I've Got a Bone to Pick
Bone Collector Breaks Mystery Rules

Two things bother me about crime movies: figuring out the killer too easily, and not being able to figure out the killer at all. Each is a result of poor writing. Either the story is not complex enough to fool the average reader, or the writer cheats and pulls the killer's identity out of left field. In the case of The Bone Collector, the investigation was doomed from the start.

I grew up on a steady diet of television detective shows. From "Barnaby Jones" to "The Rockford Files," I watched them all. One of my favorites was "Quincy M.E." The idea of solving crimes based on forensic evidence fascinated me. Naturally, The Bone Collector interested me from the beginning.

The central character of the film is Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington), a disabled ex-cop, a forensic scientist now paralyzed from the neck down. Years after his accident, Rhyme is approached by Detective Paulie Sellitto (Ed O'Neill) to help in the investigation of a murder. Someone has abducted a man and woman from the airport, leaving the man buried in a train yard. Only the man's hand is above ground, with his wife's ring on his flayed finger.

Adding to the unusual nature of the body found, the killer also left a number of clues at the crime scene to lure the police to the next body. One of the clues indicates that they may have time to save her if they find her fast enough. Aiding Rhyme as his eyes, ears, and legs in the investigation is a patrol officer named Amelia (Angelina Jolie).

Although the premise is interesting, the movie breaks one cardinal rule of mystery stories. I'm not spoiling anything to mention that the killer essentially comes out of left field in the last reel of the film. Trying to solve these murders is an exercise in futility. There is no way anyone watching could have imagined the identity of the killer and his motives.

I was disappointed that the forensic procedure -- the meat of the book -- was missing from the movie. It is understandable, considering the restraints of a two hour movie. To it's credit, the movie provides a better ending, something the book sorely lacked.

Washington is a man of extraordinary talent. When I saw that he had been chosen to play the quadriplegic Lincoln Rhyme, I knew he could do it. He has the ability to convey so much emotion through his eyes and face. Even limited to moving his head and one finger, he can still dominate a scene.

Although it probably deserves a 4, I'm giving The Bone Collector a 5. Washington delivers an outstanding performance, and makes the movie worth watching even though the storyline is watered down and ineffective.

MY RATING: 5 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 118 min.