Others say...

"One of the best thrillers to come out in the last 5 years"
Although Kevin Costner hasn't been in a "big time" movie in the last 10 years of so, he's still one of today's best actors. And with this movie, he really came back. I can only say good things about it. It's just one of the best ones to come out in 2007, it's a perfect thriller, without even one dull or boring moment. The suspense is amazing, and so is the acting - especially that of Costner and the co-star William Heart (he's just one of the best evil guys on screen, he really is). Demi Moore is very good as well, but her role could've used a bit more depth (and that wasn't her fault but the screen-writers'), yet it was still great to watch her as a troubled cop (she is quite convincing actually). The writing is superb, on so were the dialogs and the story itself. It's a rare great thriller and I really recommend it. You won't be dissapointed.

"An interesting character study of a serial killer could have been better"
We find in the opening moments of Mr. Brooks that Kevin Costner's title character is a serial killer. We also find out that he is a devoted husband and father, a dedicated community philanthropist, and terrified at the prospect that he will be exposed as a killer.

His character is the best thing in the movie, even if it makes the audience uncomfortable that you are pushed into identifying with a murderer. The most interesting thing about the writing is that a second character, played by William Hurt, is created only to represent that part of Mr. Brooks that is compelled to do bad things. It's tricky and as you watch you have to accept that Brooks is "talking" to "Marshall" (sometimes in extended sequences) while other characters in the room not only don't see "Marshall", but don't notice that Mr. Brooks is taking time off from his conversation with a "real" character to dialogue his inner demon.

Mr. Brooks is good at being a serial killer, choosing his victims so carefully and leaving no condemning evidence behind that the police are not sniffing his trail. He's more careful and anal than "Dexter". (Perhaps more narrative tension would have been generated if the police WERE closer to catching him.) He hasn't killed for two years when the movie opens. He attends AA meetings trying to shed his addiction to murder. ("Marshall" sarcastically chides him that he is a hypocrite in the sense that he only says that he is an "addict" and not "I killed two people last night".) Mr. Brooks is deliberately careless in his return to murder, and has his picture taken by photograph voyeur Dane Cook from the apartment building across from his latest murders. Rather than informing the police (believable), saying nothing (believable in our real world), trying to blackmail Mr. Brooks for money (certainly believable in a movie world), or selling his photos on ebay (believable given the intelligence of Mr. Cook's character), Cook's voyeur instead blackmails Mr. Brooks into making him an apprentice.

I don't know how many serial killers a movie needs, but "Silence of the Lambs" got it right and Mr. Brooks misses by at least one.

An interesting subplot develops with a daughter who abruptly drops out of her freshman year of college after a mysterious murder of a classmate.

As I mentioned, the police are not close to catching Mr. Brooks. The cop most closely following the "Thumbprint Killer" is played by Demi Moore, and a sharply written deftly performed female detective would have added another satisfying dimension to the film. Unfortunately, "Detective Atwood" is written as a 2-dimensional rich Daddy's girl who became a cop because Daddy never loved her otherwise, although he left her 60 million dollars, which her dirtbag restaurateur about-to-be 2nd ex-husband is trying to get in negotions. Even more unfortunately, this shallow character is portrayed by Demi Moore with little more skill than a cardboard cutout. Where is Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling (or even Julianne Moore's?) when you need her?

So - do I recommend it? Yes, but not enthusiastically, and I lament what this movie COULD have been.

"I nice change in the genre."
This IS Kostner's best performance. And, the serial killer thriller has a fresh approach with some stable tried and true twists. I'm not actually a fan of this genre and I rented it because nothing else was good at Red Box. I'm glad I did. Might even buy it when it hits the 5 dollar bin.

"Serial murder as an intellectual pursuit"
This is an interesting an intelligent movie about a man's obsession--addiction--for the thrill of taking human life. Mr. Brooks, although prominent and successful, is otherwise an ordinary Joe. Maybe a little too ordinary. He is efficient, loves his family and is a mild-mannered, low keyed guy. Unfortunately, he has an alterego in the form of a man, more forward and assertive than Brooks, constantly giving him dangerous advice.

His advice is to give into his impulses, track down people and kill them in cold-blood. Brooks does it, too, swearing each will be his last. He doesn't enjoy it, he tells his alterego, but justifies it as an addiction. Unfortunately, he is identified at the scene of one of his kills by a young voyeur. This man, quite unexpectedly, blackmails Brooks into taking him along on a thrill-kill. Brooks toys with the blackmailer, taking him along to scope things out and track people. The younger man is frustrated. He wants it now!

Brooks, by now, fearing the humiliation of discovery is considering the possibility of suicide...maybe the young guy will help him out.

As I said, it's a good movie but it's not fast paced. Also, as an exposition of serial homicide it is not characteristic. Almost all of these guys are serial sexual psychopaths. They sexually abuse and torture their victims before they torture them. Brooks doesn't. I think this is cinematically explainable. A graphic film of the 'average' serial sexual psychopath would necessarily be worse than hard core pornography.

Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

"Disturbing...intriguing..."
By day Mr. Brooks is a philanthropic businessman, loving husband, and doting father. By night he is a serial killer who is "addicted" to killing. He is spurred on in his killing by a voice inside of him who is personified by William Hurt. In the past Kevin Costner has been over-rated in some of his movie roles, but this time he shows some real acting skill and succeeds in creating the "flat affect" that is so often part of a psychopathic personality. As has been pointed out, the plot is full of holes big enough to drive a tank through, but certainly the movie keeps your attention and has some very intriguing moments.