Mr. Brooks (2007)

Acting:		Partying:		Girls:
Blood:		Language:		Gore:
Violence:		Humor:		Sexuality:
Torture:		Predictability:		Overall:

Mr. Brooks, intended as the first in a trilogy, is a highly polished film with a high-caliber cast. Kevin Costner, in a breakaway from his usual fare, portrays the titular Mr. Brooks, an upstanding member of the Portland community with a dark secret. To everyone, Earl Brooks is a successful business owner and loving husband and father. He's also, however, a talented if remorseful serial killer.

The role of Earl Brooks is certainly unlike anything Costner has done in the past, but unfortunately it's also a bit of a cop-out as well. The voices in his head that drive him to kill are given a physical presence in the film, in the form of Earl's imaginary friend Marshall, played by William Hurt. Marshall is the real killer and driving force behind Earl's addiction to murder, so mostly we just see Kevin Costner playing the nice guy who's secretly crying on the inside, while William Hurt plays the nasty, psychopathic stuff.

The film sets up Earl as having been lying low for years, after decades of killing under various modus operandi. The plot centers around a gifted Federal agent (Demi Moore) who is determined to find him, and a sleazy peeping tom (Dane Cook) who blackmails Mr. Brooks into making him his apprentice after catching him on film during his rusty return to the murder business. There's also an interesting, if ...

continue reading...