Twenty years in the making, Edward Norton’s passion project Motherless Brooklyn finds the famed actor working quadruple duty as writer, director, producer and star of this inventive adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s novel of the same name.
Growing up an orphan with Tourette syndrome, Lionel (Norton) spent his early years trying to find his place in the world. Then private detective Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) took him under his wing. Now a full-fledged employee of Frank’s agency, Lionel finds his world turned upside down when Frank is murdered. Determined to solve the mystery of who killed his mentor, Lionel sets off on a quest that takes him from Brooklyn to Harlem, where he discovers a trail of shocking political corruption in the process.
With a remarkable sense of style, Norton’s adaptation reimagines Lethem’s lauded 1999 novel as a gumshoe detective story taking place in the 1950s. Nailing the film noir aesthetic thanks to impeccable camerawork from cinematographer Dick Pope, Norton’s film is a creative and deeply ambitious sight to behold. With a star-studded supporting cast made up of Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Willem Dafoe, Motherless Brooklyn is a testament to the power of personal dedication – both in the memorable characterization of Lionel, and the resolute commitment of Edward Norton himself.
Oct 13, 2019, 5 PM
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