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Mr. Brooks [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
ReviewsTerrible Demi Moore Review date: 2008-02-25 Rating: 2 out of 10 save your money , Costner is Awful and Demi Moore is worse . oh yes the story line is pure nonsense . Pushing all the right buttons Review date: 2007-11-12 Rating: 8 out of 10 A superior serial killer movie whose exploration of the protagonist's psychology owes a small debt to TV's Dexter. Mr Brooks finds Kevin Costner and William Hurt on particularly fine form (although Demi Moore's back story needlessly lacks a little credibly). Make an appointment to see Mr. Brooks Review date: 2007-10-13 Rating: 8 out of 10 Kevin Costner is not the first name that comes to mind when thinking of actors to play a twisted, serial killing, schizophrenic millionaire. However, it is the casting of Costner that gives Mr Brooks its edge, thanks mainly to his nice guy, apple pie persona so familiar from films such as "Field of Dreams," and "The Untouchables," Costner gleefully dirties up his image with the most delicious performance of his career. Yes, Mr Brooks is a bloody great character for him to take on, at once a devious criminal mastermind, while also a devoted and loving family man. Imagine it as "American Psycho," just without the satire. The dark subtext of the script is brought to vivid life by the playing of a mostly marvellous cast. Dane Cook, more familiar to American audiences as a comedian, delivers a surprisingly convincing turn as a voyeuristic, sick twist of a character intent on learning how to kill from Brooks himself, Danielle Panabaker will also turn heads as the daughter who has a disturbing secret of her own, while Marg Helgenberger plays the wife who has been kept in the dark about her husband's deadly affliction, or should that be addiction, for many years. But it is William Hurt as Brooks' alter ego that steals the show, his striking performance as the shadowy, fragmented subconscious of Costner's Brooks is a joy to watch. The chemistry between Costner and Hurt is so strong and energetic it is a wonder why these two actors have never made a film together before. As for Demi Moore's detective on the trail of Brooks' bad deeds, it is unfortunate that she was cast in that particular role because as with most of her performances from the last ten years, she's usually been pretty rubbish. And the fact her character is saddled with the story's worst and most ridiculous sub-plot does not make it any easier to endure. She almost, and I mean almost, sinks the entire movie with her distracting fake teeth and amateur sleuthing skills. So all credit due to Costner and Hurt for their crazy but measured turns that the film survives on to go down a road many a serial killer thriller has never been down. This is cooked from generic ingredients but somehow reignites the whole tired concept to deliver a fresh take on the cat-and-mouse game so often played out in Hollywood thrillers. In fact this story is filled with so many unexpected side stories and sub-plots it makes for very ingenious, and twisted melodrama, full of playful plot turns and stylish visuals. Director Bruce A. Evans navigates through the narrative competently although occasionally succumbs to the odd wrong turn, namely an out of control van sequence with Demi doing her laughable action stuff inside of it, and then later a shootout, again with Demi, that turns into a MOR rock video with strobe lights flashing as if the gunfight were in a club. The scene is so bad it does ruin a lot of the controlled menace and slow burn complexities of previous scenes, turning what should be a simple shootout into a fiasco of ridiculous proportions. To be honest Demi Moore's work on this could have mostly been cut down to allow room for the much more interesting character dynamics to shine through. The story also loses focus at the end of the second act allowing for a few plot holes to gape open. Thankfully the witty structure and dialogue plugs up the leaks, giving way to an incredibly gory and demented end scene that does not quite resolve Mr Brooks' dangerous inhibition, nor his greatest fear. It's a perfect ending to an almost perfect thriller. Mr Brooks is a refreshing change to something we have seen a thousand times over, it mixes up and plays with the genre in such a way that a lot of it feels strikingly original when compared to recent fodder from the same formulaic stable. My main complaint is that Demi should have been dumped along with her out-of-place action scenes that would seem more at home in an episode of "Miami Vice." That aside, Costner and Hurt are excellent compensation and terrific value, both completely gelling together and charging up the screen with plenty of electrifying charm, complexity and charisma. One I would recommend to see even if just for those two alone. Product Details/SpecificationsActor(s): Ruben Santiago-Hudson Lindsay Crouse Kevin Costner Marg Helgenberger William Hurt Creators: Kevin Costner (Primary Contributor) Lindsay Crouse (Primary Contributor) John Lindley (Cinematographer) Ramin Djawadi (Composer) Director(s): Recording label: MGM Manufacturer: MGM EAN: 9786301971348 Binding: DVD ISBN: 6301971345 Number of items: 1 Format: AC-3, Colour, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC, Release date: 2007-10-23 Universal product code (UPC): 027616089939 Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Region code: 1 Running time: 121 minutes Theatrical release date: 2007-06-01 Language: English (Original Language) Language: Spanish (Dubbed)
Tech info, cast and quotes/trivia when available. Exclusions may apply with free delivery. Price and availabiltity subject to change |
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