Review of Motherless Brooklyn (2019) by Markhreviews — 12 Nov 2019

It’s been reported that Writer/Director Edward Norton wanted to make a movie based on Jonathan Lethem’s novel “Motherless Brooklyn” ever since the book was published in 1999. Perhaps this film might have been fresher if Norton hadn’t had twenty years to write and re-write the script.

While the book is set in contemporary times, Norton chooses to re-set the film in 1950’s New York City. This offers the visual advantages of huge, boxy cars careening around corners, suits with impossibly wide lapels and fedoras all around. There are also opportunities for timeless shots of steam rising through manhole covers in the streets, a lot of streetlights casting long shadows late at night and lingering looks in low-lit lounges, just in case the viewer isn’t fully aware the film is neo-noir. The costume design, cinematography and even the story line invite inevitable comparisons to 1974’s “Chinatown.” Unfortunately, the shortcomings of “Motherless Brooklyn” are quite glaring in that light.

The story centers on Lionel Essrog (also Norton), sometimes called Motherless or Freakshow. After his boss and idol Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) is gunned down, Lionel determines to avenge his mentor’s death. In his dogged pursuit of justice, Lionel still has time to reflect on racism, observe the corrosive effects of unbridled power and to offer a few observations about the intended and unintended consequences of urban planning. Carrying it all along is a great jazz score by Wynton Marsalis, with Michael Kenneth Williams (“The Wire”) as the trumpet-playing frontman.

A core problem for “Motherless Brooklyn” is that it’s way too earnest for the genre. In stark contrast to Jack Nicholson’s hard-boiled character in “Chinatown,” Lionel’s motives, consistently, are surprisingly pure. This departure from the genre does offer one key benefit: because the story spends so much time revealing Lionel’s virtues, it reveals clearly his neurological condition (Tourette’s?) while allowing Lionel to retain his dignity, his nervous tics a peripheral quirk not a defining element of the man.

Regrettably, most of the other characters are more cardboard cutouts than interesting individuals. This is particularly unfortunate given the actors involved – Willem Dafoe, Alec Baldwin, Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale and Leslie Mann, in addition to the short-lived Willis. As Laura, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (“Belle”) is a captivating, luminous exception.

Finally, the film relies way too much on exposition and way too little on action. As a result, the film frequently bogs down in talk-heavy, inactive scenes that are plodding, preachy and pedantic. With a running time of 2:24, that’s simply too much to ask.