Review of "The Bone Collector" by

"The Bone Collector" is a thoguhtful thriller starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Jolie plays Officer Amelia Donaghy, a NYPD beat cop who discovers a dead body on a subway track in a tunnel underneath a bridge. Her aspiration to become a detective leads her to go to extreme measures to preserve the crime scene by flagging down an oncoming train, and having one of the onlookers go buy her a disposable camera so she can photograph the clues she discovers. Her astute actions catch the attention of Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington), who used to be the head of a special investigations unit until he was injured while rescuing a victim of a collapsed building. He is now a parapalegic, confined to his bed which is equipped with a special interface to his computer that responds to his voice commands and a mouth wand. Ryhme is called in to consult on the case when the special investigation unit find that the evidence found by Officer Donaghy link it to a serial killer that Rhyme had been hunting for before his accident.

"The Bone Collector" is a chilling story in many respects. The serial killer is a true sadist who forces his victims to slowly watch their death approach. And while we only get to see the end result, knowing how these people were effectively tortured and that the killer will keep on killing in this hideous manner until he is caught, keeps the tension high. At the same time, we are forced to come to grips with Rhyme's desire to die rather than spend years confined to his bed is a constant companion to this character-driven crime drama. Denzel Washington displays his versatility as an actor as he struggles with his frustration and hopelessness and at the same time engages his extraordinary skills as a forensic detective, all while unable to move only his head. It's an entertaining detective story and a morality play rolled into one. It will get your heart pumping on a cold winter night.