Now back to that fatal flaw......
Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Brooks. In a film with a fatal flaw, Kevin Costner
plays Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner), Portland’s Chamber of Commerce “Man of the
Year.” There are indeed three Earl Brooks. One is the civic minded head of a box
factory who is a respected man in the tapestry of Portland’s business landscape
and fine husband and father to his wife Emma ((Marg Helgenberger) and college
age daughter Jane (Danielle Panabaker); one is the quiet man with a mind of
sharp steel that makes him a brilliant planner who would be a credible success
in innovation; but the third Mr. Brooks is not that; he is a serial killer.
Neither Mr.
Brooks’ family nor his colleagues have any idea that he has murdered a series of
couples making love, rearranged their bodies in sexual positions, and planted
one bloody thumbprint of each victim at the scene. He is the infamous
“Thumbprint Killer.” He and his alter ego Marshall (William Hurt) are at odds
because Brooks is ready to stop killing and Marshall keeps prodding him with “Aw
come on, you know you love it.” In a move of questionable taste, Brooks has
joined Alcoholics Anonymous, going to meetings to introduce himself as “I’m Earl
Brooks and I’m an addict.” If he can talk Marshall down, he will use AA to check
his addiction to killing.
But he can’t
talk Marshall down. With detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore) on his trail,
Brooks deals with a blackmailer named Mr. Smith (Dane Cook) and continues his
murderous march through private bedrooms. There is only one aspect of this movie
that is interesting, and that is the working of Brooks’ mind. Whatever comes up,
he is able instantly to adapt mentally to the new challenge. He’s creepily
smart. The interplay between Kevin Costner and William Hurt is a terrific duet -
same type, same size, same quiet demeanor – a functioning man with a broken
conscience. Costner and Hurt – two sides of the mind of one, are excellent. The
movie would not have suffered without Demi Moore. She is an expressionless, cold
player with a silly sub-plot designed to showcase her toughness.
Now back to
that fatal flaw. At one point, Brooks says to his now co-conspirator, Mr. Smith,
“We drive around until we see someone we would enjoy killing.” That’s the
motivation in this movie, and when Brooks kills, he writhes on screen in
orgasmic pleasure. The movie is fueled by cruelty and sadism. Dropped into a
culture already riddled with wanton killing (20 Chicago students killed last
month, the massacre at Virginia Tech), it invites copycats. What’s this year’s
joy ride? Try killing. The fact that the filmmakers didn’t consider giving
Costner and Hurt a challenge other than the sick thrill of murder is outrageous.
They could have built a thriller around their brilliance with any number of
contemporary challenges. Why pick the one that is already shredding the fabric
of our society?
Copyright (c) Illusion