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Mr. Brooks (2007)
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Reviews Counted:149
Fresh:83
Rotten:66
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: The setup is intriguing, but Mr. Brooks overstuffs itself with twists and subplots, becoming more preposterous as it goes along.
Runtime: 2 hrs
Genre: Detectives, Switching Roles, Thriller, Murder, Theatrical Release, Crime, Serial Killers
US Box Office: $28,424,648
Synopsis: Kevin Costner stars as Earl Brooks, a man whose seemingly perfect family and status in the community hide an ugly secret. Brooks constantly says the plea of an addict--the Serenity Prayer--but he's... Kevin Costner stars as Earl Brooks, a man whose seemingly perfect family and status in the community hide an ugly secret. Brooks constantly says the plea of an addict--the Serenity Prayer--but he's not in the grip of drugs or alcohol. Instead, his neat little bow tie belies a man with an urge to kill. Though he's staved off that desire for two years, it has returned thanks to the efforts of his evil inner voice (William Hurt, A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE). He is caught in the act by a man who calls himself Mr. Smith (Dane Cook, EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH), but Mr. Smith doesn't want to turn Brooks in. The smarmy amateur photographer wants to learn from Brooks's methodical ways and become a killer himself. Meanwhile, a tough cop (Demi Moore, BOBBY) hunts for the man responsible for deaths all over Portland while she deals with issues in her own life. MR. BROOKS presents a fascinating portrait of a man at war with himself. As the devil on Brooks's shoulder, Oscar winner Hurt adeptly alternates between menace and glee, adding to a resume already replete with varied roles. Though Costner is mostly known for playing nice guys (FIELD OF DREAMS) and charming rogues (BULL DURHAM), his performance as the tortured killer is interesting to watch, and he rises to the challenge of playing a completely different character than the kind he is known for. MR. BROOKS is an engaging thriller that goes into the fractured mind of a murderer, while also delivering an intriguing maze of multiple subplots. [More]
Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane Cook
Starring: Kevin Costner, William Hurt, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, Marg Helgenberger, Jason Lewis, Yasmine Delawari, Michael Cole
Director: Bruce A. Evans
Director: Bruce A. Evans
Screenwriter: Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon
Producer: Kevin Costner, Raynold Gideon, Jim Wilson
Studio: MGM
Reviews for Mr. Brooks
A nutzoid chiller devoted to proving the strange, unseemly notion that even bloodthirsty serial killers are more enjoyable company than bad MySpace comedians.
This wannabe highbrow horror-thriller is a graceless, unfocused piece of work with a central narrative as tonally schizophrenic and wayward as its lead.
Ultimately, Mr. Brooks is a little bit like one of the murders in an actual serial killer case: an object of passing fascination for most people who see the broad strokes or statistics, but of lasting or more profound impact only to those affected by or d
Just when it seemed the serial-killer film had been done to death, Mr. Brooks brings something fresh to the genre.
I found this movie to be entertaining, but I was almost disturbed to find it so. How many other movies have a serial killer as their protagonist and actually make you root for them?
That thing doesn't quite fit a category, it's not really chilling and only inconsistently satirical or funny. Still, it is often entertaining, strange and bumpy enough that you can forgive the stiff parts.
According to some, we live in an age of moral relativism, and MR. BROOKS, a clever script with mediocre performances, explores that concept with nicely honed dash of irony
It is entertaining to watch Costner and Hurt fight for control of one body.
Clever and engaging, Mr. Brooks contains some of Kevin Costner's best work.
If you're sick of sequels to a sequel of a sequel, then check this out.
...a bit contrived and more than a bit gimmicky...But it all works...
A close to great film that spirals out of control into wildly enjoyable preposterousnes, topped off with a rancid maraschino cherry's worth of sub-De Palma shock coda.
With some plot developments that aren't smart and/or believable enough, the film might look good and feature a decent name cast, but it just isn't that thrilling.
As psychological thrillers go, 'Mr. Brooks' ranks above average because of Kevin Costner's riveting performance.
"Mr. Brooks" is a neat blend of satire and suspense thriller that nearly overcomes its greatest flaw, a ridiculous subplot with Demi Moore as a rich woman turned cop.
Where the character cannot maintain well-adjusted behavior over sociopathic indulgences, the film fails to strike a balance between the serious and outlandish.
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