The Bone Collector

I loved this movie when it 1st came out re watching it wasnt as good as i remember it but its still a lil better then your avg crime thriller! The killer makes for a good villain i will say it was not a waste of time re watching this movie just not what i remember.

I am one of those older folks who doesn't care for the kind of movies that are made these days. As such, my movie watching is generally confined to old classic films ala TCM and AMC. But, I do subscribe to all of the premium channels via DirecTV and, occasionally, watch a newer film if the plot synopsis appears to be one that I may be able to tolerate. I have read all of the previous reviews of this film on the IMDB and find them very interesting. Many of the reviews mention a movie titled "Seven". I have never heard of, much less seen, "Seven". I consider this fact to be a fortunate one because I was able to watch "The Bone Collector" without having to constantly compare it to a previous film. In short, I liked this movie. I was entertained royally precisely because I didn't take the story line too seriously. There was not much time wasted on character development. GOOD !! I don't need to know why the characters became the persons that they are. I simply want them to get on with whatever they must do. Another thing that I liked was the lack of sex scenes, which seem to be almost a necessity it today's movies. The two leads did a great job and their chemistry was excellent. Mr. Washington and Ms. Jolie were very believable. The killer? No big deal. I couldn't have cared less who did the killings. I simply waited for justice to be done. In short, I don't agree with any of the harsh criticism that I have read on this forum. I guess that's because I am a rather down to earth person who has no need to turn watching a movie into an academic exercise, complete with thorough analysis of character motivation, etc.

The best parts of this movie are the actors and the suspense. Good performances, especially by Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, and a suspenseful atmosphere highlighted an otherwise routine thriller. The twist of the main character being a quadraplegic was also a plus.

You might like the book better. It provides more insight into the characters and storylines.

*** out of ****

The Bone Collector is a serial killer thriller in the vein of Seven. Here the gruesome deaths are hinted at rather than shown in a gory visceral manner.

Denzel Washington is Lincoln Rhyme, a paraplegic detective now bedridden who needs round the clock care after an accident. Rhyme was a brilliant forensic detective who wrote several books on the subject.

Now his superiors want his help as a maniac pretending to be a cab driver, is abducting victims, torturing and killing them yet leaving clues behind for Rhyme to solve. He is assisted by a rookie cop, Amelia (Angelina Jolie) who acts as his physical being as she goes does the leg work and goes out out to the subterranean dark lairs where the victims have been held.

As the film progresses it almost seems like a chess game is being played with Rhyme, the clues are aimed at Rhyme somehow as if the killer is taunting Rhyme, like they might have dealt with each other in the past.

Director Phillip Noyce uses the film such as Sea of Love as a template for misdirection. It even has Michael Rooker playing a police chief, he played the villain in Sea of Love, initially appearing in a small scene.

However the ending was rather cheesy with some campy lines and the motive of the killer felt like a bolt from the blue. Still it is an entertaining thriller but not up to the standards of Seven, Sea of Love or The Silence of the Lambs.

Denzel Washington plays a former cop who is injured in the line of duty and becomes a crime scene investigator and expert witness in the service of law firms. Angelina Jolie plays a cop who is struggling to find a place within a male-dominated police culture, and shows a talent for crime scene investigation, which Denzel's character immediately recognizes and appreciates, since he is bedridden and physically unable to go to most crime scenes. She is reluctant to get involved, but does wind up grudgingly serving as his eyes and ears as they try to follow clues left by a serial killer who gives clues about his next victims and taunts them and the police.

While Denzel's character is almost too brilliant to be believable, if you can overlook that you should thoroughly enjoy this movie. Denzel and Angelina, together with cops of varying competence, try to follow the clues given to them by the serial killer, who gives them clues before the killing actually occurs.

Most people who enjoy a dark, suspenseful movie (such as Silence of the Lambs) should thoroughly enjoy this movie.