I saw the trailer for this one, and thought it was an interesting premise, but Costner movies are so hit or miss. He's the LAST person on earth that I'd expect to be playing a serial killer. His demeanor is too gentle and even. WOW was I right, and that's what makes the movie. That slow, gentle, deliberate pace gives it a surreal sense of unease that a lesser actor couldn't match. It is exactly his everyman persona that makes this movie work.

In the tone of the movie, I was thrown by Costner's previous work as well. He's best known for somewhat light and under-realized fare. Mr. Brooks is anything but. This is a very, very dark movie, to the point that it's uncomfortable in places.

Kudos as well to William Hurt, who isn't known for playing this sort of role either. His character could easily descend into cliché, but it doesn't. He holds the right note, and the chemistry between him and Costner is tangible.

Over the top torture/gorefests have been the flavor of the month. Don't get me wrong -- I love High Tension and it's ilk, but it's nice to see a film that doesn't have to go for the visceral reaction to achieve it's tension. This is an assault to the mind, not the eyes, and it's exceptionally well done.

• Danielle Panabaker plays the daughter of Mr. Brooks (Kevin Costner) and Mrs. Brooks (Marg Helgenberger). Panabaker's younger sister, Kay Panabaker plays the recurring role of Lindsey Willows, the daughter of Catherine Willows (also played by Marg Helgenberger) on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000) for CBS.
• According to interviews with Kevin Costner, this is supposedly the first movie in a trilogy.
• The prayer Mr. Brooks repeats throughout the movie is called "Serenity Prayer" written by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. This prayer is in use in Alcoholics Anonymous since the early 1940s. Mr. Brooks visits AA-meetings to curb his morbid addiction.