle) and Raynold Gideon (Jungle 2 Jungle)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Kevin Costner (The Guardian) • Demi Moore (Bobby) • Dane Cook (Employee of the Month) • William Hurt (The Good Shepherd) • Marg Helgenberger ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") • Danielle Panabaker (Yours, Mine and Ours)
Soundtrack: Download now from 
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
In a return to the sort of tense thriller films the rocked the 80s with a wicked update, glossy cast, and rampant morally repugnant characters, MGM revitalizes the twisty genre with Bruce A. Evan's Kevin Coster / William Hurt and Demi Moore film Mr. Brooks. The sophisticated rundown goes like this. Mr. Earl Brooks, Portland's Man of the Year for service to his community due to the ventures of his box-making company is of two minds--literally and figuratively in the case of the film.
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Kevin Costner plays Earl and William Hurt plays his evil side whom he talks to and interacts with named Marshall. This devilishly clever concept allows for Marshall to come across as far more powerfully creepy than had we just seen Costner playing opposite himself, for example, in a dual role. The latter might be more challenging for the actor, but this angle gave William Hurt room for a lot of 'fun'. It's not often actors get to portray the demented, murder-addicted evil half of the same personality. No, this is not a split personality in the clinical sense because Earl and Marshall are each all to aware of what's going on. They work together to stage their elegant crimes after painstaking weeks of research and data collection. In the news, their work has come to be know as that of the Thumbprint Killer for the victims' thumbprints he smears in their own blood at the scene of the murders. For years, and despite self-health group where he admits he is an addict without saying to what, he has been killing people. He says, "Not because I enjoy it, but because I'm addicted to it." This subtle difference in phrasing would be lost one most anyone except a good defense attorney seeking to get "murder addiction" deemed a legitimate escape clause from criminal prosecution. That never even occurs to Mr. Brooks, though, as he doesn't have to worry about ever being caught. He's so painstakingly careful in planning his murders, they never go wrong.
"… a return to the sort of tense thriller films the rocked the 80s with a wicked update, glossy cast, and rampant morally repugnant characters, MGM revitalizes the twisty genre …"
Except, this one time when he fails to notice that the blinds on the bedroom window of the apartment where his soon-to-be-victims live are open when he commits the crime. Nor has he seemed to have noticed in all of his stalking and pre-planning that this amorous couple is well-known by their neighbors in the building across the street for their nightly, free, sex shows. One such neighbor, aka Mr. Smith (Dane Cook), has been watching this couple and photographing their shows for months. Unfortunately, for Mr. Brooks, the night of his murderous activity, Mr. Smith was at his photography again and he catches Mr. Brooks in action. This complicates the life of Mr. Brooks as he tries to balance the unexpected mid-freshmen year of college return of his daughter Jane with some dark reasons she's keeping to herself and his company. Marshall keeps him under control and calm, though as Mr. Smith arrives at the box company to have a word with him and show him the interesting photos he took of the murder. A former computer nerd, though, Smith has an offer that Brooks will have to accept to keep his life in even keel and protect his family from his dark secret. The only other thing standing in the way between Brooks and being able to keep his lifestyle forever is Detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore). In a return to the sort of tough, no holds barred, rear-kickin' Demi we saw in G.I. Jane, Ms. Moore has fueled this character with the inner fire of a wild stallion. She's got some secrets of her own, but he main obsession has become catching the Thumbprint Killer.
Plenty of twists and unexpected turns boggle the mind as things play out in this smart plot. Certainly, there are some morally repugnant aspects to Brooks, Marshall, and Smith. The job of the film is not to make you like them or understand let alone sympathize them. The job is simply to entertain and evoke emotional reactions which it does on steroids. Danielle Panabaker does a brilliant job in hr role Jane, Earl Brooks's pride and joy daughter who can do no wrong. She layers Jane with an exterior that plays well in the film as daddy tries to figure out what's really going on with her. The only weak links in the film were Mrs. Brooks (Marg Helgenberger) and Atwood's partner Hawkins (Ruben Santiago-Hudson). Mrs. Brooks was poorly written giving Ms Helgenberger little to do. Were I the writer, I probably would have cut this character having her be one of Earl's early victims and available to the current story only in flashbacks. As for Hawkins, he too is a cardboard cutout, book-following antithesis of Atwood, but with no spine and a lot of whine. Cut him too. This is not a buddy cop film. Kevin Costner and William Hurt together are an incredible psychological duo. It might take a couple of viewings of the film to really see this because it takes a while even just to figure out what's going on with this Marshall character. Is he a ghost that only Brooks can see? No!
