Motherless Brooklyn

Since the nearest Canadian cinema is 75 minutes away, I made the trip worthwhile by watching two films on Wednesday. In what seems like a rare coincidence, both films starred Willem Dafoe. In The Lighthouse, Dafoe plays one of the two protagonists. In Motherless Brooklyn, it is a supporting role, albeit a major one.

Motherless Brooklyn is the work of Edward Norton, who wrote (based on the novel by Jonathan Lethem), directed, produced and starred in the film, playing the protagonist - Lionel, a private detective in the 1950’s. By locating the film in the 1950’s (the novel took place in the 90’s), Norton wanted to re-create the atmosphere of film noir at its height. In an interview, he compared his goal to making something that felt like Chinatown or L.A. Confidential. 

As a fan of film noir, I appreciate Norton’s efforts and enjoyed the film, but Norton couldn’t quite pull off the magic he was looking for. Something was missing - perhaps it was the gravitas that I think some critics mentioned, though I certainly didn’t miss the graphic violence that contributed to the dark edge of those other two films. In any event, while the atmosphere is one of the highlights of Motherless Brooklyn, the film doesn’t grip the viewer the way Norton meant it to do.

Perhaps it has something to do with the unique character Norton plays. Lionel has Tourette’s Syndrome, causing him to blurt out words he doesn’t mean to say. This can be dangerous in his profession, not to mention being a handicap for someone who is trying to get information from people. And then there’s the social awkwardness. Lionel is a sympathetic protagonist, played in a way that only Norton could pull off (and he does very well), but it’s possible that some slight changes in Lionel's attitudes might have made the film stronger.

The story of Motherless Brooklyn involves Lionel’s search for answers following the death of his boss and mentor, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Lionel watches Minna die after being shot in the back and relentlessly follows the clues that will lead him to the cause of Minna’s death. When his search takes him to the halls of power in 1950’s Brooklyn, Lionel’s life is in constant danger, especially after he befriends a woman Minna had mentioned shortly before his death. That woman (Laura) is played by Gugu Mbatha-Thaw, and she’s terrific in the role. Other actors in supporting roles (besides Dafoe) include Alec Baldwin, Bobby Canavale and Michael K. Williams.

All of the acting is strong, as is the cinematography and score, but nothing is spectacular. The writing also feels solid, but I believe the missing something I mentioned earlier has to do with how the story is told. The emotional engagement just isn’t strong enough. Nevertheless, I give Motherless Brooklyn a weak ***+. My mug is up.