Mr Brooks

Stars: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, William Hurt, Dane Cook, Marg Helgenberger

Director: Bruce A Evans

Kevin Costner as a serial killer sounds odd casting, but then Mr
Brooks is a pretty odd sort of film. It's almost two separate
stories, which the film tries, with only partial success, to intertwine
towards the end.

A prominent businessman, Brooks (Costner) has for years been driven by an
evil alter ego (Hurt) to kill. Lately, he has become known as The
Thumbprint Killer, from his habit of leaving bloody thumbprints of his
victims on a table lamp at the scene.

In the second story, Moore is a detective lieutenant not only in pursuit
of the serial killer, but on the lookout for Meeks (Matthew Schulze),
a murderer she put away who has just escaped and wants revenge. She's
also in the middle of a messy divorce.

Meanwhile, an amateur photographer (Cook), who also has a thirst for
killing, snaps Brooks at the scene of his latest massacre and blackmails
him into taking him along on the next kill.

it's all very unlikely, not to mention the part where Brooks fears his
daughter (Danielle Panabaker) may be infected with the same rage that
consumes him. Some good gunplay is rather marred by directorial tricks,
but nonetheless, even with the film's ellipitical approach, you'll want to
keep watching to see what happens in the end.

David Quinlan

USA 2007. UK Distributor: Verve. Colour by Deluxe.
120 minutes. not widescreen. UK certificate: 18.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.

Review date: 05 Oct 2007