This is a great thriller supported by a fantastic cast and a great pace. Mr. Brooks is played by Kevin Costner, and he is a serial killer by night, a popular, intelligent self-righteous man of the community by day. He goes by the name Earl when not in killing mode. To make matters even more complicated Mr. Brooks is a persona arisen by a devil voice within Earl- and he is played(not just voiced but physically portrayed) by William Hurt. In one of his outings Brooks is caught in the act of murder by a photographer and then becomes entangled by the law- mainly one lady played by Demi Moore. With actors of such class there is no reason to doubt that the audiences will be kept captivated- and they are. The cinematography, pacing and direction is excellent, and it is surprising that the director Bruce Evans has only made 2 films including this one.

Mr Brooks is a highly excellent psychological thriller starring Kevin Costner. This is easily Kevin Costner's darkest movie, it is also one of his best performances on screen to date. Costner is Earl Brooks, a wealthy and successful businessman that loves his family, but has a dark secret and has a compulsive habit of murdering people. He is meticulous in his methods and very efficient and smart about what he is doing. This is a highly engrossing and rich film with excellent character development and story. Kevin Costner gives an Oscar worthy performance in this very well made and original film. William Hurt is equally impressive as his alter ego and has great chemistry with Costner. Demi Moore and Dane Cook also give good performances. The film has a few plot twists and the right amount of dark humor, as a whole the film is very engrossing and interesting, but flows very well. Anybody struggling with addiction(or former addict) will find this film easily relate able and truthful in the films approach to the subject. In my opinion, Mr. Brooks is very underated and easily the best thriller to come out of Hollywood since Seven.

The psychology of serial killers is a topic well-represented in film. Perhaps no film does this in a more interesting way than "Mr. Brooks".For a basic plot summary, "Mr. Brooks" tells the story of Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner), a respected business owner, who just happens to harbor a mysterious secret: he is a serial killer. He may not be proud of his actions, but he is addicted to the thrill. This part of his conscience is represented by Marshall (William Hurt), a figure that Brooks can only see but allows him to have a running dialogue. During one murderous spree, however, Brooks is caught in the act by photographer Mr. Smith (Dane Cook) and blackmailed into continuing his violent ways. On the trail of both men is Detective Altwood (Demi Moore).Easily the hallmark of this film is the metaphor that murderous impulses in a human being are like another literally part of the psyche (Hurt's character). It is intriguing to watch Brooks and Marshall go back and forth on these issues, fully knowing that the whole thing is really taking place in Brooks' mind. This is a fascinating take on serial murders that I've never really seen before or since in film.Another very interesting angle is one involving Jane (Danielle Panabaker), Brooks' daughter. I can't talk about this one too much for fear of spoilers, but suffice it to say that it adds even another layer of depth to the complexity of Brooks' psyche. We all wonder what kind of legacy we'll leave behind for our family...even serial killers?The only reason I drop this film down to 9 stars instead of the full 10? Cook's character doesn't work at all. Cook is clearly miscast in the role, and his character's intentions are a bit hackneyed from the very beginning. I realize that his character is needed to push the plot forward, but I just wish it would have been better conceived or thought out more realistically.All things considered, however, "Mr. Brooks" is one of my favorite psychological thrillers of all- time. The themes present and the creepy acting really stand the test of time, and it is such a unique take on some dark material. Costner can, in some instances, get a bad rap for being a bit wooden in his acting roles, but he is the perfect lead for this endeavor.

I had seen this movie recommended somewhere and was surprised I had never heard of it. I had high hopes especially as there are some good actors in it. However, by the time it finished I was sadly disappointed. Kevin Costner seemed to just be reciting his lines rather than acting most of the time. He was the blandest serial killer I have ever seen. Perhaps he thought that he was being meditative or deep in some way or perhaps he was trying (and falling far short) to be a bit like Christian Bale's character in American psycho. He just came across as wooden. I really didn't see the point of William Hurt. If he had been a bigger contrast with Kevin Costner, then I would have understood him being an outward sign of his inner devil. However, instead of Jekyll and Hyde, you just got Bland and Blander! Because of this, the whole thing did not work for me. Hurt was like a spare and unnecessary part hulking about the place. POTENTIAL SPOILER HERE - And then supposedly finding out that his daughter was also a killer just fell flat. He didn't even have any evidence that she truly was and neither did the viewer. We never saw her alleged kill happen or even see Costner's murder to try and cover it up/provide her with an alibi! And, except for the sequence at the end when she turned on him, she never showed any signs at all of having that kind of psyche herself (and he didn't even challenge her or speak to her about it! Though he was happy to speak to the complete stranger "Mr Smith" about what it was like to plan to kill someone!) And then even the sequence at the end was all just a dream!? This spoiled a last twist that I had finally quite liked! His daughter was another character that just came across as slightly bored all the time. I did quite like Demi Moore's character but only because she came across with a bit more spark (which wasn't hard!). And it was just freakish and unbelievable that, not only was Kevin Costner's daughter a would be serial killer, but so was the peeping Tom in the flats across the way that saw Costner commit murder! Wow, this kind of thing was contagious! The writers even inexplicably felt the need to throw in another serial killer called "The Hangman" and his psycho girlfriend. The film just lost all plausibility and sense (especially when Demi Moore's serious head wound miraculously healed up without a trace!) I would not recommend it to anyone. If you want to watch Costner in a more recent film that is actually entertaining, watch 3 days to kill.