Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Peña, Frances Fisher, Bob Gunton, Laurence Mason, Trace Adkins, Bryan Cranston and William H. Macy
Directed By: Brad Furman
Screenplay By: John Romano
Based on the Novel By: Michael Connelly
Produced By: Sidney Kimmel, Richard Wright, Scott Steindorff, Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi
Distributor: Lionsgate
Rating: R, for some violence, sexual content and language.
Running Time: Approximately 118 minutes
Website: thelincolnlawyermovie.com
Budget: $40 million
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Release Date: March 18, 2011
Several years ago, novelist Michael Connelly struck up a conversation with a lawyer at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. The lawyer told Connelly that his car also doubled as his office. Based on that exchange, the premise for a future bestseller was born.
In the new legal thriller The Lincoln Lawyer, based on Connelly’s 2005 best-selling novel of the same name, Matthew McConaughey wisely makes a welcome return to drama (after one too many mindless, so-called romantic comedies). McConaughey plays Michael “Mick” Haller, a slick, ambulance chaser who’s chauffeured around the City of Angels by his right-hand man Earl (Laurence Mason) in a black Lincoln Continental, hence the catchy title.
It’s clear from the onset that Mick has never encountered a client too guilty to take on as long as they could afford his services. A skilled dealer with a decent win ratio, Mick’s abilities as an effective defense attorney are put to the test when a bail bondsman pal (John Leguizamo) sends a client with deep pockets his way. Poker-faced Ryan Phillippe plays the potential client in question, Louis Roulet, the son of a wealthy real estate maven (Frances Fisher), who stands accused of brutally assaulting a young woman.
True to form, Mick agrees to take the case. Soon thereafter Mick and his scruffy investigator/best friend, Frank (a playful William H. Macy), unearth some interesting information, namely that Roulet’s accuser is a prostitute, and that Roulet has ties to an earlier, similar case that Mick had worked. Mick’s conscience gets the better of him and the film quickly shifts into a cat and mouse game between lawyer and client. Is Roulet innocent? Or is he a calculating villain out to snow everyone, including a questioning Mick, into thinking he’s the real victim?
Anyone who’s read the book knows the answer, as do fans of legal thrillers in general.
The film is a rousing yet predictable effort that contains what is easily McConaughey’s best onscreen work since his breakout performance in 1996’s A Time To Kill. Slipping rather comfortably into the (curiously) ever-perspiring skin of the title character, McConaughey makes it all look so damn easy. His movie-elevating work keeps the film from being a snore fest. This was the part he was born to play. He’s ideally paired with Oscar winner Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, The Wrestler) cast as Mick’s ex-wife and baby mama who’s also an attorney. And Michael Peña is quite good as another client of Mick’s whose lack of privilege and resources just might get him railroaded for a crime he didn’t commit.
Engaging legal thrillers are easier to come by on bookshelves than they are on the big screen. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the outrageous plot twists often employed in them just don’t translate all that well onto the big screen. But director Brad Furman’s (The Take) sophomore film effectively captures the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles and the film looks great. It’s mildly disappointing that the surprises to be found in John Romano’s script aren’t all that surprising in the grand scheme of things.
3 Stars
