Mr. Brooks is an edge-of-your-seat thriller laced with spiritual themes.  This recently released DVD has an all-star cast that, simply put, comes through.  While this is far from the best movie I have seen, it is a movie I am still thinking of some days afterward, and while my criteria for a DVD are somewhat different than for a theatrical release, I was pleased with this effort and product. Those who like a good thriller and an exploration of the human psyche will fall into the same category.

In some ways, this wonderful little thriller may be better in the quaintness of one’s living room, especially during the Halloween season.  From a fun-filled musical score to the sound design, one can find oneself enjoying the frights, thrills, and suspense of Mr. Brooks.  While there are some gruesome scenes, there is nothing so bad it would prevent most people from enjoying the story.

Mr. Brooks also has a wonderful ensemble cast that does not lose sight of its purpose and role.  Kevin Costner plays the title role of Earl Brooks, a local business man of the year who also has an addiction that has him interacting with an alter ego constantly challenging him.  This alter ego, played by William Hurt, is a part of Brooks but he is also a reflection of all of us.  Some can imagine the little angel sitting on one shoulder and the little devil sitting on the other, one challenging us to do right, and the other to do wrong.  This imagery of the conscience and the good and evil existing within each of us is wonderfully portrayed in a thoughtful, imaginative way.  Hurt takes on this difficult role, and does a great job with it, one of the best roles for Hurt in some time.  Not only do we see this struggle between Hurt and Mr. Brooks, we see a struggle going on with other characters within the film, characters like Detective Tracy Atwood, played by Demi Moore, and Mr. Smith played surprisingly well by Dane Cook.

The essential story of Mr. Brooks is that while continuing to struggle with his own addictions, he is challenged to balance his desires, his life, with the life of the family which he genuinely loves.  He has a terrible sin that many won’t relate to, a terrible sin that one would wonder how his family would never know.  But being a resident of Wichita, Kansas and having done a great deal of study on our recent serial killer known as BTK, I understand to some extent how a mind like Brooks’ works.  Just like Dennis Rader, AKA The BTK Killer, Brooks has a way of keeping things from his wife and family.  His secret life is one which is filled with mystery, and death.  As the story progresses we see Mr. Brooks struggle with his own sins.  He has the desire to give them up, but has found himself trapped by the recurring consequences of his sin.

We may not think about the wrongs we do, but we eventually discover, just as Mr. Brooks, that there are consequences for our actions—and often those we love end up getting hurt.  There are also those on the outside looking at us who think things are better than they really are. They may even covet or desire the things we do and the way we live. We see this especially in the character of Mr. Smith.  But just as there are consequences for Mr. Brooks’ actions, we also see consequences for those like Smith who would desire the evil things in life for their own benefit.

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