The Bone Collector

Based on a book by Jeffrey Deaver, The Bone Collector follows quadriplegic forensic specialist Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) as he and a team of police officers, including Angelina Jolie’s Amelia, Mike McGlone’s Kenny, and Ed O’Neill’s Paulie, collaborate to find and capture the deadly title serial killer. Filmmaker Phillip Noyce, working from a script by Jeremy Iacone, delivers a slow-moving yet consistently engaging piece of work that benefits substantially from Washington’s predictably spellbinding performance, and it’s clear, too, that the eclectic periphery cast, which includes Michael Rooker, Queen Latifah, and Luis Guzmán, provides more-than-able support around the movie’s margins – with Jolie’s mostly ineffective (and decidedly unconvincing) turn standing as the movie’s most overtly weak link. And while the picture remains quite watchable throughout, The Bone Collector admittedly does suffer from a CSI-like midsection devoted almost entirely to the investigation into the perpetrator and his methods – with Noyce punctuating such interludes with grisly, compelling murder sequences. The over-the-top (but quite satisfying) finale ultimately ensures that the whole thing concludes on a positive note, with the end result a better-than-average serial-killer thriller that could’ve benefited from a slightly short running time.

*** out of ****