Review #202, Movie #272
The Bone Collector
Year Of Release
1999
Director
Phillip Noyce
Producer
Martin Bregman, Michael Bregman
Writer
Jeremy Iacone, Jeffrey Deaver
Cast
Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Leland Orser, Luis Guzmán and Michael Rooker
Notes
Even though the main villain is never revealed until the end and when seen during the running time always remains hidden under a balaclava... to throw the audience off the scent, other actors actually portrayed the villain while masked, which gives more weight and surprise to the actual revealing.
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Veteran Cop and forensics genius Lincoln Rhyme is injured in the line of duty that leaves him almost completely paralysed, with only his head, neck and one finger capable of moving.
He spends his days in his apartment with a Nurse and uses a voice activated computer to keep himself occupied. He has cut off his family too through a sense of fear and pride about his debilitating condition.
Rhyme is also pushing for a legal suicide as some of the fits he suffers will one day turn him completely into a "vegetable"... which is something he fears more than anything else in the world.
When a highly complex serial killer appears in the city, Rhyme's ex-bosses appear and ask for his brilliant mind to help track where the killer will strike next...
... and reluctantly, Rhyme along with rookie Beat-Cop Amelia Donaghy as his "legs", he puts his genius to work, all the time talking with Amelia through a telephone headset as she follows his instructions through the streets of New York.
Based on the book of the same name, The Bone Collector could have been brilliant.
Sadly though, it's a highly linear turn of events that holds some great promising mystery at the start but manages to drop the build up in place of some straight forward shocks and disturbing ideas that feel like a poorly made Se7en wannabe.
The general premise of the story is sound. It's just the hap-hazard direction from behind the camera that lets it down.
Phillip Noyce, who was involved with Dead Calm (1989), Patriot Games (1992) and Clear And Present Danger (1994), it's kind of surprising that The Bone Collector is so bland overall, really.
Some of it works, yet most of it just feels there for the sake of it with little regard to actually following it up with any kind of actual moments of discovery... and even those that are shown are slapped down with pretty linear writing in the script.
The acting though is top drawer.
Denzel Washington is as usual, the confident, slightly troubled detective with a brilliant mind. And seeing as Washington is actually in only one location throughout the entire film, laying on a bed, he does an exceptional job. He also plays the genius type with pure conviction. Well played.
Angelina Jolie is the heroine Amelia Donaghy... definitely Jolie's most likeable role to date. At least this time round she doesn't just pout and try to look sexy... she has to actually act and does a very good job of it.
She hold the more emotional scenes well too.
Queen Latifah is also on board too. Now, Latifah is one of the worst actresses in living memory, yet here she seems comfortable in the role and makes an impression as Rhyme's Nurse. She's also incredibly likeable for the small amount of screen time she gets. If anything, I actually wanted to see more of her role.
Back up comes from Ed (Al Bundy) O'Neill and Luis Guzman as Cop friends of Rhyme's and underrated actor Leland Orser as a technician for Rhyme's life support machines.
There's little to no action as such, but there are some great effects and gore thrown in to make the subject matter work better. There are some beautiful set pieces involved.
Apart from some CGI rats though, they sucked.
The rest of the visual design of the film is top notch though. The sets and general atmosphere is worked on really well.
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All in all... atmospheric in look, had a promising story and the actors worked out of their socks... but it was let down with a linear and almost lazy script and screenplay.
Worth a go if you like "whodunits?", but if you're after a top class whodunit that's mysterious and brooding like maybe Se7en... you'll feel a bit let down.
My rating: 68%
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