Movie Review

Mr. Brooks

Kevin Costner is a very good actor, but Mr. Brooks has a made-for-television feel as if we can't think for ourselves. The movie has a reoccurring beat that forces a pulse, but the stylistic approach is just too cheap and obvious. Brooks has a unique concept about a split-personality serial killer who's at odds with himself, but the premise is told in a straightforward manner that induces very little suspense. The only real joy comes from seeing solid actors interacting with each other in scenes, but that joy fades. The writing is decent in the first hour, but Brooks turns silly and far-fetched in the second half.

The film is not sure whether it wants to be a thriller or a dark comedy, and it makes a few wrong turns with subplots that belong on TV. Do we really care that Costner's daughter got pregnant from a guy who doesn't want anything to do with her? A back-story as such is more amusing than it is anything else ? it is a terribly clich? plot device to employ sympathy on her persona. There are bits of dark humor that do work, but the shifting of tones just doesn't blend. At a certain point, the film seems too glib in the dialogue; it steers hard towards moviegoers who like cute one-liners about murder.

The plot twists behind Mr. Brooks are laughable, but the acting talent onboard saves the film from being severely mediocre. Compared to a film like American Psycho, which was deep in its layers about the mind of a killer and didn't hold back in its violent content, Brooks plays as if it's afraid to shock or revolt the viewer. For a serial killer film, that's an awfully uneventful approach.

Lee's Grade: C+
Ranked #82 of 150 between The Hoax (#81) and Transformers (#83) for 2007 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%