By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Mr. Brooks. Director: Bruce A. Evans. Cast: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, and William Hurt.
I’ve got Netflix. And, as you might have guessed, I used it during the Christmas holidays to watch some movies. Some bad movies. And some decent movies. Mr. Brooks falls in the decent category. It’s not great, but going in, I thought it would be pretty darn crappy, so I was surprised when the end result turned out to be quite all right. Much of this is owed to the performance by Kevin Costner, playing a serial killer who has recently come out of retirement and finds himself in a bit of trouble when someone witnesses his latest murder.
Demi Moore, an actress I hate in almost any role, does good in this one and manages to play a detective whom I found likable. William Hurt appears as Costner’s darker side of his personality, and Costner has conversations with himself (that means Hurt) in which he muses about his desire to stop killing, his family and other stuff.
The concept of a wealthy, successful man who hides a very dark second life obviously holds an allure of its own, and when you add a cop that is hot on the anti-hero’s trail (and whom the killer may grudgingly respect), you’ve got all the ingredients for a good meal. However, the screenwriter overstuffs this banquet by including side plots that need not be included.There’s the young man who saw Costner murder a couple and now wants him to teach him how to be a serial killer. A mentor killer? Not a bad idea but distracting. Then there’s the tale of Costner’s pregnant daughter, who might have murdered a boy with an ax, prompting Costner to fear his child has inherited his homicidal tendencies. That’s enough for two other movies.
Thus, in the end, Mr. Brooks gets quite silly and loses the thrilling elements of its narrative, due to its attempt to stuff everything and the kitchen sink into two hours. With all those plot strands hanging around, we miss a chance to know Brooks and Inspector Atwood better, and to really develop a sharp tale of a man trying to keep his facade of normality intact. Also missed is the chance for sarcasm and satire, which would seem perfectly suited for Costner in this role (After all, the killer is a self-made man who makes a living selling boxes). However, with that said, it’s entertaining fare for the late-night viewer, and well-acted.
Purchase Mr. Brooks through Amazon.com