Less hard-boiled than tender-hearted, Motherless Brooklyn is a fascinating, sweeping film that showcases what is best and worst in the genre. Edward Norton's latest feels much like a passion project -- his name is all over the credits -- and fits most squarely in film noir, something I don't think anyone really expected from him. His clear determination to get it right often makes the film feel sentimental, which is not quite a proper noir attribute, but his emotional intelligence keeps things grounded and intensely relevant.
That is, if you can follow the convoluted story. This is where I get lost in most noir: I get taken in and carried along by the setting, lighting, atmosphere, costumes, and acting, and I completely lose track of the plot. So much of it is relegated to anti-dramatic exposition -- that is, a femme fatale describing the crime, a mob boss describing his innocence, a detective piecing together disparate stories -- in voiceover or dimly lit P.I. offices. They toss around names and places and connections like we can catch it all, and frankly I have trouble remembering my own age. And if you, like Norton, stretch your mystery across two-and-a-half hours, you can kiss my memory of details farewell.
From what I do remember, Norton plays a detective in 1950s New York, working with his foster brothers under their boss and surrogate father Bruce Willis (forgive me, but I'll never remember all these characters' names). Norton's character, the titular "Motherless Brooklyn", has Tourette's Syndrome, which often causes some friction with others and his ability to blend in while investigating -- he's often also called "Freak Show" -- but he has an invaluable photographic memory. When Willis is killed by criminals, Norton embarks on a dizzying descent into the criminal underbelly of his hometown.
It sounds simple enough, but the criminals are in fact those lording over the city, and the film quickly changes tactics. Before the halfway point, we're already enmeshed in conspiracies over urban planning and gentrification, and if you think this isn't the stuff neo-noir stories should be concerned with, think again. It's a thrilling and confusing web of thieving businessmen and genocidal politicians all angling for power and money in an atmosphere of secrecy and impunity for those with titles and cash. Enter Alec Baldwin, whose city planning developer is more interested in roads and parks and displacing nonwhite folks than in actually building a community, and Cherry Jones, a grassroots activist fighting the forced removal of immigrant and minority workers. Norton becomes a sort of Dante, guided by Gugu Mbatha-raw's Virgil, climbing from the depths of dark alleyways to the well-lit offices of public officials where he finally confronts the capitalist devil himself.
Civic corruption and racism go hand-in-hand here, but for all the film's damning indictment of U.S. gentrification (in the 50s, sure, but also today; it's hard not to think of Baldwin's impression of Trump on SNL while watching him here, though here he's far more sinister and believable) it remains eminently watchable. This is because it flirts with noir tropes while subverting many others, making it a unique project working toward, I suspect, a re-evaluation of the genre. Norton is sweet and caring, not chauvinistic or entitled. Mbatha-raw is not forced into a role of dutiful sidekick, sex icon, or victim/villain, but is given ample space to craft a strong, standalone character who chooses a mutually beneficial romance with Norton. Norton's perceived disability gives him a fresh and useful perspective he uses to the advantage of others; he's no chainsmoking Bogart in a fedora and trenchcoat looking for the next broad to bang.
It's fascinating to me that, by displacing the film to the 50s and layering it behind steam rising from street vents and jazz music wafting on salty breezes, Norton's messages ring clear and true in 2019. Motherless Brooklyn is a rewarding viewing experience, if you're into mystery and confusion and that feeling of melancholy that follows most of the best noir pictures. But be warned, it's the kind of movie that you have to watch and listen to the whole time if you don't want to get lost. Look away for a moment and you could miss valuable information. That's a lot to ask for with a runtime this taxing.
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