Mr Brooks - 2007 film review

Mr Brooks is a film that I'd never come across until recently, although it had a great cast and was very commercially successful. When I finally caught up with it, I found myself watching a gripping thriller with a plot so crafty that I never could guess which way it was heading. Some critics felt there was too much plot, but I don't agree. After watching so many films and TV series which have outstayed their welcome because there wasn't enough imaginative storytelling to fill the time, this (admittedly rather dark, but occasionally funny) film made a very refreshing change.

The film begins with Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) receiving an award as Portland's Man of the Year. He's a rich businessman with a happy marriage, a gorgeous wife and a pretty daughter who is away at college. But his wife (played by Marg Helgenberger) is worried about young Jane (Danielle Panabaker) and there are subtle hints that she is right to be worried.

She isn't, however, worried about Earl. Which is a mistake, because this amiable, under-stated guy is actually a serial killer, a man seriously addicted to committing murder. For a couple of years he's been a reformed character, but now his dark side is urging him to have fun again. In a brilliant piece of casting, Earl's id is played by William Hurt, who is at his best, menacing and playful at one and the same time. The back-and-forth between Costner and Hurt (which nobody else is privy to) is hugely entertaining: two gifted, but very different actors at the top of their form.

When Earl commits a double murder, the investigating officer (Demi Moore) is convinced that 'the Thumbprint Killer' is back in business. But the person who discovers Earl's secret first is actually a witness to the crime, a voyeuristic loser who calls himself Smith (Dane Cook) and possesses evidence that could destroy Earl. But when Smith tries his hand at blackmail, things take an unexpected turn...

And that's only the start. Unexpected developments come thick and fast. I like the deft way director and co-writer Bruce A. Evans handles the material. Apparently he originally conceived the story as a TV series and later contemplated a trilogy of films. But the single movie works extremely well. One of the best crime movies I've seen in ages.