The Bone Collector

Play trailer

The Bone Collector

R

1999

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

30%

Tomatometer

92 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Policewoman Amelia Donaghy is in hot pursuit of a serial murderer whose calling card is a small shard of bone extracted from each of his victims. Unable to decipher the cryptic clues the killer leaves behind at the scene of the crime, Amelia calls upon quadriplegic forensic criminology expert Lincoln Rhyme to help. With Amelia acting as Rhyme's able-bodied go-between, the pair piece together disparate clues, hoping they will learn who the next victim is.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

A talented cast is wasted on a bland attempt at a suspenseful, serial killer flick.

Read Critics Reviews

Chris Bennion

The Times (UK)

12/06/2023

There are shades of David Fincher’s Se7en to the game-playing, clue-leaving psycho plot, while Washington’s immobile sleuth will remind you of Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

Go to Full Review

Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

01/01/2000

Although the material is utterly conventional, the film does have a lot going for it.

Go to Full Review

Wesley Morris

San Francisco Examiner

01/01/2000

This is neither a psychological thriller nor an erotic one, so any interest in the story is purely the work of its stars.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 18

2.5/4

It’s fun to play along, but the whole mystery is as flimsy as a house of cards built atop a buoy.

Go to Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Oct 14

3.5/5

The Bone Collector grips viewers with its chilling cat-and-mouse mystery, anchored by Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie's intense performances.

Go to Full Review

Sharai Bohannon

A Nightmare On Fierce Street Podcast

May 23

3/5

'The Bone Collector' is not a perfect movie. However, it scratches the itch for those of us who loved 1990s thrillers based on books we were too young to read. It also proves Denzel Washington can command a movie without getting out of bed.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Antonie M

@Beiwgehdjeh 4d

Not the perfect movie, low-key didn't watch it. Am I doomed, do I deserve destruction. Or is earth saved. Does he know😏

See more

Par H

@Parhwy 5d

I have not seen The Bone Collector (1999) since it was released or since it was released to video (back when that was how we watched movies: went to a video store). So, seeing it in February 2026, it was jarring. Jarring in terms of how edgy and good it was in 1999 and how clunky, awkward and improbable it is now. A cop who is new on the beat gets to be the top forensic detective in one day on the say-so of an ex-detective who was retired years ago due to disability; all cops defer to them throughout. Jolie looks like Cillian Murphy. She spends a lot of time with shrink-wrapped eyes a lot. Washington is ridiculously knowledgeable about too much. The killer is killing 3 people over days. New York had 903 murders in 1999 or three a day. And yet this killer gets a massive taskforce? Oh, he left weird clues? Freaky! And yet the underlying message is that actual forensic detectives are useless. I gather this film took inspiration from Seven.

See more

Real O

Nov 4

This was a great movie with great performances from Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Ignore the critics score and go watch this movie.

See more

Eric J.

@mindingmybusiness Aug 25

My type of suspense. Definitely one of my repeat offenders.

See more

Jeremy H

@hansonink85 Aug 22

I rented it when it first came out on home video.

See more

Pedro Henrique C

@Pedro2005 Aug 21

The Bone Collector (1999) is a very interesting adventure to follow, the film starts off a little weak but then as the story unfolds it gets better. The cast full of personality gives it a charm, the film itself is not bad, it's just underrated.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Phillip Noyce

Director

Denzel Washington

Lincoln Rhyme

Angelina Jolie

Amelia Donaghy

Queen Latifah

Thelma

Michael Rooker

Captain Howard Cheney

Michael McGlone

Detective Kenny Solomon

Red Dragon

69%

74%

Red Dragon

Watchlist

The Devil's Own

34%

41%

The Devil's Own

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Devil's Own

The Boondock Saints

26%

91%

The Boondock Saints

Watchlist

In the Line of Fire

96%

79%

In the Line of Fire

Watchlist

TRAILER

for In the Line of Fire

The Negotiator

75%

79%

The Negotiator

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

New on Prime Video and Freevee in September 2022

View more photos

Synopsis

Policewoman Amelia Donaghy is in hot pursuit of a serial murderer whose calling card is a small shard of bone extracted from each of his victims. Unable to decipher the cryptic clues the killer leaves behind at the scene of the crime, Amelia calls upon quadriplegic forensic criminology expert Lincoln Rhyme to help. With Amelia acting as Rhyme's able-bodied go-between, the pair piece together disparate clues, hoping they will learn who the next victim is.

Director: Phillip Noyce
Producer: Louis A. Stroller, Michael Scott Bregman, Martin Bregman
Screenwriter: Jeffrey Deaver, Jeremy Iacone
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 5, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 7, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $66.5M
Runtime: 1h 53m
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS, DTS, Dolby EX

Most Popular at Home Now