Country:
USA
Recognizable Faces:
Matthew McConaughey
Marisa Tomei
Ryan Philippe
William H. Macy
John Leguizamo
Bryan Cranston
Directed By:
Brad Furman
Two movies starring John Leguizamo in two days, what's wrong with me? I had no idea, OK? I rented THE LINCOLN LAYWER because I saw the trailer before VANISHING ON 7TH STREET. After seeing Clint Eastwood break my heart in BLOODWORK in 2002, I swore to myself I wouldn't give Michael Connelly's adaptations a second chance, but here I was, thinking that it's pretty refreshing to see a courtroom drama where the cocky lawyer keeps his swagger under pressure. In my very limited John Grisham experience, fierce lawyers tend to run away like little girls at the state fair's haunted house when the shit their stirred themselves hits the fan. I was also very glad to see Matthe McConaughey (of the FRAILTY legacy) play in something else than a mediocre rom-com where he poses back to back with a random girl on the cover. It's a goddamn serious crime thriller, coming from a rather serious crime writer, so I was goddamn rather seriously interested in finding out about one of the only high profile crime movie of the summer.
This is a deceitfully complex film, but it's deceitful like every movie should be. Mick Haller (McConaughey) is an ass-kicking criminal lawyer with a surprising clearance rate for the often guilty criminals he represents. Mick is tipped off by his friend Valenzuela (Leguizamo) about a man named Louis Roulet (Philippe) who just got arrested for a savage aggression on a prostitute. The case seems simple enough, there's way more than "reasonable doubt" that hovers over the incident and Haller thinks Roulet should be a free man pretty soon. But his client is more than who he seems to be. Haller's private investigator (William H. Macy, with a silly wig that somehow suits his character very well) said there was something he didn't feel with the kid and his hunch was oh-so-goddamned right. Roulet lied when he discussed the evidence with Haller and even worse, Haller can tie Roulet's lies to one of his past cases where he barely managed to keep his client off death row because he had no case to work with. Not only Roulet is a liar, but he's also a pretty fucked up guy and a control freak who can't accept that Haller pierced through his game.
THE LINCOLN LAWYER isn't the most compelling and visceral story. Mick Haller's family are so lifeless, they feel like a plot device made to make him vulnerable. In fact, I had a lot more sympathy for his driver Earl (Laurence Mason) than for his improbable wife (Marisa Tomei) or for his accessory daughter. But the movie makes a good job at keeping Connelly's mystery cerebral and subtle. THE LINCOLN LAWYER is not a movie you can watch while doing something else. The clues are revealed through the images, editing and sometimes dialog. Some of them are very obvious, others are not. I love when movies to that and actually reward the viewer for being smart and focused. It's not SESSION 9 complex, but THE LINCOLN LAWYER shows a little flare for a big production. Usually, that kind of movie is just a rewriting of many movies that came before it. Tried and true formula for instant success, you know? Brad Furman takes a few risks, probably leaves a good chunk of the novel out (which I haven't read. Never read any Connelly) and end up with a not-too-engaging, yet witty movie.
All in all, I'd say THE LINCOLN LAWYER was handled by smart minds and yet it's a story that seems sometimes fearful of stepping out of conventions. Watching the movie didn't make me want to read the novel, yet it made me want to check out some more Brad Furman movies. That whole side plot with Mick Haller's family was laughable and an effort to bend over to conventions more than anything else. I loved the character and was very glad that he stood for what he believed rather than trying to search for a "universal truth", but lawyer are sad and pathetic creatures that can barely find the time to fuck when they're not working. While they might have an estranged wife, no hot-shot solo flying criminalist is having a loving daughter. If they have any kind of family, it's a loathing and destructive one. So I have very few problems with the movie in itself which is stylish, patient and pretty smart overall, but the narrative development is entrenched in clichés of the genre when it could have been a lot darker. Do not blame Brad Furman for this, blame Michael Connelly and screenplay writer John Romano for making the bad choices. While it's not a waste of time, I don't think THE LINCOLN LAWYER will find its way to many DVD collections.
SCORE: 75%