Mr. Brooks

Mr. Brooks (2007) is the part Kevin Costner chose to break his own image, and the film is built on exactly that doubleness. Earl Brooks is a respected businessman in Portland, named entrepreneur of the year, with a decent life alongside his wife and daughter. He is also the serial killer known as the Thumbprint Killer. He has not killed in a long time and attends anonymous meetings; his addiction is not drink, it is murder. The film's best idea is Marshall. A man who is always beside Brooks, talking to him, egging him on. Only Brooks can see him. William Hurt plays him cheerfully and their conversations are the most enjoyable part of the film. Then a curtain is left open during a killing and someone photographs it from the building opposite. The man does not go to the police; he asks Brooks to take him along on the next one. There is a third thread involving the detective's own divorce. It is the weakest element and takes up space it does not earn. The ending is constructed as a set up for a sequel that was never made. It runs 120 minutes. Good for: serial killer thrillers, character pieces, and 2000s cinema. Less good for: the killings are graphic, there is a scene of sexual violence, and the subplot keeps interrupting the main story.