Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- brooding
- paranoid
- foreboding
- late night thriller viewing
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics found the serial-killer premise intriguing and praised Kevin Costner and William Hurt, but broadly felt that excessive twists and subplots made the story increasingly preposterous.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Earl Brooks is celebrated as a businessman and civic figure while secretly operating as the Thumbprint Killer.
Marshall appears as Earl’s alter ego and pressures him to resume killing after two years of abstinence.
Detective Tracy Atwood investigates the murders while facing divorce complications and an escaped criminal seeking revenge.
Earl’s status as Portland’s Man of the Year is placed against his secret murders and carefully maintained public persona.
Films like Mr. Brooks, and why
The Silence of the Lambs
Shares the serial killer perspective, dual identity, psychological tension, and cat-and-mouse crime thriller structure.
Dexter
Shares a morally compromised killer protagonist, procedural investigation, and bleak psychological crime atmosphere.
American Psycho
Shares an affluent professional leading a secret criminal double life while escalating psychological pressure threatens his control.
Se7en
Shares a methodical serial killer, police pursuit, and a tense thriller built around identity and obsession.
Movie Details
- Director
- Bruce A. Evans
- Release Date
- 2007-05-31
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (1955)
Cast
- Kevin Costner
- Demi Moore
- Dane Cook
- William Hurt
- Marg Helgenberger
- Danielle Panabaker
- Ruben Santiago-Hudson
- Reiko Aylesworth
- Matt Schulze
- Yasmine Delawari
Common questions
- What is Mr. Brooks about?
- A revered Portland businessman battles his murderous alter ego while a witness and a threatened detective pull his carefully controlled double life toward collapse.
- What is Mr. Brooks like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mr. Brooks as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Mr. Brooks violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Mr. Brooks as brutal.
- What did critics think of Mr. Brooks?
- Critics found the serial-killer premise intriguing and praised Kevin Costner and William Hurt, but broadly felt that excessive twists and subplots made the story increasingly preposterous.
- Which films are like Mr. Brooks?
- Films with a similar feel include The Silence of the Lambs, Dexter, American Psycho, and Se7en.
- How long is Mr. Brooks?
- Mr. Brooks runs 120 minutes.
