Mr. Brooks
Can you imagine Kevin Costner as a serial killer? That’s exactly the premise of Mr. Brooks, where Constner plays the title character, a mild-mannered family man, successful businessman, and occassional monster who has a bloodlust that is only sated by the kill. It’s on his latest sinister outing, where he is photographed murdering a young couple by a man who’s goal is to blackmail him. From there on, things get very interesting, but I’m not going to spill much details on the plot. It’s a very juicey storyline with many threads that you’re better off not knowing before the film.
Kevin Costner has never striken me as the kind of man who’d be believable in such a role, but honestly he has suprised me almost as much as Kevin Bacon did in The Woodsman. Perhaps the fact that Costner has been out of the spotlight for so long has helped make it work, but when you see him onscreen revelling in his kill, it’s quite a shock. There’s also a very novel approach with the fact that Brooks has a bloodthirsty alter-ego called Marshall (Played by William Hurt) who simply appears to him, representing the duality of the title character. He’s not presented as a kind of clichéd split personality, and in that repsect it’s very original, but rather he’s there as an inner dialogue, like a voice you hear in the back of your head, or conscience, and the chemistry between Costner and Hurt is excellent.
Overall, the film has wowed me on so many levels. When I looked up the credits of Writer/Director Bruce A. Evans, I was shocked to find that this was the guy who wrote Cutthroat Island and Jungle 2 Jungle. Probably one of the last people I would have expected to have made such a quality product, as it’s just so very cleverly written, and quite a different take on the idea of Serial Killer movies, which are normally take their queue from either Silence Of The Lambs or Se7en. Mr. Brooks on the other hand, is much more unique. If I were to compare it to anything, it would be to the TV series Dexter.
One of the only criticisms I can make is that of Demi Moore’s preformance. She definetly lets the side down, and I feel if someone else had been cast, the film would be nigh on perfect.
Well recommended.
Source: moviesfilmsandmotionpictures.blogspot.com
