Review of Mr. Brooks (2007) by Van R — 23 May 2012

The new Kevin Costner crime movie "Mr. Brooks" doesn't qualify as either the best or the most original serial killer thriller ever made, but it is a whole lot of fun, especially if you crave serial killer flicks. Although everything gets more than a mite messy before the end credits roll, this marvelously paced melodrama about cops, criminals, and coincidences will keep you thinking about what happened long after you've left the theater. For example, you won'tâ"if you haven't alreadyâ"put much trust in chain locks that enable you to open your door wide enough when you have to contend with either strangers or obnoxious people bothering you on your own turf. Further, fathers with daughters who want to follow in their footsteps and take over the family business might want to think twice before they discourage their little girls. Finally, if you're over age 30, and you've resigned yourself to prime time television instead of fighting the crowds to sit through another contrived summer sequel with a PG-13 rating, you'll be happy to watch this often amusing, occasionally insightful, but altogether riveting R-rated yarn about a serial killer who knows the difference between right and wrong but cannot help himself.

Academy Award winner Kevin Costner gives a hypnotic performance as the title character Mr. Brooks who has amassed a fortune manufacturing boxes for a living. As "Mr. Brooks" unfolds, Earl Brooks receives the Man of the Year Award from the Portland, Oregon, Chamber of Commerce and basks in the limelight with his pretty wife Emma (Marg Helgenberger of CBS-TV's "C.S.I.") during the ceremony. Mr. Brooks looks a bit old fashioned with his bow ties and his black horn-rimmed glasses. Ironically, for an individual who makes boxes, Brooks thinks way outside of the box. For example, he has a running conversation with an imaginary friend called Marshall (William Hurt of "A History of Violence") who shares his addiction for murder. Of course, nobody knows anything either about Marshall or the bizarre, after-hours skullduggery that our protagonist indulges in because he cannot help himself. Mind you, having an imaginary character as a sidekick of sorts that our anti-hero can converse with is a little contrived itself, but it's better than having Brooks talk to himself all alone.

Sometimes, this oddball relationship generates from good laughs, too. Mr. Brooks doesn't enjoy his obsession with homicide as he reminds Marshall as well as another character in the movie. Indeed, Brooks classifies it as an addiction and attends AA meetings where he only mentions that he is troubled but never details specifics. He likes to recite the serenity prayer when the demons in his mind demand blood on his hands. After a couple of crime-free years, Brooks resumes his psychopathic ways. He breaks into houses, executes couples with a silenced automatic pistol in a plastic bag, poses the corpses together romantically, and then leaves only their bloody thumb prints at the scene. Brooks bags and burns any evidence that might incriminate him until he makes a mistake that he didn't count on despite his master planning. A witness with a 35mm camera, Mr. Smith (Dane Cook of "Employee of the Month"), catches him after the fact in the act of closing the curtains on the dead couple; the man and woman preferred to share their sexual escapades with their curtains pulled back so that everybody who wanted to could watch them perform. Mr. Smith refuses to hand the evidence over to tenacious, tough-as-nails Portland homicide detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore of "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle") because he wants to accompany Mr. Brooks on his next killing and participate in the crime.

Meanwhile, Det. Atwood remains determined to nab Brooks before the FBI can interfere with her investigation. She knows a great deal about his method of operation, but she doesn't have a clue about his madness. When Atwood isn't grilling Mr. Smith because she knows that he saw the crime occur, she has to contend with a ruthless escaped serial killer that she put behind bars as well as a nasty divorce from a slimy husband who screwed everybody else and now wants her to pay him an outrageous sum in alimony.

Writer & director Bruce A. Evans and co-writer Ray Gideon {they penned the scripts to "Starman" (1987), "Stand By Me" (1986),"Kuffs" (1992), and "Cutthroat Island" (1996)}, deliver a solid, bang-up thriller that works itself out a little too neatly in the long run but is nevertheless a frolic from start to finish. They don't sugar coat the crimes, but they make the hero look a little too charming. Unfortunately, aside from telling us that Brooks is addicted to homicide, Evans and Gideon never disclose what makes him the bloodthirsty dastard that he is. When they aren't etching Mr. Brooks' as a portrait of evil, they keep us distracted with a noisy gunfight in an enclosed space that will make you wish that you had worn ear-plugs. They also deliver a razzle-dazzle abduction scene and accompany it with some reckless driving through afternoon traffic that will grab your attention. You probably have to be a bit warped to enjoy this kind of nonsense. After all, you'll inevitably find yourself hoping that Mr. Brooks gets away with his murderous deeds. Demi Moore provides sturdy support as the relentless detective, and Dane Cook is surprisingly good as the repellent Mr. Smith. Lindsey Crouse of "House of Games" makes the most of her brief role as Atwood's police captain, while poor Marg Helgenberger is squandered in the peripheral role as Mr. Brooks' spousal unit. As talented as the entire cast is, nobody upstages Kevin Costner. "Mr. Brooks" is all about Costner, even when he doesn't appear in every scene. You won't get rooked watching "Mr. Brooks.".