Mr. Brooks - Can Dane Cook Handle a Psychological Thriller?

In only his second big production where he is the main character Dane Cook plays Mr. Smith in the Psychological thriller Mr. Brooks. Can Dane Cook handle such a serious role this early in his film career? Many of you know Dane Cook as the energetic standup comic whose antics have recently landed him in the film world as he has blown up in the Myspace revolution. The popular guy was a big hit in Employee of the Month, but will his follow up film show a different side of the Dane Train that many have grown to love?

Mr. Brooks is about Earl Brooks (Kevin Costner) a family man and local business man who is respected in the community. Mr. Brooks has a dark side to him that no one has seen and has an alter ego Marshall (William Hurt), who he blames for his "other" behavior. Detective Tracey Atwood (Demi Moore) is trying to solve the crimes committed by Mr. Brooks but a lack of evidence is frustrating her and she has no leads. When Brooks is compelled by Marshall to do one final murder, he gets sloppy and a voyeuristic neighbor Mr. Smith (Dane Cook) catches the act with his camera. Mr. Smith has a strange blackmail scheme. To make things worse Jane (Danielle Panabaker) Mr. Smith's daughter has announced plans to drop out of college. With all of the players of the game on his trail Mr. Brooks and Marshall are forced to play out the elaborate game.

So Dane Cook takes on a huge role in this film, although it's not a main character in the story it is a character he isn't accustomed to playing. Dane goes from the funny man in Employee of the Month to a twisted voyeur trying to blackmail a killer. This is a huge change from the Dane Train's typical role in anything he has ever done. I still remember Nick Miranda from Simon Sez, if you had seen Dane in that role you would never think of him as serious actor. He has definitely come a long way since his start in Hollywood, but can he handle this role and will he deliver a believable character?