Mr. Brooks (2007)

A well-respected businessman is sometimes controlled by his murder and mayhem-loving alter ego.

Director:

Bruce A. Evans

Writers:

Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, William Hurt

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Mr. Earl Brooks
Demi Moore	...	Det. Tracy Atwood
Dane Cook	...	Mr. Smith
William Hurt	...	Marshall
Marg Helgenberger	...	Emma Brooks
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Hawkins
Danielle Panabaker	...	Jane Brooks
Aisha Hinds	...	Nancy Hart
Lindsay Crouse	...	Captain Lister
Jason Lewis	...	Jesse Vialo
Reiko Aylesworth	...	Sheila - Jesse's Lawyer
Matt Schulze	...	Thorton Meeks
Yasmine Delawari	...	Sunday
Thunderbird Dinwiddie	...	Sarah Leaves (as Traci Dinwiddie)
Michael Cole	...	Atwood's Lawyer

Storyline

Earl Brooks is a highly respected businessman and was recently named Portland's Man of the Year. He hides a terrible secret however: he is a serial killer known as the Thumbprint Killer. He has been attending AA meetings and has kept his addiction to killing under control for two years now but his alter ego, Marshall, has re-appeared and is pushing him to kill again. When he does kill a couple while they are making love, he is seen and photographed by someone who also has his own death and murder fetish. In a parallel story, the police detective investigating the murder is having problems of her own. She is going through a messy divorce and a violent criminal who had vowed revenge some years before has escaped from prison and is after her.

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Plot Keywords:

schizophrenia | murder | serial killer | secret | fingerprint | 

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Taglines:

Je suis un serial killer... arrêtez-moi! (I am a serial killer... stop me!) [France]

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly William Hurt took the role of Marshall because he loved the idea of someone going to an Addicts Anonymous class as a cure for homicidal actions.

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Goofs

The amount and placement of the displaced earth surrounding the newly dug, empty grave in the cemetery changes between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mr. Earl Brooks: [voice-over] Oh God... God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
Marshall: [voice-over] Why do you fight it so hard, Earl?

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Crazy Credits

A thumbprint forms the backdrop for the end credits.

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Connections

References Serial Mom (1994)

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Soundtracks

Transgression
Composed by Burton C. Bell, Raymond Herrera, Christian Olde Wolbers
Performed by Fear Factory
Courtesy of Liquid 8

User Reviews

Keven Costner's star shines again!!!

I saw this movie with high hopes to see a good performance out of Kevin Costner. He didn't disappoint in a movie that very well could have failed--but didn't! I liked the idea of a 'nice-guy with a conscience' serial killer theme, but serial killer movies have been done to death. Costner and the script writers manage to give new life and a refreshing twist on this movie theme, and William Hurt's performance as his evil alter-ego is first-rate. This arrangement was better than just a run-of-the-mill voice-over by Costner's character. It reminded me a bit of a modern-day version of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," which is one of my favorite novels. I'm happy to see all of the actors in this film finally get a good script and story to work with after many disappointments for them and the movie-going public.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mr. Brooks

Filming Locations:

Minden, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,017,067, 3 June 2007

Gross USA:

$28,549,298

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,443,734

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Eden Rock Media, Element Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1