The Bone Collector (1999)

A quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Jeffery Deaver (book), Jeremy Iacone (screenplay)

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Lincoln Rhyme
Angelina Jolie	...	Amelia Donaghy
Queen Latifah	...	Thelma
Michael Rooker	...	Captain Howard Cheney
Michael McGlone	...	Detective Kenny Solomon (as Mike McGlone)
Luis Guzmán	...	Eddie Ortiz (as Luis Guzman)
Leland Orser	...	Richard Thompson
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Dr. Barry Lehman
Bobby Cannavale	...	Amelia's Boyfriend
Ed O'Neill	...	Detective Paulie Sellitto
Richard Zeman	...	Lt. Carl Hanson
Olivia Birkelund	...	Lindsay Rubin
Gary Swanson	...	Alan Rubin
James Bulleit	...	Train Engineer (as Jim Bulleit)
Frank Fontaine	...	Grandfather

Storyline

Quadripeligic ex-cop Lincoln Rhyme was looking forward to his assisted suicide when he got the news: some sicko was abducting people in a taxi and leaving them to die in particularly sadistic ways. With time counting down between each abduction and possible death, Rhyme recruits rather-unwilling Amelia Donaghy, haunted by her cop father's suicide and thinking she's next, into working the crime scenes to track down the killer.

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Plot Keywords:

criminal investigation | usa | united states | quadriplegic | new york city | 

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Taglines:

Serial killer vs. forensic genius

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violent content including grisly images, and for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Angelina Jolie's real-life modeling career was written into the script.

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Goofs

In the opening credits, the badge number is shown on Lincoln's hat. However, it is a different number from the badge on his shelf display.

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Quotes

Lincoln Rhyme: Destiny is what we make it

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Crazy Credits

In the international prints, the Columbia Pictures closing print logo is not shown at the end.

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Alternate Versions

An alternative ending was shot where Thelma survives and can be seen at the Christmas party. This was not used because it was deemed too unbelievable.

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Connections

Remade as Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector (2020)

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Soundtracks

Don't Give Up
Written by Peter Gabriel
Performed by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush
Peter Gabriel appears courtesy of Real world Records, Virgin Records and Geffen Records
Kate Bush appears courtesy of EMI Records

User Reviews

Quite a fine thriller.

I was very pleasantly surprised at this film. Denzel Washington proves again that he can handle any role that he chooses to play. In this case, he plays homicide inspector, Lincoln Rhyme who has been nearly paralyzed after suffering from an accident in the line of duty. But now, when a mysterious killer begins killing off people in a very peculiar matter, he must team with a hard-headed rookie cop (Angelina Jolie) to solve the crimes. Supporting cast includes Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker, Mike McGlone, Luis Guzman, Leland Orser and Ed O'Neil.

I like the way they have the killer as an intelligent person. Someone who has a knowledge of what he is doing. And the way he leaves clues for the cops to follow. To come up with something this perfect, you must a genius. While not really scary, this suspense thriller is actually thrilling as opposed to the many number of "thrillers" that are not even thrilling. (Example: HANGMAN). Thank you Hollywood for giving us THE BONE COLLECTOR. This is a good one. Highly recommended.....5/5.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Bone Collector

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$73,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$16,712,020, 7 November 1999

Gross USA:

$66,518,655

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$151,493,655

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

DTS SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1