Mr. Brooks

The main thing about Mr. Brooks that I love is that it is so convincing in its portrayal of the internal workings of a certain sort of mind, almost as if it were an inside story. Mr. Brooks is a character who is completely unsuspecting to anyone observing him, yet he is a completely different person beneath the skin. He is much more complex than a lot of mainstream audiences will realize upon first viewing. He has deep feelings for his family, which means he's capable of deep feelings. Yet he is completely aware of his manipulative and destructive capabilities and intermittently cannot help himself and must take advantage of them. I think the script is a truly brilliant rendering of a very realistic sort of personality that is so secretive that they can be found throughout the range of all human activity.

Kevin Costner having always been one of the most wooden actors in contemporary movies, I am very impressed that he hit the nail on the head with this very challenging and multi-layered character of Mr. Brooks, and in understanding him completely knew just how much of him to reserve for William Hurt's share, Hurt playing a figure nonexistent to anyone in the film other than Costner, representing the deepest, darkest thoughts of Mr. Brooks. The script and direction are very clear-cut and discern the dialogue between Costner and Hurt as the same character and not a split personality.

Demi Moore is affecting in her portrayal of a cop whose personal life calls upon the part of a personality that would urge with anger towards thoughts of murder and is able to suppress them. It's maybe my favorite of all the performances I've seen of hers. There is lots of subtext in what appears to be a token cop role.

The most interesting casting choice, aside from the impressive comebacks by two aging former box-office magnets, is of comedian Dane Cook as a blackmailing witness to one of Mr. Brooks's murders. His character is a creative blend of voyeuristic and eagerly putzy, and Cook pulls it off very becomingly.

As well as being a very gripping and unpredictable celebration of evil, I think a lot of extra credit is due to this film especially for holding its own at the box office during a summer of conglomerate box-office hogs like the second sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, Ocean's Eleven, and Spider-Man when it is actually very edgy and takes a lot of risks as a mainstream film.

'Mr. Brooks', 2007's first true psychological thriller, features an all star cast with Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, and William Hurt. With a thriller like this, and 2 actors (Cook and Costner) who are playing extremely different roles, the film could have failed. It doesn't at all. It is an extremely clever and intelligent film that is a great ride from start to finish.

Earl Brooks (Oscar Winner Kevin Costner) is Portland's man of the year. He has it all, a beautiful wife, a wonderful company, an awesome home, and a daughter (Danielle Panabaker) in college. But Mr. Brooks also has a secret. A secret addiction. He loves killing, mostly because of the maniacal representation of his temptations and desires: Marshall (Oscar Winner William Hurt). After one last killing, Mr. Brooks is ready to quit, but is quickly blackmailed back into killing by the young photographer known simply as Mr. Smith (Dane Cook). Smith just wants to tag along for the ride to feel the rush of killing. But this murderous trio of Brooks/Marshall/Smith must be careful, as tough-as-nails detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) is on their trail.

I know my description of the plot is thorough, but it doesn't spoil anything, as all this is introduced within 10 to 15 minutes of the opening. I give director Bruce Evans a lot of credit for moving the film along quickly, because most of it is the self-inflection conversations of Mr. Brooks and Marshall. The acting is very well done, and with a cast like this, you should expect it. Costner has been everyone's hero the past 2 decades, but Costner totally breaks the mold with a daring and riveting performance as the conflicted, murderous, yet loving Mr. Brooks. His performance really allows the audience to root for him, even though he's a vicious killer. Costner effectively displays internal conflicts between the good side of him, and the dark side. William Hurt is equally haunting as Marshall, the figment of Brooks' imagination. No stranger to villainous characters (there is no true villain, but Costner, Cook, and Hurt's characters are all bad men), Hurt will grab the audience's attention with his smooth and liquid delivery and cruel responses to Mr. Brooks's regrets. Demi Moore delivers in a role that is a type of character rarely seen in movies anymore. Moore gives us a very flawed, yet strong woman who is the only truly good and moral character in the entire movie. Her character has a lot going on in her life, and it is definitely conveyed in her impatience and quick temper, but we always know why she is how she is. Lastly, and the biggest surprise of the entire film, Dane Cook steals the show in one of the better performances of recent memory. Cook goes tit for tat with Costner in every scene they share, providing some pretty intense moments between the pair. Being the comedian he is, Cook will get a couple of laughs, but this role is completely serious. Cook looks like he had a lot of fun doing this, as he gives us a very layered Mr. Smith who is very disturbed, but at the same time, we know he's a fragile guy who is just a pawn in Mr. Brooks' master plan. Cook will blow you away with his range, and he does a great job displaying his character arc. Mr. Smith starts off as a sarcastic and overconfident guy who is looking to toy with a killer. By the end of the film, Smith changes radically into a completely different person. Way to go Dane.

Bruce Evans does a great job at the helm of the film, providing a fast paced psychological thriller helped out by clever dialog, and one of the most intelligent characters portrayed on film since Hannibal Lecter in Mr. Brooks. It's almost unreal how smart and clever Costner's character is. Another thing I liked was the symmetry between Costner and Hurt. The actors carry a lot of the same mannerisms into their characters, and with the help of Evans, it looks great. There are times where they will do the same movement at the exact same time. Mr. Brooks is a first rate thriller that any fan of the genre should enjoy. The plot has its twists and turns before the grand finale, which reminds the viewer that...Mr. Brooks always has a plan...

8/10 --spy

Good throwback film, I watched it years ago and it's still good. There is a good variety of characters in the mix and the story keeps you interested. It's also darkly funny in places and overall it's a good serial killer film.

I saw this movie at Showest back in March and was really impressed. My initial thought was that this movie would be a cheesy rip of "Dexter" or any other "Behind the Serial" type of Movie/Series. Costner gives us an interesting view into the life of an upstanding family man that just happens to be a serial killer on the side. Dane Cook isn't his predictable wacky self, and actually helps round out the film with his twisted comic/perverted view of serial killing. Take every film that you have seen by Costner, Cook and Moore and throw it out the window. This film is surprisingly original and has plenty of plot twists to keep you alert and anxious to see where the story will head next.

Really captivating film with no dull moments that I can think of. The film is pieced together well. The cast of Demi Moore and other supporting cast members did a great job too. I personally wanted some parts built on more like his daughter's story and their relationship, why he had killed his first victims and I would have preferred a different ending, but all round a good fiom worth watching.