How co-writer / director Bruce A. Evans goes from writing the whimsical Disney® comedy Jungle-to-Jungle with Tim Allen to writing and directing this shocking serial killer thriller, defies logical explanation. Apparently he chose not to be typecast in his writing. The film definitely establishes his credibility and talent though as well.
Certainly, Mr. Brooks is a very good film with an excellent plot, great twists, mis-direction, a welcome entrée for a sequel, but it is also a devious psychologically disturbing concept film with shocking ethics at play. This is one of those [R]-rated films that really should probably be an [NC-17] film were it not for the fact that that rating category has a powerful, box-office decimating impact so the MPAA rarely uses it, especially not for violent vs. sexually evocative films. There is no way on earth, though, I'd take my kids younger than 17 to see this film. They just don't need to see this and deal with the moral implications at that young age. Fortunately, hopefully, the concept of the film won't have that much appeal to younger kids sneaking in like such trash fests as Beerfest did.
Plenty of twists and unexpected turns boggle the mind as things play out in this smart plot. Certainly, there are some morally repugnant aspects to Brooks, Marshall, and Smith. The job of the film is not to make you like them or understand let alone sympathize them. The job is simply to entertain and evoke emotional reactions which it does on steroids. Danielle Panabaker does a brilliant job in hr role Jane, Earl Brooks's pride and joy daughter who can do no wrong. She layers Jane with an exterior that plays well in the film as daddy tries to figure out what's really going on with her. The only weak links in the film were Mrs. Brooks (Marg Helgenberger) and Atwood's partner Hawkins (Ruben Santiago-Hudson). Mrs. Brooks was poorly written giving Ms Helgenberger little to do. Were I the writer, I probably would have cut this character having her be one of Earl's early victims and available to the current story only in flashbacks. As for Hawkins, he too is a cardboard cutout, book-following antithesis of Atwood, but with no spine and a lot of whine. Cut him too. This is not a buddy cop film. Kevin Costner and William Hurt together are an incredible psychological duo. It might take a couple of viewings of the film to really see this because it takes a while even just to figure out what's going on with this Marshall character. Is he a ghost that only Brooks can see? No!
How co-writer / director Bruce A. Evans goes from writing the whimsical Disney® comedy Jungle-to-Jungle with Tim Allen to writing and directing this shocking serial killer thriller, defies logical explanation. Apparently he chose not to be typecast in his writing. The film definitely establishes his credibility and talent though as well.
Certainly, Mr. Brooks is a very good film with an excellent plot, great twists, mis-direction, a welcome entrée for a sequel, but it is also a devious psychologically disturbing concept film with shocking ethics at play. This is one of those [R]-rated films that really should probably be an [NC-17] film were it not for the fact that that rating category has a powerful, box-office decimating impact so the MPAA rarely uses it, especially not for violent vs. sexually evocative films. There is no way on earth, though, I'd take my kids younger than 17 to see this film. They just don't need to see this and deal with the moral implications at that young age. Fortunately, hopefully, the concept of the film won't have that much appeal to younger kids sneaking in like such trash fests as Beerfest did.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Mr. Brooks (2007)
Cast Members
Kevin Costner
• Demi Moore • Dane CookWilliam Hurt
• Marg Helgenberger • Danielle PanabakerCo-Writer / Director
Bruce A. Evans
Co-Writer
Raynold Gideon
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Mr. Brooks (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
A return with an update to the thriller twisty classics of the 80s, Mr. Brooks raises the adrenalin levels as his wicked addition to painstakingly well-planned murders leads the Portland Man of the Year played by Keving Costner and William Hurt to a close call when a nosy neighbor Mr. Smith (Dane Cook) catches him in the act. Adding to his complications, super detective Atwood (Demi Moore) is hot on his trail. Smart performances and glossy elegance to the professional dimensions of the film make it one of the best thrillers to come along in ages handily outwitting the recent Fracture, for example. The drawbacks to the film are a morally repugnant center that should not be delivered to children under 17 despite the [R]-rating.
2 comments:
I am glad to see this got a high WIP. I liked Mr. Brooks a lot and I am not sure very many other people would agree with that. Mr. Brooks could have been better, but I liked the serial killer genre and I thought Costner did a great job. This of course is arguable as well. Thanks for the review.
i had a feeling Costner would make some kind of a comeback; plus it's interesting how Dane Cook went from stand up comedian to starring in a ton of major movies
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