The Bone Collector (1999)

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers (WGA):

Jeffery Deaver (book)
Jeremy Iacone (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 November 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Two cops on the trail of a brutal killer. They must see as one, they must act as one, they must think as one, before the next victim falls.

Plot:

Denzel Washington plays a quadriplegic homicide detective. He and his female partner track down a serial killer.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Quadriplegic | Crime Scene | Police | Seizure

Awards:

3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Feb. 10	11:00 PM	AMC
Thur. Feb. 11	2:30 PM	AMC

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Denzel Washington	...	Lincoln Rhyme
Angelina Jolie	...	Amelia Donaghy
Queen Latifah	...	Thelma
Michael Rooker	...	Captain Howard Cheney
Mike McGlone	...	Detective Kenny Solomon
Luis Guzmán	...	Eddie Ortiz (as Luis Guzman)
Leland Orser	...	Richard Thompson
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Dr. Barry Lehman
Bobby Cannavale	...	Steve, Amelia's Boyfriend
Ed O'Neill	...	Detective Paulie Sellitto
Richard Zeman	...	Lieutenant Carl Hanson
Olivia Birkelund	...	Lindsay Rubin
Gary Swanson	...	Alan Rubin
James Bulleit	...	Train Engineer (as Jim Bulleit)
Frank Fontaine	...	Grandfather

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violent content including grisly images, and for language.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:M | Norway:18 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36863) | Philippines:R-18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In Jeffery Deaver's novel Angelina Jolie's character Amelia Donaghy was named Amelia Sachs. The filmmakers changed it because it "sounded a lot like 'sex'".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dective Kenny Solomon checks on Ameila at her apartment, he enters through her kitchen window. After he enters the window is shut. Then they go into the next room and you see the window open in the background.

Quotes:

Rhyme: Do you know who I am?
Amelia: I read your manual at the academy.
Rhyme: Yeah? What did you think of it?
Amelia: I'm not a book critic, sir.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: The Making of 'Girl, Interrupted' (#7.1)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Bed of nails

Above Average Serial Killer Flick, But Ruined By a Ridiculous Ending...

The Bone Collector

The serial-killer genre received a big boost over a decade ago when 'The Silence of the Lambs' was released; Hannibal Lector himself spawned a newfound interest in not the slasher genre of the eighties, but of the psychological slashers.

Unfortunately, like all movies and their genres, they simply get…old. I'm tired of serial killer movies that try to cash in on the success of 'The Silence of the Lambs.' We've had countless films over the years since 'Silence' that are just tragic rehashes of each other with predictable and ridiculous endings.

Now we have 'The Bone Collector,' another typical 'psychological thriller' brought to life by a great cast and director.

Angelina Jolie plays the cop-on-the-streets who discovers a corpse next to a railroad. She immediately sparks interest in herself as the chief of police starts watching over her more, and a paraplegic man named Lincoln (Denzel Washington) summons her to his home to ask her a simple question.

Washington wants Jolie to help him catch the killer.

Denzel Washington plays Lincoln, a man who used to be big but is now immobile. His only moveable joint below his neck is a single finger, which he uses to click a computer mouse by his bed. He is watched over by Queen Latifah, a caring woman, sure, but not exactly loving.

'The Bone Collector,' based on the novel of the same name by Jeffery Deaver, could easily have slipped into the average slot, but because of a great cast, is just good enough to recommend. There are some gut-wrenching scenes in 'The Bone Collector,' but then there are some scenes (including the end) that recede into the stereotypical psychological thriller.

Director Phillip Noyce uses some great shadowing and a dark, moody atmosphere to bring the surroundings of his film to life. Exterior shots are dark and withdrawn, and interior shots are almost brighter. It is as if the darkness symbolizes the chemistry in the characters. The more Denzel talks to Jolie the brighter the room gets; when they are outside it is darker. Why? Because she doesn't know anyone outside. It is as if the surroundings are tailored around her character's emotions. She's happy, it's bright. She sad, it's dark. Etc…

All in all, I was going to give 'The Bone Collector' a higher recommendation than three stars before I saw the ending, but it turned out to be quite ridiculous and average; plus, it was very predictable. I guessed it before it happened.

3/5 stars –

John Ulmer