Critics weren’t exactly wowed by The Bone Collector, but for Angelina Jolie, it made a lasting impact – in more ways than one.
In the wake of the huge success of Seven (1995), every studio was scrambling to create their own serial killer thriller.
Universal Pictures’ response to the growing demand for intense thrillers came in the form of The Bone Collector, based on Jeffery Deaver’s 1997 crime novel. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including two Oscar winners — Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington — and one Oscar nominee, Queen Latifah.
Set in the gritty streets of New York City, the film follows a brilliant but quadriplegic homicide detective, played by Denzel Washington. Despite his physical limitations, his razor-sharp mind remains unrivaled, making him a key player in solving the city’s most twisted and perplexing murders.
Alongside him is the newly recruited patrol officer Amelia, played by Angelina Jolie. She’s eager but inexperienced, as the two delve deep into a chilling series of homicides. As they race against time, uncovering clues that lead them closer to a deadly killer, the city itself becomes a labyrinth of danger and deception.
It’s said that when Angelina Jolie first read the script for The Bone Collector, she found herself completely captivated. She remembered being alone in her apartment, feeling a sense of fear as she couldn’t put the script down.
”It scared me to death,” she once confessed. ”I couldn’t stop reading it, and when I finally put it down, I couldn’t forget about it. It haunted me.”
One of the most unique aspects of movie lies in the complexity of Denzel Washington’s character, Lincoln Rhyme.
A brilliant homicide detective, Lincoln is quadriplegic, his body paralyzed from the neck down. This adds a layer of tension to the dynamic between him and Amelia, played by Angelina Jolie. While Amelia ventures out into the field to investigate crime scenes, she constantly relays her findings back to Lincoln, who guides her through the investigation from the confines of his bed.
”A huge turn-on”
In most films, romance builds through physical chemistry, but for these two characters, it was the absence of physicality that deepened their bond.
With Lincoln unable to act on his feelings, it was the emotional and intellectual connection between them that became the driving force, a subtle yet powerful intimacy that transcended traditional romance.
Shortly after the release of The Bone Collector, Angelina Jolie spoke to Dark Horizons about her character’s connection with Lincoln. She explained that the idea of ”seducing someone with your mind” was, in her words, a ”huge turn-on.”
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”What’s fascinating are the journeys these two characters undertake, and the deep relationship that evolves between them,” she said, reflecting on the bond between Amelia and Lincoln.
One particular scene in the film, where Amelia uses both her intellect and the sense of smell to seduce Lincoln, stood out to her. Jolie even went as far as to call it, ”the best sex I ever had.”
Felt really lonely
What Angelina was referring to, it seems, was the unique mental intimacy that developed between her and Denzel over the course of filming.
While the two never shared a romantic encounter in real life, the connection they built through their characters created a bond of closeness, one that Angelina found undeniably powerful. It wasn’t physical, but the mental intimacy between them was palpable, and it’s clear from her words that she found it deeply gratifying.
But filming The Bone Collector wasn’t without its challenges. Angelina Jolie also revealed that the experience was ”really lonely” for her, leading to moments of self-doubt.
She explained, “It was really lonely and I went a bit nuts. From the beginning, I felt as if I was not capable of doing this, of leading a film and being responsible for this, of physically handling this, of saving a life and going in there and being a cop.”
A sequel in the making?
Jolie added that the role took a toll on her mentally, saying, “It nearly drove me insane because she [her character, Amelia] was so insane inside.”
The film premiered on November 5, 1999. While it received mixed reviews from critics, it still managed to pull in an impressive $151.5 million at the box office, well above its $48 million budget.
Fast forward to June 2023, and reports emerged that a sequel was in the works, with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie set to reprise their iconic roles. It would certainly be exciting to see these two Hollywood stars reunite, especially considering the electric chemistry they created on screen 26 years ago!
