Film - Mr Brooks (2007, Dir. Bruce A Evans)

Now, Kevin Costner’s made some films that I’ve liked (Field of Dreams, Tin Cup, The Untouchables) and he’s made some ones that I didn’t like (The Bodyguard, The Guardian). Before the days of Waterworld and The Postman, Costner seemed to be able to give measured and absorbing performances. Then he started getting carried away after receiving a couple of good reviews (post Dances With Wolves). When I saw the trailer for this film, I thought I’d be in for a treat. It looked like he’d given up trying to massage his ego by starring in more and more expensive films, and had gone back to a simpler project. The result is something, I have to admit, I can’t make up my mind about.

The film tells the story of serial killer, Earl Brooks (Costner), also known as the ‘Thumbprint Killer’ on account of his leaving his victim’s thumb prints in their own blood clearly visible at the scene. When we pick up the story, Brooks hasn’t killed for two years and is struggling to stay on the straight and narrow. His fight against temptation isn’t helped by the voice in his head, personified by ‘Marshall’ (William Hurt), who is with Brooks wherever he goes, pushing him, sometimes quite persuasively, to kill again.

The thing is, Earl Brooks is also a renowned local businessman; a self-made man, with a beautiful wife, obvious wealth and a teenage daughter. It’s behind this veneer of respectability that ‘The Thumbprint Killer’ operates and it’s not long before ‘Marshall’ convinces him that a seemingly random young couple deserve to die. However, during the killing, Brooks is spotted by a young man who introduces himself only as ‘Mr Smith’ and they strike a bargain involving Brooks taking ‘Smith’ along on his next job. As the story develops, it becomes clear that this can’t go on and that Brooks is reaching some sort of breaking point. The catalyst for this is the fact that his daughter drops out of school, saying she is pregnant, although Brooks knows there is something more to it. With all this going on, your more unhinged serial killer might start making mistakes, but not Mr Brooks. He’s calm, calculating and a master of living two lives convincingly. Nothing is left to chance, everything is planned. These traits serve him well as the cop trailing him, Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) gets closer and closer, while having to juggle her own job with her complicated personal life. By the end though, Brooks has manipulated events to the point where it looks like it’ll see him free from his demons for good.

The film takes an interesting viewpoint, portraying Brooks’ killing as an addiction, one he’s aware of and is trying to get under control. He goes to AA meetings, introducing himself simply as ‘an addict’, something ‘Marshall’ disapproves of. When he suspects his daughter’s return home is due to something more sinister than a pregnancy, he breaks down, convinced that she ‘has what he has’. Brooks’ struggle is evident from the beginning and is clearly something that has ruled him in the past. Costner’s performance, while not Oscar winning, is solid and credible, flicking between the cool, in-control characteristics of Earl Brooks and the increasingly perturbed persona of the killer.

Demi Moore’s performance is OK, nothing to get either excited about or offended by. That’s the way her performances seem to be going lately. That’s about all I can say about her, sadly.

The film as a whole is engaging, if unevenly paced. I found myself going through phases of liking and disliking it. The final 15-20 minutes or so, save it from falling onto the ‘dislike’ pile as the story reaches it’s climax, with a couple of nicely worked (if not slightly predictable) twists For one horrible moment, I thought the ending was going to be tied up in a neat Hollywood ‘nasty man gets justice’ way. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case entirely, although we’re left in no doubt about the price Brooks pays for his ‘addiction’