The Bone Collector

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UK Release Date: January 14th 2000

A quadriplegic ex-homicide detective and his female partner try to track down a serial killer who is terrorizing New York City.

Director: Phillip Noyce (Salt, Sliver, Patriot Games)

Starring: Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker

Before John Q and the highly successful Training Day came The Bone Collector, a thriller centred on a serial killer that leaves a human bone at every crime scene. Rookie cop Amelia Donaghy (Jolie) stumbles upon the first body and makes some quick, sensible decisions that lands her as the one and only forensics member on the case. She's aided by Denzel Washington's Lincoln Rhyme, who's fully paralysed apart from the use of his index finger. It's convenient but all he needs to help Jolie. 

There are two major factors that stop The Bone Collector from crumbling in to dust. The first is the cast. A quadraplegic and a newbie is a rare but effective pairing. Washington, as we're use to seeing, is sublime, putting drama and genuine emotion above anything else. His condition at times shadows the serious issues at hand. It's a difficult one because his acting prowess is stronger than the story itself. The same goes for Jolie, who takes the pressure of a lonesome rider perfectly. She teeters on the burden of her new job with its emotional upheaval. There's no surprise that she fast become one of the biggest A-listers in Hollywood.

The second factor is the crime scenes. They are laid out with utter finesse, with a lot of evidence to make the brain ache. Jolie's Donaghy and down-trodden music create suspense. The Bone Collector has us guessing until the end, but the ending spoils a consistent turnout. As an audience we like to work things out ourselves, but TBC spoons feeds us instead. We'd never had suspected the outcome when there are no motives to show in the first place. Besides that, it does have some great photography and camera work similar to Silence of the Lambs, so we're kept guessing until this pivotal moment.