The Lincoln Lawyer (***)
Directed by: Brad Furman
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei, William
H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Margarita Levieva, John Leguizamo, Laurence Mason, Michael
Peña,
Bryan Cranston, Frances Fisher
Seen: June 7th 2011
*** Out of ****
The Lincoln Lawyer felt to me like a resurrection of the legal
courtroom dramas of the 90’s, with the same gritty feel and strong characters
audiences were used to in movie treatments of John Grisham titles like The Firm,
The Pelican Brief and A Time to Kill, among others. The Lincoln Lawyer is based
not on a Grisham novel, but on the best-selling novel of the same name by
Michael Connelly, whose own response was that he could not have been happier
about this adaptation, mentioning the loyalty of the movie to his book and
McConaughey’s interpretation of Mickey Haller specifically.
Mickey Haller is a criminal defence attorney operating not out of an
office, but out of his Lincoln Town Car, driven by Earl (Mason), a previous
client working off his legal fees. When his daughter asks him why he doesn’t
have an office asks her, paraphrased: “What’s cooler, this or your mom’s
office?” Haller is good at his job, and even better at getting clients to pay,
as is made clear near the start when he manages to cleverly delay a case to
force a client waiting in jail to pay. He’s divorced, but maintains a good
relationship with his ex-wife Maggie (Tomei), a prosecutor, and the only reason
for their separation, his defending of criminals, is addressed only between the
lines. During the movie he acquires a new client who severely dents his monetary-driven
moral system as Haller comes to terms with defending someone who makes
deception his game.
Louis Roulet (Phillippe) is accused of brutally assaulting Regina
Campo (Levieva), a prostitute who, it seems, is attempting to falsely sue
Roulet for the money behind it. Through Val (Leguizamo), a connection of Haller’s,
he gets the case that looks to be a cash-cow, as Roulet is the son of the very
rich real estate mogul Mary Windsor (Fisher). Things get complicated when Haller
starts finding gaps in Roulet’s story and links with a past case of his in
which his client Jesus Martinez (Peña), was convicted of murder. To make
things even worse, Haller’s investigator and good friend Frank Levin (Macy) is
murdered and Haller risks much investigating what seems to be unrelated cases
coming closer and closer as the movie progresses. Everything coming together
leads to a climactic court scene which precedes a satisfying and momentarily
chilling ending.
McConaughey is very good as Haller, and he carries the movie
brilliantly, his interaction with especially Phillippe as his client and Tomei
as his ex-wife rescues the movie from becoming another forgettable thriller.
Small parts are also played to perfection by all involved, as Josh Lucas,
Michael Peña
and William H. Macy become their roles, and Bryan Cranston burns through his
few scenes as detective Lankford, the lead investigator on Frank Levin’s
murder. The movie feels older than it is, very little in this movie hints at
anything modern. The car is basically a classic, cellular phones are used
minimally and when used they are not new phones, and the clothing characters
wear is not specific to current times only and can be from anywhere in the last
15 or so years. I’m glad I made the time for The Lincoln Lawyer, as it is a
very good courtroom drama which really makes one feel nostalgic about similar 90’s
movies that have become a very rare species nowadays.
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