Film Review - Mr. Brooks (2007)

Film Review: Mr Brooks (2007)

This Kevin Costner thriller slipped under the radar. Rightly so, some might argue, but for others the radar should have been paying more attention. For me, however, this was an opportunity wasted; a great idea let down by muddled direction and a so many sub-plots that you start to wonder if you can start deleting the 'sub' from the synopsis part of your review.

Costner is undoubtedly a great actor; Hollywood darling of the late 80s and early 90s, when he wasn't churning out great work as incorruptible G-Man figures like Elliot Ness or Jim Garrison (The Untouchables and JFK respectively), he was mining box office gold with trash like The Bodyguard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. There was a time when he could do no wrong, but a combination of Hollywood's fickle fancies, some poor career choices (Waterworld, The Postman, 3000 Miles To Graceland) and maybe one too many films about baseball, has meant that he's no longer the go-to guy if you want an everyman leading man. However a quick look at his CV shows you that he's never really stopped turning in great performances (Thirteen Days, The Company Men); people just haven't really been watching. So it isn't really surprising that Mr Brooks (Bruce A Evans, 2007) features a great Costner performance; what is surprising is that he's playing a bit of a shit.

A serial killer whose 'urges' are personified by 'Marshall', a dead eyed William Hurt (also brilliant. Imagine Jiminy Cricket replaced by Fred West), Costner's titular Mr. Brooks has to balance a daytime life as a corporate success and family man, with hobby as a meticulous murderer. It's all going so well for him when he's apparently discovered by a kindred spirit (Dane Cook, decent but a bit meh) who blackmails Brooks into teaching him the deadly arts.

I was quite taken by the concept and the presentation, Consner's constant sparring with his conscience depicted as actual conversations with another person (who of course nobody else can see) and some of the scenes in which Marshall takes the back seat of a car, doling out murderous advice are darkly brilliant. However, the film's inability of focus on this strong thread is it's downfall and it often feels like episodes of various TV police, legal and family dramas have been crammed in for good measure. Demi Moore, bless her, tries her best with a beleaguered cop trying to balance a) catching Brooks, b) a messy divorce, c) an escaped convict that she put away!, and d) a different killer, and e) daddy issues. There are also sub plots involving Brooks' daughter and company, which don't really go anywhere.

It's a shame because with a cast featuring Costner, Hurt and Moore, one could be forgiven for expecting some good B-level thriller action but ultimately it's fumbled by an inexperienced director. Costner should play villain more often; he does some great work here, removing his glasses and adopting an icy resolve that's a million miles from JFK's idealist Jim Garrison. Known for playing whiter-than-white heroic types in his heyday, he has graduated from leading man to character actor and does well with what he's given here. Likewise Demi Moore, whose days of opening a film are surely behind her, does well with the underdeveloped plot threads and aside from one scene where she effectively turns into The Terminator, shows she can still turn in good work when she wants to.

So it's not an overly bad film, it's just disappointing that such a good idea has been lost in a really muddled film. A few years have passed since Mr Brooks' release and while Costner and Moore continue to appear in decent supporting roles, it's worth noting that Evans hasn't directed another film since.