Mr. Brooks

The topic is indeed quite interesting, with a minimum of clichés and a large dose of unpredictability, but the film itself doesn't go anywhere. It doesn't have a solid structure, a point, a conclusion, and it doesn't know what it wants to be. Considering the original premise and the concept as a whole, I don't quite understand it. Kevin Costner's talent is relatively wasted, there is little action, and it’s not worth much (the shootout in the corridor is bad), and William Hurt as an inner voice also didn't impress me much. Additionally, the supporting characters are very poorly developed with minimal connection to the main plot, so we don't really care about what happens to them. And the rest of the film is similarly stolen from us, it lacking anything resembling drive and tension. The only thing to appreciate is the quality of the form, Costner, and the solid premise. (04/12/2008)

A charismatic serial killer is a safe bet for a movie. Kevin Costner no longer has the same status as he did in the 90s, and Mr. Brooks is one of the more promising attempts to return to the limelight. He convincingly plays his killer for pleasure, and if one villain wasn't enough, the screenwriter also uses the hallucinogenic alter ego of Mr. Brooks in a stylish performance by William Hurt. The dialogue of the main character with his uncompromising and straightforward self is ultimately the most interesting part of the whole movie. The script is somewhat overdone, but what can you do, in today's inflation of movie titles, you simply have to grab attention somehow. The biggest disadvantage for Mr. Brooks is the absence of an opponent at his level - unfortunately, Demi Moore is not that. Not so much because of her dull acting, but rather because of the script, which doesn't give her as much space and opportunity. Overall impression: 60%. (11/16/2013)

Kevin Costner is in top form after and his serial killer role is magnificent, albeit the phenomenal William Hurt is better. It’s too bad that the script allowed the incredibly disruptive and unnecessarily drawn-out storyline of the police officer's private life to be a part of its perfectly tuned and running mechanism. Otherwise, formally, the film is surprisingly quite a content-conscious effort from the guy who wrote Cutthroat Island. Now he’s been forgiven because the chilling murders and the perfect hallway shootout will resonate in my head for a hell of a long time. (12/23/2007)

Kevin Costner in one of his best roles, not just in recent memory, but overall. A proper, decent family dad, the owner of a packaging company, a bit of a cold fish... and a murderer. A scumbag, anyone would think, but then Mr. Brooks would not be allowed to have the script he has. A cleverly written story that shows him primarily as a sick schizophrenic trying to fight his worse whispering self, played flawlessly by William Hurt. Unsuccessfully. So when Brooks carefully prepares and "goes for it", you almost feel sorry for him. And what about when a character who is even worse than him appears a few minutes into the film? And then one more? And what if Brooks starts dealing with somewhat unusual family problems? You can't really say he's the typical killer we wish the worst for from the start. The film reminded me most of Falling Down, and that speaks in its favor. I round up four and a half for the ending. (01/27/2012)

Good acting can't save everything. What Mr. Brooks lacks is a brisker script and a bit more interesting direction. The inspiration in Dexter is evident, but even though Kevin Costner and co are playing in a lower league, it's a pretty good watch. (07/22/2007)