After 12 years, we finally waited for this "lifetime"

Roger 2021-12-23 08:01:33

There are always so many films that have been highly anticipated, but for various reasons they always bounced and live in the legend.

These films often go from the release of the wind to the actual release, and it takes several years, or even indefinitely, so they can be called "pigeon films".

For example, "Avatar 2" has been preparing to shoot, but has been in the pigeons, I don't know when I can see it.

But in addition to "Avatar 2", this film is also called the "king of pigeons", from the release of the wind to the release, a full 12 years. It is "The Brooklyn Secret" by Edward Norton.

This article has spoilers.

1

"The Brooklyn Secret" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Jonathan Lutham. Norton bought the copyright many years ago, but the project has twists and turns. We almost forgot about it before we saw it.

The film tells a crime story that took place in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950s. The male lead Norton starred in is an orphan and his name is Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is a detective, but he suffers from Tourette syndrome and can't control himself when talking to people. He either makes strange noises or makes strange movements.

Because of this disease, he was regarded as a freak by the people around him. But he is a genius, has the ability to remember.

In one operation, his boss argued with others and was shot and killed by a group of mysterious men in front of Brooklyn.

Brooklyn has a very good relationship with his boss, as well as teachers and friends. But in this operation, the boss suddenly died of unknown reasons.

The murderer has no clue, because the boss said nothing but left him a word before he died.

What exactly was the boss's mission during his lifetime? Who is he doing for? What are those people looking for? Why do you want to kill?

Brooklyn was determined to find the truth, but during the investigation, he found that things were getting more and more complicated.

The boss’s death seemed to be related to a high-ranking government official. The one person present that day was Randolph, who was in charge of the entire city’s construction industry and was obsessed with demolition and construction.

Everyone Brooklyn encountered in the investigation was not accidental, and there was an entangled relationship behind it. Whenever Brooklyn thinks it is close to the truth, it enters another layer of mist.

Brooklyn's frequent out-of-control behavior adds a lot of obstacles to investigations. Originally, he was only investigating the cause of the boss's death, but he gradually discovered that he had been involved in the whirlpool.

2

The core and most fascinating point of "The Brooklyn Secret" is undoubtedly Edward Norton's self-direction and self-acting.

The protagonist of mental illness in the film is the type that Norton is best at interpreting. In other words, his famous screen image is almost not a normal person.

In his debut novel "First Fear", Norton's double-faced performance in the film almost suppressed the aura of the actor Richard Gere.

"Fight Club" Norton and Brad Pitt made this film directed by David Fincher, which is famous for its history.

The extreme racist of "American X-Files", the doctor of "The Veil", the two roles of "Blades of Grass", Norton's performances are always impressive and have a certain paranoid temperament.

"Leaf of Grass"

Norton also cooperated with Marvel to play the Hulk in "Invincible Hulk".

But the cooperation is only this time, and Marvel is going to leave the role to him and let him play it. But because he "does not want to make his play too single", he quit playing the Hulk.

This kind of disagreement is inevitable. Norton is a serious actor, but his seriousness is not only limited to personal performance, he also has to make changes to the script.

When he appeared in "Invincible Hulk", he made frequent changes to the script, and finally parted ways with Norton's desire to control the film.

Therefore, in "Birdman", Norton's role as a popular niche who constantly interferes with the creation of dramas is not unlike Keaton's role as a "passed hero", which is somewhat self-deprecating.

In addition to starring in the male dubbing "Birdman", Norton has not received many films in recent years, and there are no leading roles, and there are more guest appearances and more dubbings.

For example, dubbing the two animations of "Sausage Party" and "Island of Dogs", or making cameo appearances in "Dictator", "Budapest Hotel" and "Alita".

"Alita"

"The Brooklyn Secret" is tailor-made, talented, and acting solo show for Norton.

This is not only because the story is his heart, Brooklyn's corner, but also Norton's best opportunity to play his acting skills and strength, he tried to live the role through various details.

Because of the disease, he kept small movements, from pulling the sweater thread to being unable to control himself and taking pictures.

All kinds of sudden shouts, the state of wanting to suppress but unable to stop, the performance is indeed eye-catching.

