The Bone Collector (1999)

3 out of 4

Starring: Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Michael Rooker, Ed O'Neill

Director: Phillip Noyce

Time: 118 mins

Since the release of David Fincher's Seven in 1995, nearly every grisly serial killer movie has been described in terms of that film. Indeed, Phillip Noyce's (Dead Calm, Sliver, Clear and Present Danger) latest thriller, The Bone Collector, based on a novel by Jeffrey Deaver, could be labelled as Seven meets Rear Window. There are enough gruesome murders to recall the former, and a bed-confined protagonist to remind one of the latter.

Denzel Washington is Lincoln Rhyme, a former detective with a flair for forensics who is bed-ridden because of an accident that damaged his spine. When young cop Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) finds the corpse of a rich man, Rhyme is called upon to assist. As clues lead to the whereabouts of the next victim, Rhyme uses Amelia to examine the crime scene, before the other police ruin it. Soon, both Amelia and Rhyme are under observation, by both the killer and a peeved police captain (Michael Rooker).

It seems almost a given in this type of film to make each successive murder more grisly than the last. Here we are not spared much of the gory details, and in a macabre way it keeps our attention glued to the screen. In Seven some of the methods of killing were too painful to contemplate, and while The Bone Collector doesn't reach the same gruesome depths, the sight of the corpses are still only for those who don't wince at such images. There is a fair bit of tension when Amelia approaches each new victim, but it is hard to believe that she would be the only one directed to do so on the pretence that all other cops would mess up the crime scene. Surely there are other forensics or fingerprinting experts who would ensure no evidence is destroyed? In the end, the identity of the killer may be a surprise, but the climax isn't. Too many of these types of movies leads to certain expectations regarding suspenseful, action-oriented finales, and The Bone Collector follows everything to the letter. It is in this aspect where Seven is more successful, as it reveals the killer relatively early, and yet still hits you with a startling final twist.

Denzel Washington turns in one of his more animated performances, able to concentrate on the job when required, and yet still trade jokes with his strict but understanding nurse (Queen Latifah). Angelina Jolie, the daughter of Jon Voigt, surprises with her delicate portrayal of Amelia, a cop who has talent and knows it, but may not be prepared for the ordeal. The supporting actors are fine, though Rooker plays one of those annoying police bosses that turn up all too often in police films.

The Bone Collector will not win any awards for originality, but it is a fairly gripping way to spend two hours. There is enough morbidity to satisfy fans of this type of thing, and enough entertainment for the rest of us.

(c) Joe Wong