the fresh films reviews

S I N C E   1 9 9 7










 

Motherless Brooklyn (2019)

Director:
Edward Norton
COUNTRY
USA

GENRE
Neo-noir/Crime

NORWEGIAN TITLE
Motherless Brooklyn

RUNNING TIME
144 minutes

RELEASED BY
Warner Bros.
Producer:
Edward Norton
Bill Migliore
Gigi Pritzker
Rachel Shane
Michael Bederman
Screenwriter (based on the novel by Jonathan Lethem):
Edward Norton


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING

Lionel Essrog

Edward Norton ½

Frank Minna

Bruce Willis
Laura Rose Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Moses Randolph

Alec Baldwin

Paul Randolph

Willem Dafoe ½
Tony Vermonte Bobby Cannavale ½
Gabby Horowitz Cherry Jones ½
Trumpet Man Michael K. Williams
Julia Minna Leslie Mann
Gilbert Coney Ethan Suplee
Danny Fantl Dallas Roberts
William Lieberman Josh Pais
Billy Rose Robert Wisdom
Lou Fisher Stevens

 

Review

In what is only his second outing as director (after Keeping the Faith), and first time as writer, Edward Norton demonstrates that he can handle the added responsibility – and give a sensitive performance in front of the camera to boot. Motherless Brooklyn is based on Jonathan Lethem's award-winning novel of the same name about private detectives and corrupt city-planners in New York City, but in Norton's vision the story has been moved to the 1950s and draped in genre-recognizable noir elements. It's a risky strategy, because films in this sub-genre have a tendency to end up as a cliché-fest. Fortunately for Motherless Brooklyn, the filmmakers' craftsmanship overshadows the stereotyping, and the little touches of novelty work wonders for the overall effect. Norton's remarkable, unusual performance is one of them. This is the first time I've seen Tourette syndrome given a believable face in movies. And Norton the actor is accompanied by clever choices also by Norton the producer: Daniel Pemberton's beautiful jazzy score, Dick Pope's atmospheric cinematography, Michael Ahern and Beth Mickle's wonderful art direction, and director Norton's elegant pacing. The star-studded cast add some additional zest, but this is all Norton's show.

Copyright © 06.02.2020 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

[BACK TO INDEX]

[HAVE YOUR SAY]