I ordered it at Best Buy because of the fact that it had Bruce Willis in it. He played a smaller part in it than I expected but I was very happy with the movie anyway.
Posted by jaydj
It's a shame this gorgeous looking film noir from star and director Edward Norton didn't get wider play in theaters last year or receive some Oscar love from the Academy. A loose adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's 1999 novel, the film, adapted by Norton and Lethem, begs for comparison with some of the classics of the genre, especially 1974's "Chinatown." Like that film, this one involves a real estate swindle in 1950s New York that reeks of political corruption and leaves a slew of dead bodies amid the wreckage. Norton stars as Lionel Essrog, a Tourettes-afflicted junior operative who works for a private detective (Bruce Willis in a sharp cameo) bumped off because his snooping gets a little too close to uncovering what's going on. Against the advice of his associates, Lionel picks up the investigation and soon finds himself in the crosshairs of some very powerful and very dangerous people. Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, Cherry Jones, and Bobby Canavale offer solid supporting performances, but it is newcomer Gugu Mbatha-Raw who gives the film its soul as a damsel in distress whom Lionel becomes obsessed with saving. If you're a fan of hard-edged noir filmed with style and loving attention to period detail, this disc of "Motherless Brooklyn" deserves a home in your collection.
Posted by mjorlock
Everything in the film is period correct for 1950’s New York City to include both fore & background shots of buildings, building interiors, clothing, style of speech – even the chewing gum wrappers. This is a story of a private Detective Agency, and the story-line is evenly paced, taught, low-key, and accompanied by an easy sound-track – it is an ol’ fashioned Detective Story. Happily, the casting was on-point and the saga was superbly acted – Both Norton and Dafoe acted their characters splendidly as-well-as Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s Laura Rose who was beautifully portrayed.
Posted by LTCCWUSMC
