Mr. Brooks - 5.0

Mr. Brooks has some decidedly positive elements that hint that it could've been a very effective thriller. First of all, Kevin Costner's character is a dynamic and interesting anti-hero and Costner plays him well, or about as well as Costner can play somebody. Also, surprisingly (to me at least) Demi Moore's turn as a savvy cop on Mr. Brooks' trail is not a disaster either. And the general plot and serial killer set-up is pretty good. Unfortunately, this movie suffers from a couple of unnecessary subplots, namely the other serial killer who Moore's character had put away but is now out of prison and hunting her. I kept waiting for this story to tie into the heart of the movie, the cat and mouse between Costner and Moore, but it never did. This movie would have been significantly better if this story was not included at all. Almost as egregious was the casting of Dane Cook. What a terrible terrible actor (spoiler coming though I doubt many want to see this movie if they haven't already) though the scene where he was killed was one of the more gratifying moments in recent cinema. Bottom line, this was a very flawed film, but had a few saving graces that kept it from disaster status. Oscar Outlook Mr. Brooks doesn't have an Oscar outlook obviously, though a Razzie for Dane Cook would be richly deserved...