The Bone Collector is a 1999 drama-mystery-thriller film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. The movie was based on a crime novel written by Jeffery Deaver, concerning the quadriplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme. It was the first book of the Lincoln Rhyme series.

A quadriplegic ex-forensics specialist, Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) and a patrol police, Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie), team up to solve a series of murders all related to a serial killer by his signature: a single shard of bone is took from each of the sufferers. Rhyme is bed-ridden, but communicates with Amelia through phone as she examines the numerous crime scenes and collects evidence and reports back to him. Lincoln is completely oblivious to Amelia’s astonishing good looks – they operate on a completely professional point, and Lincoln’s almost morbid interest in her is based on her professionalism and flair for crime solving.

The murderer fakes as a New York cab driver, and kidnaps and kills those who get in his taxi. The first two sufferers are a married couple named Alan and Lindsay Rubin, who get a taxi home but then find themselves kidnapped by the assassin. Amelia uncovers Alan’s body covered in a Civil War-era railroad bed. She also discovers a piece of shellfish, which eventually leads Amelia – working with Rhyme – to Alan’s wife, and a piece of paper. The detectives find Mrs. Rubin, too late, at a steam junction in a below ground services area of a building in the financial district, secured using old handcuffs or shackles at the mouth of a pipe which emits steam. She has been scalded to demise from the steam. The executioner has also removed a bit of flesh and bone from her arm. Amelia uncovers another piece of paper at the scene.

The killer then abducts an NYU undergraduate. He is taken to a ruined slaughterhouse where he is tied to a pole and gutted with a knife, and left for rats to feed on. Amelia and Rhyme, using the clue left by the assassin at the sight of Lindsay Rubin’s demise, find the victim, but again too late to rescue him. Again, the executioner has took a piece of the victim’s bone. Amelia is able to collect the data, including another scrap of paper. The pressure of the tense inspection and practical challenges to both Amelia’s and Rhyme’s involvement with the case are having grave impacts on Rhyme’s fitness and steadiness.

chasing piecing together the message the murderer was sending using the scraps of paper, Amelia and Rhyme are led to an old book of short stories, which in turn leads them to the slayer’s next victims, a grandfather and granddaughter tied to a pier as the tide rises. The girl is rescued, but her grandfather dies. At the scene, Amelia finds another bone, an old police badge, and an old subway map. These clues, and an earlier hint left by the assassin at the sight of Mrs Rubin’s death lead Amelia to an discarded subway stop, in which Amelia sees a few numbers which have been tampered with to spell out Rhyme’s police badge number. Amelia then figures out that the bone collector is following Rhyme.

The bone collector arrives at Rhyme’s home, and after murder Rhyme’s nurse Thelma (Queen Latifah) and Captain Howard Cheney (Michael Rooker) it is revealed that he is the medical technician who cares for Rhyme’s medical tools. The technician, Richard Thompson (Leland Orser), is an ex-forensic police who wants settle scores because in the past, Rhyme’s testimony helped condemn the assassin of planting false proof at crime scenes. The consequence is that Richard was brutalized in jail and his life ruined. Still then, Rhyme manages to jam Richard’s hand by flapping his bed horizontal, and in effort to free himself, Richard pulls Rhyme with him and they both collapse to the floor. Rhyme then manages to bite Richard in the neck, causing huge bleeding. Richard once again manages to release himself, grabbing a large knife and about to kill Rhyme, Amelia suddenly appears with a gun, killing him before he has a chance to deliver the fatal stab.
The picture ends at a Christmas celebration at Rhyme’s apartment with his sister and niece coming to visit him along with Amelia, Dr. Barry Lehman (John Benjamin Hickey), Kenny Solomon (Mike McGlone), Paulie Sellitto (Ed O’Neill) and his family, Eddie Ortiz (Luis Guzman) and his mother, and Lincoln’s new nurse.

It was released on 5th November, 1999. Based on 82 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, The Bone Collector has an average approval rating of 28%, with an average score of 4.2/10. It is like Pavement (2002, Darrell James Roodt).

Mitchell John is a new writer. Her main job is writing articles about movies. MItsha writes on movie reviews and the trend.

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