Der Knochenjäger

The Bone Collector is a serial killer thriller in the vein of Seven. Here the gruesome deaths are hinted at rather than shown in a gory visceral manner.

Denzel Washington is Lincoln Rhyme, a paraplegic detective now bedridden who needs round the clock care after an accident. Rhyme was a brilliant forensic detective who wrote several books on the subject.

Now his superiors want his help as a maniac pretending to be a cab driver, is abducting victims, torturing and killing them yet leaving clues behind for Rhyme to solve. He is assisted by a rookie cop, Amelia (Angelina Jolie) who acts as his physical being as she goes does the leg work and goes out out to the subterranean dark lairs where the victims have been held.

As the film progresses it almost seems like a chess game is being played with Rhyme, the clues are aimed at Rhyme somehow as if the killer is taunting Rhyme, like they might have dealt with each other in the past.

Director Phillip Noyce uses the film such as Sea of Love as a template for misdirection. It even has Michael Rooker playing a police chief, he played the villain in Sea of Love, initially appearing in a small scene.

However the ending was rather cheesy with some campy lines and the motive of the killer felt like a bolt from the blue. Still it is an entertaining thriller but not up to the standards of Seven, Sea of Love or The Silence of the Lambs.

I've read quite a few comments on this movie and some of them I disagree with and others I don't. Sure, it may be a little predictable and a bit 'all been done before' but there is a certain level of originality and uniqueness to it also.

For starters it has a fantastic cast and both lead actors (Jolie and Washington)have won Oscars and thats says something. It can't be easy playing a paralysed man and remaining so still and wooden and he plays the frustrations and emotions so realistically that I would imagine a person actually would be like in real life. Jolie is charming, composed and works well with the camera. Her character is convincing enough and this goes for her performance.The support cast is fantastic too, especially Queen Latifa.

The film may have the usual iconographic elements found in the psychological thriller genre but they are necessary for it to firstly conform and also progress. 'The Bone Collector' introduces new techniques and a slightly different angle for the viewer. there has to be a certain amount of repetition with this genre for it to work and this is the case for many others, such as romantic comedies and a couple falling in love or teen flicks with a football jock character.

I am currently writing my degree dissertation on sexual subjectivity in psychological thrillers and this film is perfect for that. The changing levels of gendered representations is very interesting and both supports and detracts away from the current representations in society.

I say, give it a go! Don't listen to people who have already seen it and didn't like it. If I'd have done that then I wouldn't have given it a go and my dissertation would have been short of argument!

The Bone Collector

The serial-killer genre received a big boost over a decade ago when 'The Silence of the Lambs' was released; Hannibal Lector himself spawned a newfound interest in not the slasher genre of the eighties, but of the psychological slashers.

Unfortunately, like all movies and their genres, they simply get…old. I'm tired of serial killer movies that try to cash in on the success of 'The Silence of the Lambs.' We've had countless films over the years since 'Silence' that are just tragic rehashes of each other with predictable and ridiculous endings.

Now we have 'The Bone Collector,' another typical 'psychological thriller' brought to life by a great cast and director.

Angelina Jolie plays the cop-on-the-streets who discovers a corpse next to a railroad. She immediately sparks interest in herself as the chief of police starts watching over her more, and a paraplegic man named Lincoln (Denzel Washington) summons her to his home to ask her a simple question.

Washington wants Jolie to help him catch the killer.

Denzel Washington plays Lincoln, a man who used to be big but is now immobile. His only moveable joint below his neck is a single finger, which he uses to click a computer mouse by his bed. He is watched over by Queen Latifah, a caring woman, sure, but not exactly loving.

'The Bone Collector,' based on the novel of the same name by Jeffery Deaver, could easily have slipped into the average slot, but because of a great cast, is just good enough to recommend. There are some gut-wrenching scenes in 'The Bone Collector,' but then there are some scenes (including the end) that recede into the stereotypical psychological thriller.

Director Phillip Noyce uses some great shadowing and a dark, moody atmosphere to bring the surroundings of his film to life. Exterior shots are dark and withdrawn, and interior shots are almost brighter. It is as if the darkness symbolizes the chemistry in the characters. The more Denzel talks to Jolie the brighter the room gets; when they are outside it is darker. Why? Because she doesn't know anyone outside. It is as if the surroundings are tailored around her character's emotions. She's happy, it's bright. She sad, it's dark. Etc…

All in all, I was going to give 'The Bone Collector' a higher recommendation than three stars before I saw the ending, but it turned out to be quite ridiculous and average; plus, it was very predictable. I guessed it before it happened.

3/5 stars –

John Ulmer

An extremely overlooked film in my opinion. Yes, Se7en and Silence of the Lambs absolutely annihilate this, but for a 90's detective case it's rather compelling. This is what happens when you cast two great leads, a decent film is produced. Much like any other serial killer story, our main characters must find out who the homicidal maniac is before they kill again. The difference is, the forensic expert is paralysed and so he trains an unwilling rookie to solve the case. Murder case aside, it's all about passing on knowledge and skills to another peer in order to complete a task. Rhyme is unable to do anything, so he envisages his own image within Amelia. Turning her from a rookie cop to the perfect forensic investigator. Highlighting the importance of communication and trust. Fortunately Washington and Jolie have decent on screen chemistry. Both their talents put together to create an explosion of raw acting. Jolie plays a tough yet vulnerable officer, Washington juxtaposes this with an experienced performance. The two amalgamate to create the perfect crime solving entity. The crime scenes themselves were visceral and not easy watches, particularly being scolded to death by oncoming steam. I loved the gritty realism that is sustained throughout. It evokes a sense of mystery, we are attempting to solve the case with the characters. Supporting cast were good, nothing outstanding. Although I wanted more Queen Latifah! The killer's reveal was a letdown unfortunately. The final twenty minutes were rushed to what was an intelligently paced thriller. And thank God we don't have those horrible slow motion frames that were all so apparent in the 90s...just hideously generic. The Bone Collector is a damn good watch, and for any Washington or Jolie fans you are in for a great time.

When NYPD cop Amelia Donaghy uncovers a mutilated corpse she shows a natural eye for detail and preserving crime scenes. When the killer turns out to be a serial killer leaving clues to his next crime, NYPD turn to the paralysed ex-forensics cop, Rhyme to help them piece together the clues. With Rhymes bedridden, Donaghy becomes his eyes, ears and legs as she walks the scenes under his guidance to uncover the trail.

This is a star vehicle - two Oscar winners and some good supporting actors (Luis Guzman, Michael Rooker to name two). However the plot is below the Washington and Jolie. It is the old "killer taunting cops to catch him" chestnut. It is slightly spiced up by the use of forensics etc and watching Washington putting together the logical clues is quite fun - mainly because you get the feeling that you're right there with him and that it all makes sense. However most of it doesn't makes sense, a lot of the forensics is bull and relies of coincidence or Washington dragging facts from the back of his head. This is a shame because it feels like the film is just being lazy at times and is cheating us out of logic. This laziness feeds right through to the ending - if you thought that the Scream films were lazy and stupid wait till you see the stupid ending to this! Up till this the film does have plenty of horrible scenes and lots of tense bits with Jolie walking round in the dark with the killer potentially just round the corner.

Jolie is good and deals with her character well - despite the fact that a beat cop would never just be able to become a crime scene officer on the whim of an ex-cop. Washington deals well with his character being paralysed for the whole film but does get a bit silly at the end where he fights the killer with just his head! Support is fine - but Guzman is not as good as he usually is.

Overall this is a B movie that got an A movie budget. The film is dark and tense but ultimately a bit lazy and blows it totally with a stupid lazy conclusion.