Motherless Brooklyn (2019)

A great gumshoe tale is irresistible, and these tales have a history of speaking up for the "little guy," as they would have said, or "the marginalized" as we would say today. Motherless Brooklyn takes up that torch and runs with it in our modern way. This story centres a neurodivergent man and has him uncovering structural racism and the way white men wield power because they believe they are entitled to. And it is all wrapped up in a fun, gripping old school P.I mystery.

The only critique I've really heard of the film is its length. This is often coded in words like "pacing." But watching Motherless Brooklyn I was never bored, no scene felt superfluous, I remained engaged and excited each step of the way. Are our attention spans so diminished by the streaming ability to pause movies that we can't sit through 144 minutes of a good story without complaining. Motherless Brooklyn takes the time it needs to tell its story, and it is a good one. Let it be told to you.

Ed Notron takes on the triple threat job of writing, directing and starring in this adaption of a novel. His direction and writing is mostly rudimentary but sufficient. As I said the film doesn't drag and just lets its story be told. There might not be a lot remarkable about that part of his work although it is admirable that it just as good as it needs to be. But then there is his performance, not surprising I know, that is what makes the film. His Lionel is a revelation. He never plays his character for laughs, instead painting a full portrait of a man whose difference is his superpower, not an obstacle to overcome.

And he's not alone. Alex Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Willem Dafoe, Michael K Williams, Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale, are all great. He's assembled a true ensemble here to support his central figure.

So Motherless Brooklyn is the whole package; a great story filled with great performances with an underlying message of compassion and justice. Just the kind of film I enjoy seeing.

Motherless Brooklyn
Starring: Edward Norton, Alex Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Willem Dafoe, Michael K Williams, Cherry Jones, Bobby Cannavale, Bruce Willis, Leslie Mann
Writer/Director: Edward Norton