About the film (courtesy of Warner Bros.):
Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, Motherless Brooklyn follows Lionel Essrog (Norton), a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna (Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the powerful engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely-guarded secrets that hold the fate of the whole city in the balance. In a mystery that carries him from ginsoaked jazz clubs in Harlem to the hard-edged slums of Brooklyn and, finally, into the gilded halls of New York’s power brokers, Lionel contends with thugs, corruption and the most dangerous man in the city to honor his friend and save the woman who might be his own salvation.

It’s been almost two full decades since Edward Norton has been behind the camera. He obviously felt that a novel by Jonathan Lethem, penned 30 years ago, was reason enough to entice the accomplished actor to handle multiple facets of this adaptation. Norton not only directs and stars, but he also wrote the screenplay and serves as one of the producers. To say that he has a vested interest in this project would be putting it mildly. This is clearly one of those projects that Norton put his heart and soul into, thus making it an extension of himself. With the talented actor going all-in, he must truly believe in this story. The question is, will you become a believer in Motherless Brooklyn?

Having watched the trailer ahead of time and taking note of the extended runtime, it was extremely obvious that Mr. Norton had a story to tell and that he was going to take his time presenting it in the way that he wanted. Featuring a robust 144 minutes of material, audiences will need to pack their patience a bit and not look for instant gratification. The story is not in any hurry to reach it’s final destination, and much like a scenic train ride through the country, you should instead focus on the journey rather than the finish line. While being a bit slow at times, Motherless Brooklyn is piecing together a complex puzzle that will become completely visible for a while. So rather than looking ahead, sit back and enjoy the ride.

Edward Norton, as Lionel Essrog, is completely convincing in his role with his afflictions feeling completely authentic. You can’t help but root for and take a vested interest in this lead character. There are many talented actors providing solid performances throughout. From heavyweights like Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe, to established actors such as Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Leslie Mann and Michael Kenneth Williams, Motherless Brooklyn has lots of recognizable faces throughout. There’s no shortage quality performers here.

As a director, Norton brings all of these people together and affords each of them something that will keep audiences engaged in their exploits. A welcome thing that Motherless Brooklyn does is that it will allow you to laugh or chuckle every now and again, keeping this from being too dry of a production. The cinematography is also worth noting, as it is a visually pleasing representation of the New York setting in the 1950s. From the clothing styles to the smooth jazz, you become blanketed in the authentic feel.

Motherless Brooklyn is the kind of movie that you just have to stick with and wait for everything to play out. If you jump to early conclusions or try to hurry the story along, it’ll take away from the viewing pleasure. The pace is a tad on the slow side early on, but it gets more interesting as the plot is further revealed. This is not a bad piece of directing from Norton, and he should be proud of what he’s able to present. This crime drama does just enough keep you interested for the majority of its slow reveal. In theaters now.