Motherless Brooklyn: A Star-Studded Cast Joins a Muddled Neo-Noir Thriller
The story is relatively simple, a private detective, Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), who has tourette’s syndrome, investigates the murder of his protégé/boss, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Yet, the story keeps complexifying itself until Motherless Brooklyn, also directed by Edward Norton, becomes a muddled mess.
The reason why Motherless Brooklyn is such an intriguing film is its cast and first and second acts. The first 20-minutes or so in which we see the events leading up to Frank Minna’s murder is absolutely spectacular, elevated by Daniel Pemberton’s best-ever film score. He absolutely deserved a Golden Globe nomination, and quite possibly an Academy Award nod(I would’ve removed John Williams from the mix). His score is absolutely reminiscent of the neo-noir era but, more specifically, the Rockstar game L.A. Noire. The music adds so much tension during the scene in which Essrog & Coney (Ethan Suplee) chase Minna around New York. You’re on the edge of your seats, and you’re thinking “My god, this is great”. For the second time in the last decade, Bruce Willis actually cares when he’s on screen. It’s refreshing to see a role he isn’t phoning in, even if his screen-time clocks in at a mere 22 minutes. He takes control of every moment he’s in and dominates it. The same thing can be said for every actor in this movie — they give their all. The tourettes gimmick with Lionel got a little annoying at times and reminded me of Simple Jack for some reason. I’ll say it’s one of Norton’s most interesting performances he’s ever given, so there’s that. But the real stars of the movie are the supporting performances from Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Michael K. Williams, Willem Dafoe (especially) and Alec Baldwin.
When it is revealed that Paul (Dafoe) and Moses (Baldwin) are brothers — the twist is believable enough and adds to the initial film. It makes the second act a lot more interesting, as you’re gripped to the screen with intertwining storylines and character arcs. You’re thinking to yourself: “wow, this is fantastic”. Alec Baldwin is fantastic as Moses Randolph, the kind of politician you absolutely love to hate, and Dafoe gives his third best performance of 2019. It’s really when it is revealed that Laura Rose (Mbatha-Raw)’s father was indeed Moses Randolph that the film really goes down. The story starts complexifying itself for no reason, and you’re left perplexed, desperately wanting the film to end. After a great buildup for about approximately 110-someodd minutes, Motherless Brooklyn literally shits the bed. The final act and epilogue is some of the most wasted potential in build-up that I’ve seen since Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. I’ve already spoiled the big reveal, but the reasoning behind makes no fucking sense. I was left perplexed and tried to make sense of everything, but couldn’t. It’s wasted opportunity to close up a near-perfect neo-noir thriller. Edward Norton is a great filmmaker, and his eye for the kinetic and soul-stirring imagery (alongside cinematographer Dick Pope) is there, but a big chunk of the story is missing that makes Motherless Brooklyn an inherently interesting, albeit frustrating picture.
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