It's the 1950s. There's a murder to solve.
Motherless Brooklyn was released on January 28. Viewers can try Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. The Digital format appeared early on January 14.
BROOKLYN
Motherless Brooklyn gets inspiration by the Jonathan Lethem 1999 novel of the same name. I have not read the book - but apparently in a twist - Edward Norton wanted to take those same characters from 1999 time into a different period and plot and to put the story in the 1950s.
The project was such a passion for Norton for quite some time, and he acquired the rights to the book back in 2001.
Moviegoers were not exactly so passionate. The film has a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes, which makes it enough for the 'Fresh' rating. But the box office was slightly over $18 million worldwide.
(It was also given an R-rating. It's not a movie for all ages.)
The film did manage to surprise with scoring one Golden Globe nomination. Daniel Pemberton made it with Best Original Score. While no nomination, there is an original song written and performed by Thom Yorke of Radiohead.
Oscar-nominated Edward Norton directed-wrote-produced-and starred in Motherless Brooklyn. The cast includes Bruce Willis, Guga Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Leslie Mann, Ethan Suplee, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Robert Ray Wisdom, Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe.
Norton is Lionel Essrog, a private detective. Although not mentioned in the movie, Lionel has a combination of Tourette Syndrome and OCD. (At least that's how Norton describes it in the Special Features.)
TAKE
Would I buy this film? I would make it a snowy day selection.
Motherless Brooklyn is not a movie I would set out to see in theatre.
While the cast for the film is impressive, if you want to see this film because of Bruce Willis, you could be disappointed. He plays Frank Minna, mentor and friend to Lionel. Frank's murder happens within the first 10 minutes. This sets the rest of the mystery story in motion as the first 10 minutes has a lot of information and is a bit hard to follow. It comes into play later.
And no, it's not really a spoiler, if you've seen the trailer or read a synopsis. The movie promotion gives it away rather early.
With the many hats that Edward Norton wore, it's hard not to appreciate how much work and effort he put into the project. The character on the acting side is unlike anyone I've ever seen him play before.
But. If anything at 144 minutes - with credits - the film feels quite long. It might have been better to cut out about 20 minutes or even more. The mystery of what happened to Frank Minna is what kept my intrigue for the movie.
And yes, the movie touches on political corruption and racism which could very well be applied for today. It's when the story shifts away from the murder mystery, it slows down the pace a lot.
For example - a dance scene in a jazz club in Harlem, many can see it as artistic and beautiful, but to me, it just felt like it goes on much longer than it needed to be.
The cast and the mystery may make it watchable for others. If you don't have the patience, though, it may not be as enjoyable.
SPECIAL FEATURES OVERVIEW
Making of: Edward Norton's Methodical Process (9 minutes, 38 seconds.)
- Norton talks about his thought process, how he found the book and making the switch to the 1950s. With some comparisons to the old film noir style movies. The cast talks about being involved in the movie. What was it like to work with an actor-director-writer like Norton.
Deleted Scenes (5 minutes, 19 seconds)
- As usual, they are the kind of scenes that you would never notice missing in the actual film. People may have a curiosity factor.
Commentary with Director Edward Norton.
Warner Brothers Entertainment
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