"The Brooklyn Secret" can be regarded as Norton got his wish and completed a work of his own.

3

"The Secret Case of Brooklyn" is actually the story of a city. The name and identity of Brooklyn in the film are symbolic. It not only promotes the plot, but also symbolizes the behavior of the protagonist, which can be regarded as an anthropomorphic city.

There are two clues in the film, one is official and political corruption, and the other is ethnic conflict. The conspiracy behind the city is partly similar to "Chinatown".

"Chinatown"

The sensitivity of the theme is also one of the reasons why the film has changed the story's age from the nineties to the fifties, and transplanted it to a more distant period.

However, "Brooklyn Secret Case" is not only a line of political conspiracy, but also a dark line, racial contradictions mixed with problems of rich and poor.

Brooklyn is facing Randall, who controls the city. No one is elected and no one can let him step down. He created his own department. He is the most powerful person in the city.

Randall built the park and perfected the infrastructure. He was regarded as a hero, but he also ignored many people.

The bridge to the beach was built so that buses could not pass, only private cars could pass, and the voices of the poor and many blacks were completely ignored.

But his construction of bridges does have a positive effect on the development of the city, and his contribution will be for later generations. This is exactly where the problem lies. Simple good and evil cannot be measured. This is the inevitable situation of the times.

"The Brooklyn Secret" portrays the period of urban transformation very delicately, and the soundtrack is also good, but it has many shortcomings.

The film can see Norton's ambitions to be conveyed through adaptation and performance, but the result is not as expected, and it has not become a hit.

First of all, the rhythm is not a small problem, the whole movie is dull and unattractive. In addition, there is almost no focus, and many places fall into clichés. In the end, even the performance fell into a stalemate, which was disappointing.

Generally speaking, it is difficult for the film to be classified as a masterpiece, and the look and feel is not very enjoyable. Rather, I was looking at a feeling, Norton’s idol halo feelings.

But as a suspenseful crime film, the process of searching for the truth is quite interesting.

So, it depends on whether you like Norton or not, and this type of film, Samsung and a half.

View more about Motherless Brooklyn reviews

Extended Reading
  • Sidney 2022-04-22 07:01:38

    OST is brilliant. It's really refreshing to watch the old drama Gu Biao Xi, Ed's interpretation of Tourette's Syndrome is so vivid that I suspect that his acting may leave sequelae. Brooklyn is now the most chaotic area in New York, and how this has evolved since Mose, I really want to know if I have a chance.

  • Aryanna 2022-04-24 07:01:15

    2020.02.06 Maybe I want to make another "LA Confidential", but the gap is really big. As a suspense film, the plot is very loose, and the story is obviously not complicated. It is just trivial to try to improve the IQ level of the script, but it lacks a sense of rhythm, which causes the audience to be at a loss many times. There is also a very important question: the characters, the characters do not stand up! Check out "Los Angeles Confidential"!

Motherless Brooklyn quotes

  • Lionel Essrog: Frank told me once, if you're up against someone bigger than you, someone you can't beat toe to toe, make 'em think you respect their size, and then cut a deal that lets you walk out in one piece. Then figure out a way to stick it to 'em later without leaving your prints on the knife.

  • [first lines]

    Lionel Essrog: [narrating] Frank always used to say, "Tell your story walkin', pal." He was more philosophical than your average gumshoe, but he liked to do his talkin' on the move, so here's how it all went down. I got somethin' wrong with my head. That's the first thing to know.

    Lionel Essrog: [real life] If!

    Lionel Essrog: [narrating] It's like having glass in the brain. I can't stop pickin' things apart... twistin' 'em around, reassembling 'em. Words and sounds, especially. It's like an itch that has to be scratched.

    Gilbert Coney: [about a sweater snag] Quit pullin' at it! You're gonna make a fuckin' mess out of things.

    Lionel Essrog: [real life] I got threads in my heads. I got threads in my heads! I got threads in my heads, man!

    Lionel Essrog: [narrating] And I twitch a lot. It's hard to miss. It makes me look like a goddamn spastic, but if I try to hold it back, it just makes it worse.