Mr. Brooks, A Lesson in Cliche'

For no apparent reason, I decided to watch Kevin Costner's new video release, "Mr. Brooks." I know what you are thinking. Another serial killer movie? C'mon! And you would be right. I'm fairly certain I love self mutilation (No other reason would compel one to watch this movie), but I assure you I would rather skewer myself on a spear than sit through this one again.
Like all serial killers, Mr. Brooks is almost super human in his ability to enter locked homes, murder people, and leave without depositing a trace of evidence for the forensic team to find. What's great about this one is he's a loving husband and father who is ashamed of his "affliction," and even attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to be around other "addicts." They drink... he kills. He has a split personality and his alter ego is William Hurt, who isn't unbearable in an otherwise unbearable movie. Every time Mr. Brooks is with his family the director chose to play endearing mood music, as if to make the viewer feel sorry for him. "Poor Mr. Brooks. He can't control himself. He's really a good guy. He just has a mental problem." Give me a break. During all this drama, Mr. Brooks' daughter gets pregnant and is being investigated for a murder happening at a local university. Mr. Brooks has a tearful discussion with his alter ego, where he acknowledges, "She's got what I got," in a failed attempt to build sympathy for both their characters. It doesn't work.
Stalking Mr. Brooks is Demi Moore, the stereotypical homicide detective. She's independently wealthy and going through a high profile divorce, her ex-husband seeking a five million dollar settlement because he's afraid, due to her skill of putting murderers behind bars, one of the criminals she's incarcerated might hurt him. Poor guy. She's a lone wolf that makes all of her arrests alone. She's also being stalked by a serial killer, who, after she'd arrested him, escaped and makes it his mission in life to avenge himself by killing her. The whole premise is stupid. Demi's boss wants to put her on "desk duty" (You know, the thing all cliche' detectives hate since the Dirty Harry seventies) until her divorce is settled. But her only concern is finding Mr. Brooks, the Thumb Print Killer.
Mr. Brooks realizes Demi is on his tail, so he patches into the police computer network and brings up her information, in mere seconds. The web page has her picture, license, and everybody she's ever arrested. It also has detailed personal information about her life and work history, all at the touch of a button, and accessed in about three seconds. How convenient for Mr. Brooks.
Dane Cook is the nosey neighbor who films his neighbors having sex from his apartment window. He is filming when Mr. Brooks commits the murder. He blackmails Mr. Brooks into taking him on a "kill" and teaching him the "ropes." This is even more bogus than the other bogus parts of the movie, where Mr. Brooks is a condescending snob. "No, Mr. Smith (Cook), you can't do it like that. You have to do it like this. Did you get that license plate. You have to pay attention to detail."
Mr. Brooks eventually kills Demi Moore's ex as some sort of fond gesture to her. He respects her commitment to arrest murderers even though she doesn't need the money. Then he frames Dane Cook for the murders and murders him, forever marking him as the "Thumb Print Killer." He goes to his daughter's school and commits a murder with the exact same M.O. as the one she's being investigated for, thereby clearing her name. Demi winds up killing the "Hangman Killer," the escapee that vowed to kill her. Mr. Brooks retires from killing and decides to concentrate on his family life.
This movie contains everything wrong with every serial killer movie ever made. It is redundant and filled with cliche' scenes and terms, so much so I came close to turning it off. I'm tired of every one of Costner's characters being portrayed as somehow noble, and this one doesn't even come close to pulling it off.