I watched this with absolutely no expectations and was floored by the time closing credits rolled. The premise is pretty straight-forward. Kevin Costner plays Mr. Brooks, all around good guy, named man of the year, he has a beautiful wife, a daughter and a million dollar business. He also has an insatiable appetite for murder. William Hurt rolls his performance over from A History of Violence and plays Mr. Brooks’ dark hearted Id. Demi Moore plays the cop hot on the case of Costner’s serial killer and Dane Cook (laugh all you want, because I sure as hell did when I saw the trailer) turns in one helluva performance as Mr. Brooks’ wannabe protégé.
The film opens with a Mr. Brooks getting an award. He and his wife are on their way home and William Hurt voices from the back seat what Mr. Brooks doesn’t want to hear…an invitation to quench his desire to stalk his latest guilty pleasure. Eating some ice cream, he stares at two dancers in a studio across the street. All the way home, he and William banter back and forth as Mr. Brooks tells him he’s done doing that stuff. Later that night, he slinks off to pay a visit to the couple. Smartly dressed in serial killer attire, he slips into their house with a plastic bag around his gun in hand with a silencer, creeps into the dancer’s room as they’re making love, says “Hello…” and shoots them both in the head. What follows is a performance that I have never expected from Costner and he does it brilliantly while getting his rocks off. William Hurt stands in the corner and watches Mr. Brooks as he soaks up the moment. William notices that Mr. Brooks has left the drapes open and yells at him. Mr. Brooks simply smiles and asks “How do you know I don’t want to get caught…?” This brings Mr. Brooks a visit by Dane Cook who coyly goes by Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith has candid photos of Mr. Brooks staring out the window of the apartment. Instead of going to the police, Mr. Smith asks Mr. Brooks to let him tag along on his next kill. Demi Moore shows up on the scene and marvels at the work of this serial killer. She’s been chasing him for years and is relentless. But her past isn’t all what it seems…
I could go on about this intricately plotted thriller for days but instead I’m suggesting that audiences give this film a view. It’s very smart, fast paced and fresh. Costner and director Bruce Evans (Kuffs) must have had one hell of a difficult time getting this film made. MGM didn’t do much marketing it and the film was lost amidst the summer season of sequels and remakes. I’d go as far to say that Costner deserves a Golden Globe nod for his unique portrayal of a serial killer. His character is not in the same vein of Hannibal Lector but is a different animal entirely. Halfway through the film, I was amazed that I wanted his character to succeed yet I was terrified at the same time.
And I should mention Dane Cook. I was simply impressed and that just about sums up my thoughts on him. He turned in a great performance in a convincing manner. Again, laugh if you must, but he is one to watch out for in the future.
This is one great film, I was discussing this film with writer Scott Milam whom has a film titled Wichita in the works with Darren Bousman attached to direct. He agreed with me that this film blew away all expectations and has the potential to be a modern day cult classic.
– Jack Reher
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
