Le désosseur

A bed ridden, paraplegic NYC detective, Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington), teams up with a rookie cop named Amelia (Angelina Jolie) to try and catch a serial killer, in this dark, moody atmospheric thriller from Director Phillip Noyce. This is a fine thriller.

From the get-go viewers understand that an intelligent maniac is on the loose, and could strike at any time. That is the very definition of cinematic tension. In addition, the killer uses dark, subterranean spaces to torture and kill victims. That inky darkness, together with a haunting musical score further amplifies suspense.

But, the solution to the whodunit puzzle is ultimately unsatisfying because the screenwriter withholds important back-story from viewers. This could have been so easily fixed with the addition of a line or two of dialogue and/or a brief added scene near the film's beginning. Even so, good plot misdirection creates ample red herrings, so that the killer's identity is not a foregone conclusion.

The film's cinematography, production design, and editing are fine. Washington does a good job as the paralyzed cop. But Angelina Jolie is miscast; she pouts her way through the film looking like she's bored out of her mind. The support cast helps a lot, with highly credible performances from delightful Queen Latifah, capable Ed O'Neill, and reliable Michael Rooker.

The crime scenes tended unfortunately to be in-your-face grizzly. But at least the gore quotient was minimal.

For dark, moody serial killer films set in NYC, I prefer "Sea Of Love" (1989). Nevertheless, "The Bone Collector" can be enjoyed for its elevated level of suspense, its fine cinematography, and its generally high level of acting. Be advised, however, that the film's finale may be a disappointment if you expect all the whodunit puzzle pieces to fall into place, neat and tidy.

An extremely overlooked film in my opinion. Yes, Se7en and Silence of the Lambs absolutely annihilate this, but for a 90's detective case it's rather compelling. This is what happens when you cast two great leads, a decent film is produced. Much like any other serial killer story, our main characters must find out who the homicidal maniac is before they kill again. The difference is, the forensic expert is paralysed and so he trains an unwilling rookie to solve the case. Murder case aside, it's all about passing on knowledge and skills to another peer in order to complete a task. Rhyme is unable to do anything, so he envisages his own image within Amelia. Turning her from a rookie cop to the perfect forensic investigator. Highlighting the importance of communication and trust. Fortunately Washington and Jolie have decent on screen chemistry. Both their talents put together to create an explosion of raw acting. Jolie plays a tough yet vulnerable officer, Washington juxtaposes this with an experienced performance. The two amalgamate to create the perfect crime solving entity. The crime scenes themselves were visceral and not easy watches, particularly being scolded to death by oncoming steam. I loved the gritty realism that is sustained throughout. It evokes a sense of mystery, we are attempting to solve the case with the characters. Supporting cast were good, nothing outstanding. Although I wanted more Queen Latifah! The killer's reveal was a letdown unfortunately. The final twenty minutes were rushed to what was an intelligently paced thriller. And thank God we don't have those horrible slow motion frames that were all so apparent in the 90s...just hideously generic. The Bone Collector is a damn good watch, and for any Washington or Jolie fans you are in for a great time.

I am fully aware of the fact that most film critics here in the United States did not approve very highly of the 1999 Denzel Washington film "The Bone Collector". But despite the fact that only twenty-eight percent of them would agree with me, I think that "The Bone Collector" is a well-made mystery thriller with solid performances, especially toward Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, a good plot, great tension, and a well-executed story.

Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington plays a quadriplegic detective who is asked to help with an investigation dealing with a serial killer operating in New York. He appoints a rather reluctant female detective played by Angelina Jolie to lead the investigation outside his hospital room since he cannot walk himself. He communicates with her through radio, giving her hints and tactics as they try to figure out who the killer is, who he will strike next, and how they can stop him.

Yes, this plot is one that has been reused many times and this yet another case. But just because you reuse a plot does not mean the end product is going to be horrible and not entertaining. I myself enjoyed "The Bone Collector" and did not find one scene where I was bored, even though I had a pretty good idea on what was going to happen next. It gets a strong rating for its performances, action scenes, and good general entertainment value.

Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) is a brilliant police detective and forensics expert who was left a quadriplegic from a job. There's a killer in the city who traps his victims in his taxi cab. Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) is a beat cop who discovers two bodies buried in the train tracks. The investigating detectives (Michael McGlone, Ed O'Neill) enlist the help of Lincoln who in turn enlists the help of Amelia.

This was right before TV show CSI first air. So it had some fascinating CSI bits for the time. But the movie has two problems. It's a minor problem that Denzel is stuck in bed all the time. It restricts his physicality. It also limits the visual dynamics of his scenes.

The bigger problem is the role of Amelia. After all, she is a beat cop without the basic forensics training. The movie is treating this less as a science and more as an inborn ability that an elder can bestow upon a youngling. Also Angelina is so emotional that it's unbelievable anybody would allow her near the evidences. Heck she fires her gun at the rats. What kind of forensics expert is that?

There is no doubt that Denzel and Angelina are big time stars. It's a simple serial killer movie. They're shooting in NYC. It looks good. There is a good movie here. They should have allowed Angelina be a techie, and let Denzel have a wheelchair. That way she's more believable, and he could be mobile with her.

Not being a fan of genre, I appreciated the atmosphere, the acting, the humor and correct crafted tension. And it was just enough for be happy to discover it after good years.

The twist was pretty forced - indeed, I know almost nothing about crime movies - but , like each game, the rules are more significant than the first sight.

Sure, great job of Queen Latiffa and just delightful to discover nice work of rhe young Angelina Jolie.