Fracture (2007)

This Movie Is About a hot-shot criminal attorny, Wiliam Beachum (Ryan Gosling). He has a 97% conviction rate and he's willing to do anything to make it to the top of the game. The film picks up on his last week of work at his old firm. He's just secured a new position as a junior partner by more than unethical means. The last case he takes seems to be an open and shut one. Theodore Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) shot his wife. He told everyone he shot his wife, and he signed a confession too. This seems to be just another notch in the belt but when Beachum gets his ass handed to him in court by Crawford, it becomes a personal struggle between the old and the new, the moral and the unmoral, and ultimately, life and death. But who belongs on with side? That is the real question.

You Should Watch This Movie Because: crime films are so fun when they're done right. That's because all the small pieces must fall into place while at the same time presenting the audience with interesting and conflicting characters. This movie does all of those things and the story is very satisfying in the end. If you are a fan of the crime genre then this film is definitely worth checking out. There are not many scenes which are scary. This movie is advertised as a possible thriller but it's not. It's a straight up crime drama and it's done well.

What's Hot is Gosling's performance. You know that Hopkins is going to be good. There's no question, but good actors need other good actors to play off of and these two do that wonderfully. Their accurate portrayal of character really brings this movie to life. And in the end you're swearing at the screen begging Gosling to not give up! "Come on Sean! Get that bastard!"

What's Not Hot is the slightly over acting by everyone else. Maybe they think that they have to compensate because they are not the leads or something? Actually, the over-acting is minor but it was just a bit annoying. Other than that, there are just a few story lines that are not set up properly. Take for example, Beachum and his love interest, Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike). They meet, then they end up in bed together, which is fine. But after it seems like they've known each other for ever. And their story line was not properly resolved in the end either. Oh well, it's not a big deal since it wasn't the focus of the film anyways.

Breaking It Down:
Story: 8.0 (Daniel Pyne & Glenn Gers: screen play)
Direction: 7.8 (Gregory Hoblit)
Acting: 8.2
Cinematography: 8.4
Music/Sound: 6.8

Entertainment Value: 7.8 (not an average)