Mr. Brooks

Mr. Brooks Review



Overall 4.31 of 5 view all 16 reviews
 




2008 VIP
GeorgeChabot
Conyers, GA
Interesting psychological thriller about a serial killer
4 star rating

DVD collector, Film noir guru, fan of clever plots, Movie guru, admirer of great storytelling, movie connoisseur, Action film aficionado, Fan of Superb Productions
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Pros

    Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Story, Score

Cons
    Police woman subplot

JUN
15
2008

Mr. Brooks  — 

Mr Brooks is a neat little crime drama with an original story and great casting. The story, by writer-director Bruce A. Evans, is a psychological thriller that is quite intelligent and has a couple of interesting twists that will most likely take you by surprise.

Kevin Costner stars as a highly successful entrepreneur who is receiving the "Man of the Year" award from the Chamber of Commerce. On the way home from the soiree we see he and his wife are not alone. There is a third party in the back seat, played by William Hurt. Hurt is urging Costner to go by and see about the dance couple he was watching earlier.  You soon learn that Hurt isn't really there, he is just a manifestation of Costner's other personality.

Brooks (Costner) takes his wife (Marg Helgenberger) home to their palatial mansion and tells her he is going down to the studio to work on some pots. The movie gets going from this point onward and reveals Brooks' obsession and also gives the story a few twists in order to keep you guessing.

The plot concerns how Brooks satisfies his killing urges yet remains uncaught and is among the best of its type. The one flaw I saw with the story is a parallel thread about a super police woman who is being stalked by a recent prison escapee who has vowed revenge. Demi Moore is the police detective who has more testosterone than Clint Eastwood but it seems that her scenes are almost totally gratuitous violence and just meant to pad the credits with an extra star billing. This is really an area where a better story idea, and possibly a better actress could have improved this movie. However, this was not a major defect of the movie, but shows it wasn’t perfect.

The most interesting part of the movie was how the director decided to treat Mr. Brooks' personality. He used the old fashioned theatrical method of using a chorus, like Shakespeare often did to explain the story elements that weren't easy to depict visually and also to reveal the inner thinking of the protagonist.  Costner and William Hurt played out the two sides of Costner's mind.  This was a refreshing method of showing the psychology of the killer without a lot of method acting and soliloquies.

The cinematography is dark, befitting the dark subject and the theme music is quite moody and evocative. This is one of Kevin Costner's best performances and should gain him legions of new fans.

The MGM DVD is presented in 1.85:1 theatrical format, in color, and with a 120 minute running time. The disk has several featurettes concerning the making of Mr. Brooks and also a full length commentary from the writers Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon. Unfortunately the commentary is pretty worthless, full of name dropping and self congratulation, and little about the actual choices made during filming.

The movie is excellent for those who like crime drama, film noir, or psychological thrillers.



I_thumb_up Mr. Brooks is recommended by GeorgeChabot

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I_comment_shdw24 Comments about GeorgeChabot’s Review

 


Angelx wrote on Aug 26, 2008 at 12:15PM

I agree GeorgeChabot. Kevin Costner is capable of doing some very questionable acting performances in some of his past films. It was refreshing to see him pull this one off this well. :)

GeorgeChabot wrote on Aug 25, 2008 at 4:50PM

In response to Angelx's comment from Aug 25, 2008 at 11:50AM:

Yes, you are welcome. It was certainly interesting to see Kevin Costner turn in a good performance. ;>

Angelx wrote on Aug 25, 2008 at 11:50AM

Thanks for your review ... interesting!

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jul 28, 2008 at 7:02AM

In response to steve9631's comment from Jun 17, 2008 at 6:18PM:

You're right. Costner is definitely hit or miss. ;>

steve9631 wrote on Jun 17, 2008 at 6:18PM

Even thought it had Costner in it, it was still a really good movie....and Demi is always easy to look at. Right on review.

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 4:40PM

In response to Telpher's comment from Jun 16, 2008 at 3:26PM:

Yeah, I know how Costner has sleep walked through so many parts. You might also like 3000 Miles to Graceland where he plays a better part than most of his. ;>

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 4:39PM

In response to kid-kansas's comment from Jun 16, 2008 at 1:41PM:

;> Great!

Telpher wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 3:26PM

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I usually can't stand Costner, but he was so good in this role! Great twists and turns, too.

kid-kansas wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 1:41PM

In response to GeorgeChabot's comment from Jun 16, 2008 at 3:46AM:

Don't be sorry bud, it gives me something to do on rainy days like today...;)

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 11:58AM

In response to mrkstvns's comment from Jun 16, 2008 at 11:31AM:

No rain in Tejus?

mrkstvns wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 11:31AM

Hmmm....sounds like a good movie for a rainy evening...(wish I had one of those coming!)

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 16, 2008 at 3:46AM

In response to kid-kansas's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 11:53PM:

Yeah, Ron, for that I'm sorry but this is worth seeing! Thanks, bud! ;>

kid-kansas wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 11:53PM

You realize you're making my to see list longer....lol Sounds like a real good one George, thanks for the tip! ;)

gitbean wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 7:38PM

In response to GeorgeChabot's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 11:48AM:

Anytime!

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 11:48AM

In response to Jo's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 10:19AM:

Thanks, Jo! ;>

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 11:48AM

In response to gitbean's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 9:46AM:

Thanks Git, old bean! ;>

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 11:45AM

In response to BubleFan1's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 8:47AM:

Thanks for sharing! :>

Jo wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 10:19AM

Nice job:)

gitbean wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 9:46AM

This was a good one G-Man...just like your review!

BubleFan1 wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 8:47AM

This was a very good thriller! Way better than I expected. I recommended it to several people. Some interesting surprises too!

GeorgeChabot wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 8:37AM

In response to LoveisJoy's comment from Jun 15, 2008 at 8:06AM:

You might also like Costner in 3000 Miles to Graceland. He shows a darker side similar to Mr Brooks in that one, but I agree that his films are usually missable. Glad we like this one for the same reasons!

LoveisJoy wrote on Jun 15, 2008 at 8:06AM

I was surprised at how much Iiked this movie! I always enjoy William Hurt, but Kevin Costner gave a performance I didn't know he was capable of. I agree about the Demi Moore character and subplot - didn't add anything to the movie. Excellent review!

4 star rating
"Costner is killer!"
More Mr. Brooks reviews
4 star rating
"I really enjoyed this one."



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