The Bone Collector

Lincoln Rhyme (Washington) is a legendary forensics cop bedridden after an accident, but that doesn't stop him leading an investigation to track down a serial killer, since patrolwoman Amelia Donaghy (Jolie) is on hand to do all the legwork. It isn't too hard to figure what follows from this contrived scenario: lots of gruesome slayings to be picked over, set-pieces where Jolie has to creep around in the dark wondering if the maniac is going to leap out, and a romance angle between her and Washington. The material is dreck, no doubt, but all concerned give it top class treatment. Washington is commanding as he barks orders to the support team, director Noyce is enough of a technician to make sure the film pushes the right suspense buttons, and the art direction at the crime scenes is so hideous you suspect they had real life psychos place the dismembered limbs just so. In the end, though, a final reel of chin dropping idiocy makes all this a wasted effort, and you leave with the feeling that a nasty bit of work has merely been tarted up for our delectation.