Hats And American Noir

A scathing review has it that Ed Norton optioned the source novel for Motherless Brooklyn with a cynical view to picking himself up an Oscar for portraying the central afflicted character - the disabilty in question being Tourette's Syndrome. That may or not be true but, whatever, he didn't get the award and the performance is nonetheless a tour de force shot through with humour and compassion. Norton also adapted, produced and directed so this stands as a fairly formidable cinematic achievement. Yes, the film is too long and relies overly on exposition in its dialogue. But the nods to film noir are pleasing and the necessary hats are fabulous. For those with an eye to less-than-subtle nuance there is even a bit of Trump bashing in Alec Baldwin's portrayal of the villainous property developer. Not, then, a great film but a very good one. 71/100.