MR. BROOKS (2007)

MURDEROUS MASQUERADES: THE MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES OF MR. BROOKS

Since the times of Shakespeare and earlier, multiple identities have been a literary staple. In many of his most famous productions, the playwright had his characters transforming themselves physically and mentally to succeed in various different ventures. Bruce Evans’ psychological thriller Mr. Brooks (2007) also follows this fictional narrative. The title character’s different personalities essentially form the basis of the entire film. These various disguises present the question, which are masks and which is the real Mr. Brooks?

In the Oscar winning movie American Beauty (1999), Anette Bening’s character repeats a mantra throughout the film. She states “to be successful, one must project an image of success at all times”. Mr. Brooks has seemingly adopted this mentality towards his own lifestyle. When the audience is first introduced to the character, he is receiving the Man of the Year award from Portland, Oregon’s Chamber of Commerce. This instantly creates a representation of Brooks as a pinnacle of society. By having such a well-known institution vouch for his reputation, the audience is comfortable with the idea of him as a man worthy of respect. His clothing and the venue both signify the level of accreditation he is receiving through this honorary award. By projecting this image of accomplishment, nobody suspects that he is the serial killer that has been terrorizing the city. It supports the Western idea that somebody so civilized and beloved could not be capable of such atrocities. This is merely one of many different facets to his personality. It is possible to assume that the character is undergoing some kind of personality crisis, as he seems to adopt various different roles as the movie progresses.

Another role presented near the beginning that has a similar effect is Brooks’ position as a Father. By demonstrating that he has managed to raise an attractive, college-educated daughter (Danielle Panabaker) would suggest that he is a responsible person. However, as more details about his daughter emerge, the viewer increasingly realizes that his nuclear family is not as idyllic as it may initially seem. One of the most important scenes in this respect appears towards the end of the movie. Brooks’ dream sequence is shown, which depicts his daughter murdering her Father before putting on his glasses. This implies that she too may eventually adopt his habit of assuming different identities in order to conceal her own.

When committing murder, Brooks undergoes an interesting physical transformation. The professional pretense is dropped entirely in favor of a different visual style. Instead of his shirts and glasses, there is a focus on long, dark clothing. His appearance seems relatively similar to Marshall’s (William Hurt) when he is wearing this disguise. This change clearly acknowledges to the viewer that the title character has also undergone a change in his mentality. When he is in this apparel, it is as though Marshall’s influence has entirely eradicated any semblance of a personality that Brooks used to have.  For the majority of the film, he follows his omniscient manifestation’s commands. The two figures become practically interchangeable. His aforementioned roles were seemingly a way that he could please his family however, his obedience in regards to killing seem to be a way to please Marshall. He is constantly striving for the acceptance and appreciation of others rather than living for himself.

Over the course of the movie, Brooks adopts an accomplice although not by choice. In order to prevent being exposed to the police, the protagonist must teach Dane Cook’s Mr. Smith about his murderous tendencies. This relationship further complicates Brooks’ character. When Brooks is informing Smith about killing, his targets seem to be frivolous. They are people who have caused minor aggravation to the characters however, by the end this has changed. The protagonist becomes a kind of anti-heroic Robin Hood by mysteriously killing those who deserve punishment or atonement for their behavior. We witness the pair avenging his adversary, Detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore), by killing her ex-husband. While the two were having legal disputes over their separation, her partner had been having sex with his lawyer. This is gross misconduct on both parts therefore, by killing them; Brooks was essentially doing Atwood a favor. This further represents Brooks’ need to please, as he is not killing for his own satisfaction but rather for the benefit of others.

Throughout the film, Mr. Brooks is able to deconstruct the masquerades that the other characters wear. This is likely through embracing his own falseness for an extended period of time. There is only one character who he seemingly exhibits trouble with and that is Detective Atwood. She too embodies the aforementioned American Beauty quotation however; she does so with such conviction that, despite his best efforts, Brooks struggles to understand her motivations. Atwood disguises her crumbling personal life from her colleagues by maintaining her almost impenetrable mask. This suggests that while Brooks’ experimentation with different personalities has given him some abilities such as intuition, even this attribute is largely flawed.

Ultimately, I believe that Mr. Brooks has no true identity. He clearly expresses displeasure when having to maintain the charade of the businessman. He only adopts the conventional fatherhood role to please his family and he only conforms to his murderous impulses to please Marshall. His fluctuating personalities prove that he does not have one solid concept of self with which he identifies. Instead, I think he will likely be forever trapped in this cycle of dissociative identity disorder, projecting himself into different characters until he finds one that fits.