Film Muser

Film Muser Rating : 3.5 / 5
Release Date : June 1, 2007
Running Time : 120 minutes
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Mr. Brooks is a thriller starring Kevin Costner as an upstanding Portland, Oregon business man who is devoted to his family, as well as his community. But beyond his exemplary life, Mr. Brooks has a dark side – he is a serial killer known as the ‘Thumbprint Killer’. The movie follows Costner’s character as he struggles to overcome his ‘hunger’ to kill, but falls into a situation where he must murder one more time to keep his secret safe. As he is forced to work with a ‘wannabe’ killer Mr. Smith (Dane Cook), Mr. Brooks gets closer to being apprehended by Tracy Atwood, an incessant detective (Demi Moore).

I actually went into this movie thinking it was about an assassin. Within the first ten minutes I knew I had misinterpreted the trailer. As much as I like movies about assassins, I was very pleased with Mr. Brooks. The film takes us through Mr. Brooks inner struggle to fight his addiction to the rush he gets from a kill. It’s not just the moment of the act that he lives for, but it is also the meticulous planning that goes into his crimes that he loves. Brooks picks his victims and researches every aspect of their lives in order to pull off the perfect murders.

What I really found interesting in this film is that Mr. Brooks’ schizophrenic ailment is not only suggested, but it is actually given a character named Marshall, played by William Hurt. Marshall suddenly appears to have conversations with Brooks, usually egging him on, playing on the addiction that his is trying to fight. Brooks always is the voice of reason, but he always seems to succumb to Marshall’s devious suggestions.

Both Costner and Hurt do an excellent job in their roles. Costner is a man torn between protecting his family like any father would do, and fulfilling his psychotic desires. We see him go to extreme lengths to protect his daughter. The situation is outrageous and dark, but it does act as a redeeming quality for him. Demi Moore does a good job as the cliche detective who is trying to balance her failing personal life with her case load. I do wonder why all movie cops are battling with a dismal family life. I’m sure that writers can be a little more creative. Dane Cook is a mechanical engineer who gets himself in a situation to work with Mr. Brooks on his next murder. Being a comic, I was expecting his role to be more comedic, but I’m glad it was kept to a bare minimum. He was easily the weakest performance.

I really enjoyed this film and recommend it. If you don’t frequent the theatre often, it is perfectly fine as a renter, but just make sure you remember it a few months down the road, because you don’t want to miss it. It is an intelligent dark thriller that is told in a unique manner, and includes a great duo in Costner and Hurt.

Memorable Scene
I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say that the final scene in the film is superb. I’m not a guy that usually jumps in my seat, but I’ll admit that my butt cheeks did rise a bit (but not completely off of the seat), which is impressive. I was a little worried about where this scene was going to take us, but I’m happy to say that it steered clear.