Mr. Brooks - Der Mürder in Dir (Mr. Brooks)
U.S.A. 2007

Opening 29 Nov 2007

Directed by: Bruce A. Evans
Writing credits: Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon
Principal actors: Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook, William Hurt, Marg Helgenberger

Mr. Brooks (Kevin Costner) mumbles the serenity prayer sitting in front of a bubbling glass of champagne. A very successful entrepreneur, he is about to accept a prestigious man-of-the-year award. Whilst watching him sipping the champagne, we wonder if he has fallen off the wagon. However, we soon discover he has another addiction; an addiction for killing and not for alcohol.

Mr. Brooks has a silent voice in his head that goes by the name of Marshall and is wonderfully played by William Hurt. Marshall loves to kill. He and Brooks have had quite a run of it, being dubbed "The Thumbprint Killer" by local law enforcement, and never getting caught. But Brooks doesn't want to kill anymore – hence the serenity prayer. AA meetings become his means of warding off his addiction. He attends them religiously while Marshall continues to goad him on from the sidelines. As much as Mr. Brooks wants to stop, Marshall wants to keep going. They agree to one more kill, and this is where our story takes a turn. During their final kill, Mr. Brooks carelessly leaves the drapes open and is photographed by a man living across the street. Mr. Smith, played by comic Dan Cooke, approaches him with the incriminating photos and makes a twisted offer. Instead of going to the police, Mr. Smith wants to join him on his next kill! He wants to experience the rush of cold blooded murder.

This is where the movie starts to falter. We are introduced to the detective, played by Demi Moore, which would have been fine, except that the writers decided to add an additional plot in the form of our detective going through a nasty divorce and being pursued by yet another serial killer. Oh, and she is also independently wealthy, thanks to Daddy. As if that wasn't enough, enter Mr. Brooks’ daughter (Danielle Panabaker), who suddenly drops out of college with a secret of her own. At this point your head starts spinning. Isn't it enough to follow the life of Mr. Brooks? Ah, but then we would have missed out on Demi doing laps in her sporty bikini while struggling with her inner demons!

What keeps you intrigued however is the banter between Mr. Brooks and his alter ego Marshall. Kevin Costner and William Hurt work beautifully together. The chemistry between the two is vibrant, crafty and energetic. Witnessing them at play together is reason enough to check out the film. (Karen Engelke)