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THE BONE COLLECTOR (R)

Reviewed November 7, 1999 - Check out The Bone Collector Website.

Studio Synopsis: A murderer is loose on the streets of Manhattan. A diabolical killer whose brutal slayings leave a trail of cryptic messages hidden at the scene of the crime. Clues which only a brilliant mind can interpret. Now as the city lies in fear, a gifted but disabled detective (Denzel Washington) is on the case. Together with the help of a rookie street cop (Angelina Jolie), the two must go inside the mind of this terrifying madman and defeat him at his own game. For he will strike again...But next time, they may just be too late.

Fuzzydog Review: Directed by Phillip Noyce, The Bone Collector is a nicely produced, nicely acted thriller that's filled with both suspense and surprises.  Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie are excellent as a makeshift forensics team willing to take chances against a mysterious killer, and the film itself runs like a complex jigsaw puzzle that is slowly put together.  Believe me, the cat-and-mouse aspects of The Bone Collector are done extremely well, and should satisfy fans of both the "intellectual thriller" genre and those who simply like to get jolted out of their seats a few times.  Be warned though, after seeing The Bone Collector, you may think twice about getting into a taxicab again... :-0

Responses from cyberspace--thanks for writing!

lemon_lime3333@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "I thought this movie was awesom. Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington did some exellent acting. I would definatly like to buy this one!!" (4/16/00)

Jackie gives this movie  stars: "it iz way cool man" (2/1/00)

gillianlover@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "The film (obviously) lacks any form of originality, but the disturbing storyline is still one that can be effective despite being done to death. The ways in which the victims are killed progressively throughout the film are quite intriguing (one being buried, one being "steamed", and the other left to be eaten by rats. There is one particular scene early in the film in a taxi which is particularly effective. The dark, eerie tone of the film is reminiscent of the crime television show "Profiler" but Angelina Jolie is pleasing to watch while Denzel Washington is in his "James Stewart-Rear Window" mode. No matter how many serial killer movies are made, they are still enjoyable despite copying predecessors of the genre -- it's that whole creepy essence of murder and "whodunit" that keeps the viewer interested. Queen Latifah was likeable in this film, however the unveiling of the killer's identity is almost a cheat on the audience -- there are no clues whatsoever in the film to suggest this person as a suspect. Only once his identity has been revealed do we find out his motive -- which isn't really that interesting after all. Overall, a decent watch if you have time to waste." (12/2/99)

stranger_1981@hotmail.com gives this movie  stars: "The Bone Collector is kind of like playing a game, where you guess which movie, each element was ripped off of. This movie is a retread of past movies, that were much, much better than this film. The movie has an intriguing setup, a killer is staging each one of his crime scenes with different puzzle pieces. But the movies ending, brings the movie down from a decent thriller to just borrowed trash. The movie stars Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme, a master of forensics, who was paralyzed on the job 4 years ago. He now lives in his apartment, with his nurse Thelma, waiting for death, knowing that one of these days, any seizure could be his last. So he has decided that he will die by his own hands. We then meet Amelia Donaghy, played by Angelina Jolie. She is a beat cop, who discovers a body buried in the gravel, beside the train tracks. The bodies hand is sticking out of the ground, with one finger carved to the bone, with a wedding ring hanging on it. She stops a train from ruining the evidence, photographs the crime scene, and collects the evidence. The case is brought to Rhyme, by an old buddy cop of his, played by Ed O'Neil, who needs Rhyme's expertise to put the clues together. Rhyme is so impressed by Donaghy's work on the crime scene that he puts her on the case as well. Intriguing setup, but the movie is pretty standard. Nothing I have not see before. Bodies keep turning up, the cops gather the clues, that keep adding to the puzzle, which makes no sense, until the ending. But it wasn't done too badly in this film, just none of these elements are original. The killer kills in some of the most brutal ways possible, including putting someone in front of a massive steam pipe, just before it belts out steam as faster than the wind. One guy is eaten by many rats, in one of the movies most dumbest scenes. We see the rat jump off of a pipe, into the camera, with his mouth covering the screen. That shot reminded me of Bats. Which was a recent bomb. Most of the movie is made from used parts, until the ending, which just brings this movie from "ok", to almost terrible. When we find out who the killer is, he turns out to be the usual, crazy nut who is pissed off for a reason that is absolutely implausible. He has been in prison for 6 years, and is angry at the world I guess. His motive not only is thin, but it has nothing to do with the killings that took place throughout the whole movie. It is like he killed those other people for fun, or some other unknown reason. The acting in the movie is convincing. Washington is funny, yet realistic in the way he portrays a paralyzed man, trying to assist in catching a serial killer. Angelina Jolie is ok for most of the time, but she is a hard ass through most of the movie, but she can't face dead bodies or do the unthinkable during a crime scene. I guess that makes sense, but she doesn't quite pull it off convincingly. The movie might have been at least a decent thriller if they had made the ending make any sense at all. They had an intriguing setup, knowing full well that they used the parts of past thrillers, such as Kiss The Girls, Seven and Silence of the Lambs. Which were all superior movies. But if they had only made the ending a little more toned down. Does the killer always have to be an over the top killer?. A lunatic, who is pissed off and crazy, in the most obvious ways. It is now an official thriller cliché." (11/26/99)

David gives this movie  stars: "An exceptionally well put together film with brilliant performances and intrigueing story. It seemed kinda long though....." (11/21/99)

clownbutt@aol.com gives this movie  stars: "The movie was excellent. I found it to be intriguing and captivating! I recomend it to anyone who is in the mood for a delightful mystery/action/kill alot of people in violent ways movie." (11/9/99)