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MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
Director: Edward Norton Cast: Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Bobby Cannavale, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Willis, Ethan Suplee, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Radu Spinghel, Fisher Stevens, Peter Lewis, Robert Wisdom MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 2:24 Release Date: 11/1/19 |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | October 31, 2019 There's a different kind of noir mystery hiding somewhere in Motherless Brooklyn. Writer/director Edward Norton, though, just goes with a straightforward, rather dull approach to the material. The biggest difference from the norm is the story's protagonist, a man who has Tourette syndrome (Although it's never named within the movie, the signs are obvious) and who works as a sleuth for a well-regarded private investigator. The presentation of the character here is slightly uncomfortable at first, given that he's treated as the comic relief in his own story, and then it becomes awkward, as his condition seems only to slip into being whenever Norton thinks we need a reminder. As for the usual narration, which accompanies the uncovering of a wide conspiracy involving city government and a power-hungry land developer, one would never know that our gumshoe possesses any sort of cognitive difference. The voice-over is downright lucid, succinct, and straight to the narrative point, without any of the chatter that the character insists is always present in his head. It's almost tempting to call Norton's writing of Lionel Essrog, whom the filmmaker also plays in the movie, a bit of cheating. A lot could be done with this character, whose mind is always seeing puzzles where they don't really exist and whose mouth gets him into a bit of trouble upon first impressions, but here, plot is the king. The characters, even our distinct protagonist, are just pawns, moving around while the convoluted details of the central mystery kind of, sort of come into focus in 1950s New York City. We first meet Lionel on a stakeout for his boss Frank Minna (Bruce Willis), who has a meeting with some shady goons about something or other in a hotel room. Frank has Lionel, who has a near-perfect memory for information he sees and hears, listen in over the phone. By the end of the introduction, Frank is dead—shot by the goons after a cross-borough car chase. At the hospital, with his dying breaths, the P.I. provides Lionel with the clue of a single word or phrase. From there, Lionel is determined to figure out who killed his boss, the man who looked out for him since he was an orphaned kid, and one of the only people who treated his condition as a gift—and him as decently as a person would treat anyone else. Frank's widow (played by Leslie Mann) doesn't seem to care. Tony (Bobby Cannavale), the new boss, has other concerns. Lionel's first lead seems to be a dead end, but soon enough, he's directed to a Harlem jazz club and city hall. One person, a woman named Laura Rose (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), might be the key to connecting Frank's death to the recent trend of clearing out "slums" for property development—including a most profitable federal government contract. Real estate magnate Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin), who's beloved by most of the city for developing parks but who seems to have contempt for ordinary folks, has his fingers in all of those pies. The cast, which also includes Willem Dafoe (as an idealistic city planner) and Michael Kenneth Williams (as a jazz trombonist who empathizes with Lionel's condition), is noteworthy. At a certain point, though, it becomes clear that the presence of the actors, not the characters they play, is the only notable element of the cast. Many a noir has coasted or even excelled on its actors, playing memorably eccentric, sinister, seductive, corrupt, or valiant figures. This one is so entrenched in the particulars of its mystery that these aren't really characters—only the means of stating exposition. Baldwin's Moses, a heartless seeker of power above even money or fame, comes close (although that might be the feeling that the character and his actions sound quite a bit relevant talking), and obviously, Lionel—apart from the ways in which Norton (as a filmmaker and an actor) softens the character's edges as the plot becomes more complicated—at least superficially stands out as a unique hero. Complication upon complication and intrigue upon intrigue arise, as Lionel takes a tour of an authentically recreated time and place (Norton and cinematographer Dick Pope don't seem too concerned with providing any noir-like atmosphere to the setting, and the whole thing just looks and feels flatly, dully natural). There are, perhaps, too many developments, which might seem like an odd thing to say about a genre and form of storytelling that is partially defined by such plotting. The key, though, is that the plot to such material should be secondary to the mood, the characters, and the sense of helplessness against an all-powerful and uncaring world. Norton's direction doesn't provide that atmosphere, and his screenplay misses plenty of chances to flesh out these characters, even on a surface level, and to transform his outwardly distinctive protagonist into one who re-defines this tale and our expectations. Instead, Motherless Brooklyn is defined by an affectionate—if shallow—homage to noir, a too-heavy reliance on plot, and a lot of missed opportunities. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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language throughout including some sexual references, brief drug use,
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