Mr. Brooks (2007)

Touches You

the audience applauded

Good concept, poorly executed.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

This is a great thriller supported by a fantastic cast and a great pace. Mr. Brooks is played by Kevin Costner, and he is a serial killer by night, a popular, intelligent self-righteous man of the community by day. He goes by the name Earl when not in killing mode. To make matters even more complicated Mr. Brooks is a persona arisen by a devil voice within Earl- and he is played(not just voiced but physically portrayed) by William Hurt. In one of his outings Brooks is caught in the act of murder by a photographer and then becomes entangled by the law- mainly one lady played by Demi Moore. With actors of such class there is no reason to doubt that the audiences will be kept captivated- and they are. The cinematography, pacing and direction is excellent, and it is surprising that the director Bruce Evans has only made 2 films including this one.

This is a great thriller supported by a fantastic cast and a great pace. Mr. Brooks is played by Kevin Costner, and he is a serial killer by night, a popular, intelligent self-righteous man of the community by day. He goes by the name Earl when not in killing mode. To make matters even more complicated Mr. Brooks is a persona arisen by a devil voice within Earl- and he is played(not just voiced but physically portrayed) by William Hurt. In one of his outings Brooks is caught in the act of murder by a photographer and then becomes entangled by the law- mainly one lady played by Demi Moore. With actors of such class there is no reason to doubt that the audiences will be kept captivated- and they are. The cinematography, pacing and direction is excellent, and it is surprising that the director Bruce Evans has only made 2 films including this one.

We all have these inner demons in our brains suggesting what decisions to make with our temptations. Some demons suggest the extra snack or binge. Other voices in our brains suggest doing drugs or alcohol. Come on, one more drink or toke of a joint! Some get thrills or a rush out of stealing items from a store. Some voices even go as far as suggesting killing others. Mr. Brooks on the surface appears as straight and narrow as any established businessman. Portland, Oregon's MAN OF THE YEAR award winner at a lavish banquet with his Lovely spouse by his side. All picture perfect until we come to the ride home where you see Mr and Mrs. Brooks sitting in their car with a strange bald man in the back seat named Marshall (William Hurt) who suggests to Mr. Brooks that another killing should happen. The wife is oblivious to Marshall's presents. Mrs. Emma Brooks (Marg Helgenberger) cant see or hear him. Brooks suggest that they stop at a local Ice cream cafe for desert as Brooks looks upward into an apartment watching two lover for a potential double murder as the invisible Marshall tempts and taunts the frustrated Brooks. Brooks that evening sneaks out of his home and carries out his homicide. Wears special clothing, Plastic bag over gun with silencer attached, everything done to detail. Meticulous and methodical for the serial killer who enters the apartment opens the door and says Hello then fire two shots at each victim. Retrieve the shells and takes each victim and puts their bloody thumbprint on a lampshade.Vacuumed and cleans up the area thoroughly. The Police label this serial killer "The Thumbprint Killer". Everything done to detail except this time Brook's forgot to close the drapes as he's reminded by his alter ego Marshall. Marshall tells Brooks the adjacent apartment building would have potential witnesses watching. A few days later you see a nervous man waiting in the lobby of Brooks's business. Meanwhile Mr. Brooks has a daughter Jane (Danielle Panabaker), who enters his office with news of quitting College. Marshall by Brooks' side suggests she's hiding bigger news. Jane comes out with news of being pregnant meeting an older gentleman and wants an abortion to rectify things but Jane refuses to go back to school . Meanwhile our nervous friend is waiting to see Brooks as Mr. Smith give the compliant receptionist a sealed envelope of photos of Brooks by the window where he killed two lovers that faithful night. Brook's is surprised by Smith's unusual request which has nothing to do with shaking Brook's for money. Meanwhile the authorities are baffled by the the Thumbprint killer as or story shifts to Police Detective Atwood (Demi Moore) who is obsessed with this particular case. Atwood's personal life intertwines with this story plus more bad news about daughter Jane as she is in more hot water involved in a homicide. Three stories connect in a two hour thriller. Some might say the coincidences ruin the movie but the editing and quick scenes keep you from falling asleep. Personally I'm not a fan of the acting skills of Costner but I do enjoy his scripts/story lines, i.e. No Way Out, Bull Durham, Field Of Dreams and JFK. Costner was very unpretentious, quite reserved maintains a coolness to this role. Dane Cook plays a frustrated tag along and Demi Moore plays the baffled gum shoe always three steps behind the killer. Demi personally is not a likable character in most of her movies but when it come's to divorce lawyers, I'm rooting for Demi. William Hurt, "the alter ego" puts you right into the thought process of our main character, the serial killer Brooks. Costner's best work to date. Oh by the way, what's the name of your voice in your head?

OK, I think this is the closest that you could ever come to seeing and meeting a real life serial killer in all his perverse psychology on display. Kevin Costner is outstanding in his portrayal of Mr. Brooks, a seemingly solid citizen and nice guy with a seriously evil and twisted side to him. The whole fractured psyche shown, with the invention of an imaginary alter ego that pushes him to commit atrocious murders, looks like a very true-to-life scenario of a split personality, the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome. The depiction of how the tension and frustration and excitement build in between the kills, till the killer trips and bursts through the nice guy persona is chilling and effective. However, even though I found the whole genetic basis of twisted psychopathic behavior to be an exceedingly intriguing premise, I am not so sure about a killing gene expressing itself so floridly, especially in a female, as female serial killers are so far and few in between in history and most could not be related back to a genetic basis. Still, this is one good, scary and original take on the whole serial killer genre. Watch it!!