Directed by:
Brad FurmanScreenplay:
John RomanoCinematography:
Lukas EttlinComposer:
Cliff MartinezCast:
Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Peña, Bob Gunton, Frances Fisher, Bryan Cranston (more)Plots(1)
In the gripping thriller The Lincoln Lawyer, Matthew McConaughey stars as Michael "Mick" Haller, a slick, charismatic Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Having spent most of his career defending petty, gutter- variety criminals, Mick unexpectedly lands the case of a lifetime: defending a rich Beverly Hills playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who is accused of attempted murder. However, what initially appears to be a straightforward case with a big money pay-off swiftly develops into a deadly match between two masters of manipulation and a crisis of conscience for Haller. (Lionsgate US)
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Reviews (14)
I’ve been telling myself recently that it’s a shame that there haven’t been many good pure thrillers in the last few years. The Lincoln Lawyer fits this category perfectly, it’s very well made, with a smart story and several interesting twists, good performances – overall, a very nice dose of thriller tension. My only quibble is in the script, some of the events don’t move forward in a very clear way. Otherwise, it exceeded my expectations.
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The Lincoln Lawyer is a nice chill-out flick with 1990s stars, especially Matthew McConaughey, who reprises his
most remarkable role of that period (the attorney in A Time to Kill). Too bad that the script oversimplifies
some of the plot twists and the connections between them, opting to look cool at the expense of being
realistic. That drags the film down, weakens its impact as a thriller and buries any potential for drama.
Because of this, it ends up being nothing more than “cool fun”.
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This deceptive courtroom drama, in which no one acts honestly, was based on Michael Connelly’s popular novel of the same name. The corrupt nature of most of the characters, not excepting the protagonist, does not serve the film as an object of criticism. On the contrary, The Lincoln Lawyer gently convinces us that it can’t be any other way today. What’s important is to have something on everyone and if you don’t know more than the other, you at least pretend that you do. Naturally, the outer shell ultimately gives way to an uncorrupted core, a “nice” story with a lesson about decent behaviour at the end, but I enjoy the fact that traditional values are called into question in a film about law and justice. What’s even more surprising is that I also liked how Matthew McConaughey conceived his character of yet another arrogant hotshot, which – unlike a dozen of his previous roles – actually makes sense this time. You get the feeling that he is hiding something more behind his behaviour. If he didn’t show off, he would be either a zero or pushing up daisies. This dramaturgically complete, though somewhat long, film is held up from the side by excellent actors in supporting roles (Bryan Cranston, William H. Macy). Its lack of functionality as a thriller is a problem of viewer expectations rather than a problem with the directing. It would need more unrevealed cards, more suspense and more reasons to worry about someone’s wellbeing. But I had no problem with the film as a drama. 75%
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From beginning to end, an extremely suspenseful film, which shows that it was born in the head of a single good writer and not in the skulls of three or more Hollywood screenwriters. Thoughtful, surprising, interesting, great. Matthew McConaughey is quite convincing in yet another lawyer role (the top-notch Amistad, the miserable A Time to Kill), the cast of other actors and actresses is flawless, and the rich plot and brisk direction make the two hours fly by like nothing.
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The success of The Lincoln Lawyer largely lies in the casting of Matthew McConaughey in the lead role. Both in terms of his appearance and his character acting, he perfectly fits the image of a cunning and experienced lawyer who has equally good relationships in the justice system as well as in the underworld. The direction by Brad Furman is also worth mentioning, as he has shown here that when he wants to, he can make a film at a high level and with the use of modern film techniques. However, in my opinion, the script is quite average and it does not avoid clichés or improbable errors. Overall impression: 60%.
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