Motherless Brooklyn has all the elements to make a great crime drama, but it meanders its way into the meh.
The film was a passion project for writer, director, producer and star Edward Norton and he takes the lead role of private investigator Lionel Essrog, a man who becomes set on getting to the bottom of the suspicious killing of his friend and mentor. Whether it's a passion or vanity project, is up for debate.
Set in 1950s New York, but based on a novel of the same name set in the 1990s, Norton goes noir and though the storyline itself, and the look and feel of the film, promise something great, the execution doesn't hit the mark.
Watch our interview with Edward Norton:
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As the political element to the story kicks in and solid performances from Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe come forward, that's where the real story is and where intrigue lies for the audience, but the disjointed way of dealing with the subplots and bringing the moving pieces together feels somewhat self-indulgent.
At times very enjoyable, with some beautiful cinematography and a wonderful score, but overall quite forgettable.
