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Motherless Brooklyn

Motherless Brooklyn

Drama · Thriller · 2019

New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.

Movie details

Motherless Brooklyn

2019 Drama · Thriller 2h 25m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.7 / 10

Community rating

New York City, 1957. Lionel Essrog, a private detective living with Tourette syndrome, tries to solve the murder of his mentor and best friend, armed only with vague clues and the strength of his obsessive mind.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Motherless Brooklyn?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Edward Norton

Written by

Edward Norton

Edward Norton

Edward Norton

Lionel Essrog

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis

Frank Minna

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Laura Rose

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin

Moses Randolph

Willem Dafoe

Willem Dafoe

Paul Randolph

Bobby Cannavale

Bobby Cannavale

Tony Vermonte

Cherry Jones

Cherry Jones

Gabby Horowitz

Court is in session

Put Motherless Brooklyn on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.