Mr. Brooks
Reviewer: Tom Leins
Issue 101 March 2008
(1 votes, average: 7 out of 10)
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The secret life of a killer…
The Lowdown: Businessman Earl Brooks harbours a dark secret – he is also the notorious ‘Thumbprint Killer’. He wants to ignore his murderous urges, but his twisted alter ego Marshall spurs him on. However, when an amateur photographer known as ‘Mr. Cook’ catches Brooks in the act, events become tangled.
Review: Before the enjoyably twisted Mr. Brooks came along last year, who in their right mind would have admitted looking forward to a serial killer thriller starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and Dane Cook? Precisely no one! That’s what makes the slick, unpredictable thrills of Mr. Brooks so compelling. Using a selection of naff actors and a glorified Jekyll & Hyde ‘murderous alter-ego’ type storyline, Bruce Evans (whose only previous directorial credit is the Christian Slater action-comedy Kuffs (1992)) has concocted an impressively off-kilter movie. Of course, it doesn’t come close to something as intelligently evil as Se7en, but Mr. Brooks is certainly diverting enough for a cheap thrill.
In truth, the only thing really holding the movie back is the proliferation of underwhelming subplots that badly sap the film’s energy. Despite its potentially uneasy mix of serial killers, imaginary friends and intertwining fates, Mr. Brooks pulls things off with aplomb. Of course, the odd-but-intriguing cast helps. Costner is mesmerising as the maniacal, self-assured Brooks, and William Hurt is similarly demented as Marshall, the devilish presence on Brooks’ shoulder. Even Demi Moore impresses as the unorthodox cop determined to put the ‘Thumbprint Killer’ behind bars.
The audio commentary from Evans and long-term co-writer Raynold Gideon is worth a listen, but the deleted scenes add little to the package. There are also three cast and crew crammed featurettes, although none of them last longer than ten minutes. Not an all-time classic, but well worth a rental at least.
FILM: 7 EXTRAS: 6
DVD Info:
Certificate: 18
Release Date: March 10th
Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Dane Cook, Demi Moore
Directed By: Bruce A. Evans, 2007
Distributor: MGM/20th Century Fox
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 115mins
Price: £19.99
Film supplied by: Premier PR
Special Features:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Director/Writer Bruce A. Evans & Co-Writer Raynold Gideon
Deleted Scenes
‘The Birth Of A Serial Killer: Writing Mr. Brooks’ Featurette
‘On The Set Of Mr. Brooks’ Featurette
‘Murder On Their Minds: Mr. Brooks, Marshall and Mr. Smith’
Theatrical Trailer
