Mr. Brooks

While there’s certainly plenty to like about Mr. Brooks, including star Kevin Costner’s subtle and thoroughly effective performance, the film ultimately suffers from an egregiously uneven vibe that’s compounded by a distractingly overlong running time. Costner stars as the title character, a respected businessman who also happens to be a fearsome serial killer. (William Hurt co-stars as his vicious, fun-loving alter-ego.) The bulk of the storyline revolves around Mr. Brooks’ efforts to placate a blackmailer (Dane Cook’s Mr. Smith) determined to tag along on a kill, while an equal amount of screentime is devoted to grizzled cop Tracy Atwood’s (Demi Moore) ongoing investigation of the meticulous murderer. Director Bruce A. Evans initially infuses Mr. Brooks with a slow-paced, character-driven sensibility that proves to be irresistible, as Costner effortlessly steps into the shoes of one of the most complex characters of his career and somehow manages to turn a sociopath into a figure worth sympathizing with and rooting for. But Evans’ decision to slowly-but-surely take the emphasis off Mr. Brooks in favor of scenes involving Moore’s character’s decidedly less-than-interesting shenanigans prove fairly disastrous, while the inclusion of several way out-of-left-field action sequences eventually cement Mr. Brooks‘ place as a seriously unfocused piece of work – although there’s little doubt that the movie, in the end, remains worth a look for Costner’s eye-opening performance.

**1/2 out of ****