Writer: Bruce A Evans, Raynold Gideon (Screenplay)
Starring: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, William Hurt, Marg Helgenberger, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Danielle Panabaker, Aisha Hinds
Plot: A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Surprisingly Good
Story: Mr Brooks starts by introducing us to Mr Earl Brooks (Costner) a successful business man winning the business man of the year award. Earl has a dark passenger called Marshall (Hurt) who wants him to follow his victim because his dark side is that he is a serial killer. Earl is happily married to Emma (Helgenberger) and has a teenage daughter Jane (Panabaker) who have no idea what he gets up to in his free time.
Detective Tracy Atwood (Moore) has been trying to catch this killer for years and thought the killer had become de-active. When the mysterious Mr Smith (Cook) comes to Earl wit photos of the murder he just committed Earl finds himself being blackmailed into taking Mr Smith on his next kill. Mr Brooks and Mr Smith make a mutual agreement that will have a murder committed in exchange for all the evidence.
With Brooks & Smith plan their murder we see Atwood dealing with power struggle in the police department as her divorce starts getting messy, as well as Jane secret being revealed leave Earl to question his addiction.
Mr Brooks follows us a serial killer who becomes our protagonist of the film rather than just a popular idea of a monstrous killer. We end up having a very slick film where we end up following our everyday killer, his blackmailer and a detective all trying to keep on step ahead of each other. I think this all works for the film because until the final outcome you are total guessing and won’t see what happens by the end. I will give a few negatives and that is following the slow moving interaction between Brooks & Smith. I think this will have to go down as a great story that really should be watched by all. (8/10)
Actor Review
Kevin Costner: Mr Earl Brooks is the serial killer who everyone believes is a mild man business man respected in the community and the city. He is happily married and has a grown up daughter. When he ends up making a mistake on his latest kill, he finds himself being blackmailed by a stranger who witnesses the crime, who he has to take on his next murder in exchange for the evidence. Kevin ends up going against the character we are used to him playing giving us a dark character behind his calm persona. (8/10)
Demi Moore: Det Tracy Atwood is a troubled lady going through an ugly divorce as well as having a serial killer on the loose one that she previously caught. She is hunting down Mr Brooks but has only an idea on how he kills and nothing about his personal information. Demi does give us a good performance but I do feel her character needed one real interaction with Mr Brooks. (7/10)
Dane Cook: Mr Smith is the stranger who witnesses Mr Brooks kill a couple and blackmails him to take him on one of his murders, he is nervous about the whole situation but wants to get off with on the thrills. Dane does a solid job but I feel his comic side is desperate to come out through the film. (6/10)
William Hurt: Marshall is the dark passenger that keeps Earl on his toes, the pair have been together for years and he is easily the one that pushes Earl into the murders. William does have fun with his role because his character only interacts with one character. (7/10)
Danielle Panabaker: Jane Brooks is Earl’s daughter who has just dropped out of college, she is also pregnant with someone who won’t be around for the baby. She wants to work with her dad but she is really keeping another secret from her father. Danielle does a good job but doesn’t get enough screen time to really explore her character enough. (6/10)
Support Cast: Mr Brooks has a supporting cast that only seems to get involved in our main three characters lives, each one tries to stop them getting most of their job done or becomes victims.
Director Review: Bruce A Evans – Bruce manages to use the three characters brilliantly to create a thrilling story that has plenty of branches too it. (8/10)
Crime: Mr Brooks puts our characters into a serial killer run world where we have one killer, one want to be killer and one character trying to stop them, even with another killer on the lose. (8/10)
Mystery: Mr Brooks keeps you guessing to what Mr Brooks’ plan will be when it comes to dealing with the situation he finds himself in. (9/10)
Thriller: Mr Brooks is a film that holds you attention throughout and just when you think you know what is going on you will be left surprised with the next twist in the story. (9/10)
Settings: Mr Brooks uses everyday settings to make the killer look like he is just part of the background of the lives we all could be living. (9/10)
Suggestion: Mr Brooks is one film that should be watched by all, I feel it offers enough for all the thriller fans out there. (Watch)
Best Part: Costner is great.
Worst Part: The driving scenes sometimes come off slow.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Similar Too: Dexter
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $20 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours
Tagline: There’s something about
Overall: Mr Brooks is one of the most underrated films of the year that really does deliver on every single level.
Rating