Freeks on Film: Mr. Brooks

Hello my yellow (and other coloured) Freeks, is time again for us to visit our famoulsy fiendish friends ( yes, yes i have alliteration diorrhea!) on silver screen, time for yet another episode of "FREEKS ON FILM"

Episode III: Mr. Brooks

(click me for the trailer!)

Mr. Brooks (directed by Bruce Evans) starts off with an innocuous enough premise, that of a loving family man, good natured neighbour, and lauded community businessman bearing a much darker side to his personality (much...much darker!!!) Yes indeedy, Kevin "dances-with-wolves" Costner plays the said goody two shoes, who harbours a "murderous" addiction, which he is trying desperately to kick to the extent of joining an Alcoholics Anonymous Group for the same!

What makes Mr. Brooks, succeed in sending that cold tingle down our spines ( besides the quirky casting (imagine the all american costner as a killer!!) are the little twists that the films throws up as it proceeds.

Two become one!

An inspired twist is the casting of the always brilliant William Hurt who plays, wait for it..Costner's muderous alter ego (yes freekies, in effect both these actors play different sides of Mr. Brook's mind!) the moral debate that these two engage in prior to Costner's embarking on each of his murderous escapades is creeeepy to say the least! Other deft touches include the clinical manner that Brook's (in his murderous avatar called "The Thumbprint Killer") embarks on his killings, in a manner mirroring the clinical way that he otherwise goes about being a good husband, father and neighbour.

The Freekiness meter goes off the chart in the movie's successive reels when Brook's character becomes obsessed with the life of the hard-nosed police detective (played brilliantly by the long-forgotten Demi Moore) and is blackmailed into accepting an accomplice (played by the comedian Dane Cook) , lastly and certainly not leastly is the return of Mr. Brook's daughter who may be more like daddy dearest than meets the freeking eye!!

If this sounds like more twists and turns than your neighbourhood roller-coaster, then fello freekies it most certainly does!!! and this is perhaps where Mr. Brooks has its undoings in trying to pack in more scare than the average movie Freek's belly can handle.

Nevertheless, Mr. Brooks, remains an under-rated gem, and surely Kevin Costner's finest performance in a looooong time!

A Freeking Watch!!

Freek

A Little Freaky: Costner once mentioned that Mr. Brooks was intended to be part of a trilogy, can't wait!!!