Skip to main content

The dilemma of a serial killer

Following a recommendation from a Facebook friend's list of best movies of all time, I gave Mr Brooks a try. It is a 2007 film starring Kevin Costner as Mr Brooks, William Hurt as his id, Demi Moore (the cougar in female skin) as cop out to nail him.
I found the movie particularly disturbing initially but later the emotional display and story line was one all can relate to. It definitely, would not make it to my list of best movies of the century!
Mr Brooks (Costner), a celebrated businessman from Portland is feted in a congratulatory dinner for being the businessman of the year. After returning from the dinner and tucking his wife to bed, he retires to his 'studio' and drives off to killed off a couple who were in midst of passionate lovemaking. He cleans up the crime scene and leaves behind the victim's blood stained thumbprint! You see, Mr Brooks is a serial killer dubbed the 'Thumbprint Killer'!
Accompanying Mr Brooks all around is his id (William Hurt)- only visible to him, communicates and even argues with him but of course nobody else can see that. All others see is like Mr Brooks is in deep thought!
The 'Thumbprint Killer" has been terrorizing the city for a long time as Mr Brooks had managed to suppress his inner desire to kill and attending sessions of Alcoholic Anonymous. His last outing happened when he succumbed to the demands of his id! Unfortunately, his last killing was witnessed by a peeping tom voyageur, Mr Smith, who started blackmailing Mr Brooks; not for money but to include him for his next expedition!
About the same time, Mr Brook's daughter returns home from university saying that she is pregnant and wants to discontinue her education. Things get  complicated when cops turn up at their home to interview his daughter after one of her dormitory mates is murdered. Paternal instincts make Brooks think that there is more than meets the eye and suspects that his killing genes may have been passed to her.
In order to divert the attention of the police, Brooks goes over to his daughter's campus (another state) to commit a similar type of killing (as the dorm mate) to confuse the cops into thinking that they were dealing with a serial killer and keep his daughter off the hook!
In the other side of town, a lady cop (Detective Atwood) rich in inheritance, is at wits end dealing with the 'Thumbprint Killer', her ex-husband and divorce negotiations.There is also a escaped convict who is out for her blood.
After much prodding, blackmailing and delay tactics, Smith and Brooks choose their next victim who turned out to be the detective's ex-beau. Fearing that he was close to apprehension and fearing the humiliation that the family would receive, Mr Brooks was toying the idea of planning an elaborate ploy to get himself killed by Smith after the last outing.
Mr Smith turned out to be an embarrassment at the swan song killing. The excitement made him pee in his pants, leaving valuable DNA for the cops. (Mr Smith would be concluded to be the 'Thumbprint Killer') So change of plans -  Mr Brooks shoots Smith in a dug cemetery in a plot he owns, buries his double life and starting life as a soon to be grandfather but at the back of his mind  always fearing that his beloved daughter may one day turn out to be a ruthless serial killer like him!
Well, after watching so many silent movies and black and white movies of late, it was treat to stimulate the cone receptors again by watching things in true advanced cinematographic vision. So what is the take home message? That serial killers too have moral dilemma and moral obligations?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Gory historic details or gore fest?

Razakar:  The Silent Genocide Of Hyderabad  (Telegu, 2024) Director:  Yata Satyanarayana In her last major speech before her disposition, Sheikh Hasina accused those who opposed her rule in Bangladesh of being Razakars. The opposition took offence to this term and soon widespread mob throughout the land. Of course, it is not that that single incident brought down an elected government but a culmination of joblessness and unjust reservations for a select population group. In the Bengali psyche, Razakar is a pejorative term meaning traitor or Judas. It was first used during the 1971 Pakistan Civil War. The paramilitary group who were against the then-East Pakistani leader, Majibur Rehman, were pro-West Pakistan. After establishing independence in Bangladesh, Razakars were disbanded, and many ran off to Pakistan. Around the time of Indian independence, turmoil brewed in the princely state of Hyderabad, which had been a province deputed by the Mughals from 1794. The rule of N...

The products of a romantic star of the yesteryear!

Now you see all the children of Gemini Ganesan (of four wives, at least) posing gleefully for the camera after coming from different corners of the world to see the ailing father on his deathbed. They seem to found peace with the contributor of their half of their 46 chromosomes. Sure, growing up must have been hell seeing their respective mothers shedding tears, indulgence in unhealthy activities with one of them falling prey to the curse of the black dog, hating the sight of each step sibling, their respective heartaches all because of the evil done by one man who could not put his raging testesterones under check! Perhaps,the flashing lights and his dizzying heights that his career took clouded his judgement. After all, he was only human... Gems of Gemini Ganesan L-R: Dr Revathi Swaminathan, Narayani Ganesan, Dr Kamala Selvaraj, Rekha, Vijaya Chamundeswari   and Dr Jaya Shreedhar.  ( Abs:  Radha Usman Syed, Sathish Kumaar Ganesan) Seeing six of Ge...

Chicken's Invite? (Ajak-ajak ayam)

In the Malay lingo, the phrase 'ajak-ajak ayam' refers to an insincere invitation. Of course, many of us invite for courtesy's sake, but then the invitee may think that the invitation is for real! How does anyone know? Inviters and invitees must be smart enough to take the cue that one party may have gatecrashed with ulterior motives, or the other may not want him to join in the first place! Easily twenty years ago, my family was invited to a toddler's birthday party. As my children were toddlers, too, we were requested to come early so that my kids could run around and play in their big compound. And that the host said she would arrange a series of games for them to enjoy. So there we were in the early evening at a house that resembled very little of one immersed in joy and celebration. Instead, we were greeted by a house devoid of activities and no guests. The host was still out shopping her last-minute list, and her helper was knee-deep in her preparations to ...