Ok, I'm going to admit it here. I like Kevin Costner. Sure he isn't the best actor in the world and he's been in some stinkers (I'm talking romantic comedies here, not his killer post-apocalyptic flicks), but there's something about him that I like. Maybe because he slightly resembles my good ol' pop (RIP) or perhaps it's his nonchalant demeanor that oozes from his "various" performances. Either way, the guy has presence on screen.
Costner plays Earl Brooks, a loving family man and successful entrepreneur. Unfortunately he suffers from a sort of schizophrenia where William Hurt (Marshall), the evil "Hyde" side of Brooks, consistently urges him to kill. We learn that Earl Brooks is actually the "Fingerprint Killer" and has been killing for years. It's not a sexual thing as with most serial killers but an addiction. Brooks even attends Alcoholics Anonymous just so he can help control the addiction (though he never reveals his secret).
"Mr. Brooks" is a moral dilemma for the watcher of the film. On the one hand, Brooks is a friendly character who loves his wife and college age daughter and exudes a certain likability. But on the other hand, he is a cold-blooded killer. We see this first hand as he ruthlessly kills a couple in their own home. Brooks is the quintessential "anti-hero." He is a man torn by his monstrous addiction and sickness but still lives with his own set of personal moral and family values. He wishes to escape, disappear, or even die because of what he has done, but the presence of his alter-ego Marshall pushes him over the edge. Even Marshall himself is an interesting beast. At first slightly annoying, we, as the audience, wish for Brooks to escape from Marshall's incessant ramblings. But as scenes play out, we come to like the conversations between the two. Marshall's insight is of course Brooks' own internal struggle visualized as a separate being and we discover that this separate being, while cold and ruthless, is incredibly intelligent and cunning.
The strengths of this film are of course the main storyline involving a psychopath equally, if not more screwed up than Brooks who tries to blackmail the lovable serial killer (played by Dane Cook), his family life, and the creepy and very cool sub-story with his daughter.
Weaknesses fell with Demi Moore's role as the cop who is (of course) obsessed over the "Fingerprint Killer" and her impotent attempts to catch him. But this sub-story is overshadowed by a divorce she is going through and another killer who has escaped from prison and stalks her. This specific sub-story could easily have been cut from the film or modified to interweave better with the main story. As it stands now, it's more of an annoyance and I found myself wanting to fast forward past it to the excellent story which it just interrupted.
Another weakness was Dane Cook. He added nothing to his "Mr. Smith" part and I wonder at the casting of such a weak "actor." I say "actor" loosely because Cook is anything but. At times it felt like Cook was reading off of cue cards and at others, it seemed like he felt like he had to amp things up until he came off very animated and cartoonish. A poor choice. I read a rumor that Zach Braff was actually picked to carry the role of "Mr. Smith" originally. I believe that probably would have been the better choice.
All in all, "Mr. Brooks" is very entertaining and despite his ghoulish and evil ways, I still found myself rooting for him in the end. According to Costner, this is the beginning of a trilogy. Let's hope we see the "Mr. Brooks" franchise take horror/thriller/suspense movies to a new level. So far so good!
