Joe Barber Reviews “Mr. Brooks”

by Joe Barber on Jun.04, 2007, under Joe Barber's Movie Reviews

Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) would, at first glance, seem to have it all. A beautiful wife, a lovely, accomplished daughter and a thriving business that has earned him the respect of his employees and all those who know him. He is, as Tom Wolfe put it, a “man in full.” As we soon discover, however, Mr. Brooks is something more-a notorious serial killer known as the “Thumb print Killer.” For two years, he’s held his dark craving at bay. But, as this surprisingly effective and entertaining thriller unfolds, we discover that his craving is the least of his problems.

Spurred on by his internal alter ego Marshall (William Hurt) to track and kill another couple, Brooks does so, setting the post-murder scene in ways to let the police know that he’s back in action. While doing so, he gets careless and is approached by a young man who calls himself “Smith.” Brooks is surprised when the young man doesn’t ask for blackmail money but, instead, asks a favor. He wants to follow Brooks as he plots, plans and carries out his next murder. Otherwise, “Smith” will turn over incriminating evidence to the police.

As Brooks-and Marshall-weigh the risks of dealing with Smith and his own desire to stop killing, he becomes aware that the police detective investigating the latest murder is smarter and tougher than he imagined. Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) is as homicide expert who’s become a superstar of sorts, with books written bout her and a bad, hasty marriage to a gold digging gigolo weighing her down. But she may be closer to Brooks than even he knows. When things begin growing more tense by the day, a totally unexpected development drives Brooks into desperate action with dark consequences.

Director Bruce A. Evans and his co-screenwriter Raymond Gideon have put together a thriller with more twists and turns than a mountain road. But the complexity works to the movie’s advantage, creating a layered story that builds to a series of shocks that you never quite see coming. Kevin Costner displays a subtlety and nuance in his acting that we haven’t seen in some time. He exposes both the dark and light sides of Brooks while also exploring the shades of gray between. William Hurt’s habit of delivering outside performances is utilized here to great effect in the role of Marshall. His “devil” on Costner’s shoulder, so to speak, offers more than a bit of dark comic relief and a fine counterpoint to Costner’s restrained work. Moore’s straight ahead, no nonsense work as the detective is effective and the script even plays a joke or two by contrasting elements of her real life with that of her character.

Though the movie’s ending may go one twist too far, for the most part, “Mr. Brooks: delivers more than the customary dice and slice movie, like “Saw” or “Hostel,” presents. The rare combination of intelligent script, strong acting and stylish direction help to make “Mr. Brooks” the real guilty pleasure of the summer movie season. Gran a flashlight and head to the dark side-this is a trip worth taking.

MPAA RATING: R for profanity, sexual content, nudity and sometimes graphic violence.
JOE’S RATING: THREE STARS.