Mr. Brooks

Kevin Costner is finally back, and although his return is not spectacular or thrilling, the role of a successful businessman with murderous appetites fits him like a glove. Mr Brooks is also proper craftsmanship, it has an interesting idea, an impressive atmosphere, a straightforward plot, and a pleasant direction that captures everything exactly as it needs to be. The aforementioned Costner is as reliable as ever and I was able to find my way to his character without any problems. William Hurt also really pulled it off and their scenes together have the right edge and pizzazz. But then there’s Demi Moore... Well, let's just say that as an actress, I never really liked her (except maybe in Ghost), and that hasn't changed at all here. Moreover, her marital affair didn't fit in well and only hindered the two protagonists in their well-paced play. A smart and appealing thriller that doesn't stand out among its competitors, but it would be a mistake to condemn it. (15/10/2012)

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. (23/12/2007)

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. (12/04/2008)

A cute movie with lots of funny lines and with a well-thought out and occasionally surprising story. Kevin Costner is back from the swamp of below-average movies and his Mr. Brooks is simply great. The only one in this movie to give a better performance is his "dark passenger" William Hurt, whispering at and egging on "man of the year" to do his dirty deeds. (18/07/2008)

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. (22/07/2007)