Mr. Brooks 2007

Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner), a suave and successful entrepreneur, has just been feted by the Portland Chamber of Commerce with the prestigious “Man of the Year” award. Yet, beneath the façade of his esteemed reputation, lies a darker truth - Brooks is a serial killer, notorious for his meticulous modus operandi as the elusive “Thumbprint Killer”. Having curbed his murderous impulses for two years through attendance at 12-step meetings for addicts, Brooks has developed an uneasy truce with his inner demons. However, as his alter ego, Marshall (William Hurt), grows increasingly restless and demanding, the urge to kill begins to resurface.

Brooks’ clandestine activities are marked by a fastidious attention to detail, including meticulous preparation and a fanatical commitment to cleanliness. He even goes so far as to lock doors behind him after each gruesome act, leaving nothing but a trail of bloody thumbprints in his wake - a signature calling card that serves as both a confession and an invitation to further carnage.

Meanwhile, Brooks’ daughter Jane (Danielle Panabaker) returns home from her stint at Palo Alto College, having abandoned her studies amidst the uncertainty of motherhood. Her sudden arrival at Brooks’ workplace sets off a chain reaction, as she expresses a desire to join the family business and start anew. This development coincides with the appearance of “Mr. Smith” (Dane Cook), a mysterious figure armed with incriminating photographs of Brooks at his latest crime scene.

The same day, Mrs. Brooks (Marg Helgenberger) reveals to her husband that Jane is pregnant, further complicating their already precarious domestic situation. As the stakes continue to rise, detectives from Palo Alto arrive on the Brookses’ doorstep, seeking to interview Jane about a brutal hatchet murder that has shaken the campus of her former dorm.

As Brooks and his darker half, Marshall, grapple with the truth behind Jane’s involvement in the crime, they are torn between their desire to shield her from the consequences and the realization that she may be irredeemably tainted by her own darkness. Ultimately, Brooks employs an alternate identity to commit a similar murder on the other side of town, thereby creating a diversion that exonerates his daughter and maintains the illusion of a lone serial killer wreaking havoc across the Pacific Northwest.

As the self-proclaimed “Thumbprint Killer” (Demi Moore), Brooks (Jason Lewis) is consumed by an insatiable craving for carnage, yet harbors a deep-seated desire to abandon his murderous ways. Fearing capture and the subsequent shame that would befall his family, Brooks concocts a meticulously planned scheme: feigning terminal illness, he will leave behind a cryptic note, never to return. This diabolical plan is set in motion as Brooks researches the personal life of Detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore), discovering her embroiled in a tumultuous divorce from Jesse Vialo (Jason Lewis). Seizing this opportunity, Brooks targets Vialo and his lawyer, Reiko Aylesworth, as the first “victims” on his list.

As Smith (Jason Lewis) is dispatched at the scene of the crime, Brooks’ panic prompts an involuntary act: leaving behind a telltale DNA sample in the form of urine. Unbeknownst to Brooks, this careless mistake will soon prove to be his downfall. Meanwhile, Marshall and Brooks had predicted that their accomplice would eventually turn on them; indeed, Smith’s betrayal is inevitable.

Brooks takes Smith to a cemetery he owns, where he outlines a chilling plan: Smith will shoot him, and then cover his body with just enough dirt to conceal it. The next day, a coffin will be lowered into the grave, effectively erasing Brooks’ existence from the face of the earth. But fate has other plans.

Smith attempts to deliver the fatal blow, only to find that his gun is rendered useless by the cleverly manipulated firing pin. This twist sends Brooks reeling, and he is suddenly filled with an overwhelming desire to reconnect with his long-lost grandchild. In a stunning turn of events, Brooks turns on Smith, striking a decisive blow with a shovel.

With the only DNA evidence tracing back to Smith’s urine sample at the crime scene, Brooks remains undetected as “Mr. Smith” is named the new “Thumbprint Killer.” As he returns to his normal life, Brooks cannot resist the urge to reach out to Detective Atwood (Demi Moore), with whom he has developed a begrudging respect. She shares her motivations for becoming a police officer: a desire to prove herself in spite of her wealthy father’s expectations.

As Brooks hangs up the phone, he is met with a haunting nightmare, wherein Jane kills him, hinting at his deep-seated fear that she will eventually follow in his footsteps.