2019 / 144m - USA
Crime, Mystery
2.5*/5.0*
Motherless Brooklyn poster

Watches

May 22, 2021

2.5*/5.0*

Edward Norton's second attempt at directing a film. Slightly better than the first one if you ask me, but Motherless Brooklyn still fails to leave a sizeable impression. It's not a terrible film and doesn't show any immediate weaknesses, at the same time it's quite pedestrian and there's hardly any reason to recommend it.

Lionel suffers from Tourette's Syndrome and doesn't have too many friends, except for the boss of the investigator firm where he is employed. When his boss gets killed, Lionel takes it upon himself to find out who was behind the murder, a quest that drags him down a big old rabbit hole.

Some solid performances, a fun lead (played by Norton himself) and a properly structured narrative made sure I didn't lose interest, even though the film is quite long. But as a director Norton colors a little too neatly inside the lines and unless you're a real big fan of these types of detective stories, there's really not much here. Decent but very safe entertainment.