Directed by Bruce A. Evans, Written by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon
Runtime: 120 minutes, Released on: June 1, 2007
Review by: Ben Tay
Kevin Costner has come to save you from the Hollywood disease known as “sequel-itis”. With multiplexes dominated by sequels for the last month, this week’s arrival of Mr. Brooks is certainly a breath of fresh air. The film generally revolves around the title character, a successful and celebrated businessman who struggles to contain his murderous tendencies.
The real reason to see Mr. Brooks is for Costner’s reserved yet frightening performance. The actor is in very fine form here and easily makes us forget about Waterworld and The Postman. Equally impressive is William Hurt as Mr. Brooks’ evil alter-ego, Marshall. Considering his work here and his Oscar-nominated role for 2005’s A History of Violence, Hurt seems to have a real gift for fleshing out sorely underdeveloped characters. Unfortunately, like Mr. Brooks himself, the film is seriously flawed. Too many underwhelming distractions, including an unnecessary subplot revolving around a relentless detective (Demi Moore, whose plastic surgery is starting to do her more harm than good), take us away from the fascinating title figure and his struggle to control his demons.
Mr. Brooks works best when it plays like an intimate and intense character study. Unfortunately the film is derailed too many times, and the result is an entertaining but ultimately misguided picture, that at the very least, will help Costner regain some of his credibility.
| Mike Sez: I agree that Kevin Costner is easily the best thing about Mr. Brooks; there's really not much else to embrace here. It's a very uneven film -- it is at times serious, and at times tongue-in-cheek, and the shifts in tone do not work at all. It's as if the director couldn't decide what type of movie he wanted to make, so he just threw in everything he could think of. I think there's probably a reason why Bruce A. Evans hasn't directed a film since 1992's Kuffs.
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