The ups and downs of actors' careers.

And now for two films illustrating two talented actors in very differing phases of their careers. Firstly, a resurgent Kevin Costner:


Mr Brooks - 3/5





Kevin Costner has never really played a truly bad guy - I guess, the closest he's got would be his criminal in A Perfect World, but even he turned out to be kind of good at heart. His stock in trade is the ex-jock (usually baseball player) or the tough cowboy, also done cops and lone travellers in post-apocalyptic future, etc... but generally speaking, he does guys who are tough on the outside, but decent within - the role model for middle-America. So meet his latest creation - Earl Brooks - successful businessman, philanthropist, loving husband and father, oh, and a serial killer.





The central plot device is basically Jekyll and Hyde with a dash of Faust as Brooks battles with his dark inner desires which are personified in the form of Marshall, his alter-ego (played by another 80s leading man turned great character actor, William Hurt). Aftergoing straight for a couple of years, Brooks is again led into temptation, but makes a mistake which leads to him being blackmailed into taking on a kind of apprentice killer in the form of Dane Cook (Employee of the Month).





To be clear, this is not a good movie by any means. It has moment which are unnecessarily gory and, to be honest, bits of the plot are absolutely ridiculous - especially Demi Moore as the tough cop who also happens to be a millionairess? But there are some nice touches, like a subplot around whether Brooks' daughter (Sky High's Danielle Panabaker) has inherited his affliction. However, what makes this really quite an enjoyable watch (even if in a guilty-pleasure kind of a way), are the lively turns by the two leading men. Costner seizes the opportunity to do bad with great relish, whilst Hurt is a constant delight as his dark alter-ego and despite all its bad points the film really gels when they are on screen together and there's interesting stuff in the temptation scenes. Unfortunately, the already torturous plot is dragged through two twists to many at the end, finishing with a cliched it was just a dream moment (although it does leave it open to interpretation just how much of the preceding events had been a dream - is Brooks a killer at all, or just a man battling temptation).



His performance here, following on from his strong turn in The Upside of Anger earlier this year marks a continued resurgence for Costner after the critical and commercial drubbings for the likes of Waterworld and The Postman.









The same cannot be said of Billy Bob Thornton, who seems stuck in freefall to lame comedy hell. Expect a joint venture with Eddie Murphy to be announced soon. Whilst not quite in the Cuba Gooding Jr career suicide path yet, Thornton has followed up The Bad News Bears and School for Scoundrels with



Mr Woodcock - 0.5/5



In my defence, I wouldn't have gone to see this, if it hadn't been with a client. It is absolutely dire - a laugh-free effort that makes his previous films seem like comedy classics. Not a single chuckle for the whole running length, whilst simultaneously managing to be offensive in places. Thornton himself, a very talented actor, clearly can't be bothered and makes no effort at any stage of his performance, and yet is still the best thing in the film by miles. Seann William Scott is totally miscast as the comedic straight man of the two, but fails to make his character either likeable or interesting. Susan Sarandon (who must be in some kind of financial trouble or why else is she in such tripe) over-emotes at every opportunity.



This is a bad, bad, bad film - avoid at all costs. Oh, and Mr Thornton - you should seriously consider finding a new agent!