Mr. Brooks - More that's right than wrong

The word that springs to mind when I watch 'Mr. Brooks' is 'messy.' Now, that probably normally means that if a film is a complete mess then it's not worth watching.  However, this one may be one of the few exceptions to the rule.

The titular character is played by Kevin Costner and is a completely normal man - on the outside.  He has a great job, a loving wife and an intelligent daughter.  Unfortunately, he's also a completely insane serial killer who hallucinates a 'partner' in crime - another man, 'Marshall,' played by William Hurt.  Therefore the film could be about him (or should I say the TWO of them?) going on their killing sprees.  It isn't.  Or it only is a little bit.

This is what I mean when I say that 'Mr. Brooks' is a mess.  For a film that's only two hours long, it tries to condense numerous story-lines and plot threads into one film.  If I didn't like the film so much I'd be tempted to offer more examples of this, but then I'd run into 'spoiler territory,' but I will say there's a cop on his heels (Demi Moore), a blackmail element, his daughter's problems and an ex husband and former prisoners of Ms Moore.  That's quite a lot.  I guess this is an example of when a story had nowhere else to go than the big screen to be made.  I get the impression that if 'Mr. Brooks' was pitched now, it would more likely get an entire series dedicated to it on Netflix.  That way all these elements would be allowed their own time to grow and be fleshed out, rather than rushed in order to be concluded within the film's run-time.

Also, I'm not normally a fan of either Kevin Costner or Demi Moore, but I'm glad to say that neither ruins the film at all.  Well, Costner is excellent and shows why he was once one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.  Moore does look a little out of place being a tough, hard-as-nails detective who is capable of taking down ruffians twice her size!  But the 'real' star of the show is William Hurt as the  completely imaginary - 'Marshall.' He is totally one dimensional in his insane desire to murder for fun and is a sheer joy to watch.  Probably could have done with him in it even more instead of some of the other plot-lines.

Anyway, 'Mr. Brooks' will probably never be remembered as a classic as all stars have got together a little too late after they had their turn centre stage.  Plus, as I've already stressed, the plot is a little all over the place for the story to be truly as gripping as it definitely should be.  However, it does seem to have gathered quite a cult following.  So, if you're in a bit of a forgiving mood and are ready for some plot threads to be a little more rushed than they probably should, give this one a go.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one