Dartmouth students can get a sneak preview of Columbia's "The Bone Collector" tonight, a psychological drama starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. The movie details the efforts of quadriplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme (Washington) and his colleague, Amelia Donaghy (Jolie), to decode the cryptic clues left behind at a serial killer's crime scenes.
Washington's character is portrayed as a legend within the NYPD for his abilities to detect forensic clues where others see nothing. Detective Rhyme, confined to a high-tech bed designed specifically for quadriplegics, needs Donaghy to bring him physical evidence but also values her analytical input as they dissect the killer's psyche.
Jolie plays Amelia Donaghy as a "feisty, street-smart policewoman" according to Columbia. Donaghy is a young, beleaguered crime scene photographer who is about to be transferred to a desk job before Rhyme enlists her to help him with the intriguing case of the Bone Collector.
The two stars are supported by such cast members as Queen Latifah as Rhyme's caregiver and Ed O'Neil (of "Married with Children" fame) as the predictably grizzled, I've-seen-it-all former partner of Rhyme.
Publicity for the film focuses extensively on the two main characters and mentions the serial killer himself only in passing, suggesting that "The Bone Collector" will focus on Rhyme's coping with his paralysis and Donaghy's discovery of a new passion for police work. So don't go to the theater expecting a meaty forensic murder mystery, or you will likely be disappointed.
"The Bone Collector" plays tonight at 9 p.m. in Spaulding Auditorium. The film is free for DFS passholders.
