'Lincoln Lawyer' Review

In what is, by default but not lack of merit, Matthew McConaughey's best film in which he is a lead actor, 'The Lincoln Lawyer' is a moderately tense, witty courtroom thriller. Inspired by real people and events, as well as adapted from a novel of the same name, this film is nothing that hasn't been seen before, but it is so charming and constantly interesting that it makes for a rewarding viewing experience.

McConaughey stars as Micky Haller, a LA defense attorney who works out of the back of his Lincoln sedan- an angle the film does not properly explore (but more on this later). Micky is quick on his feet, a smooth talker and a very competent attorney, albeit strapped for cash. So when he lands Louis Roulet as a client, a 'playboy' for lack of better wording, his fortunes seem to turn. But as he learns more about the case and Roulet, Micky begins to see the big picture and finds himself in a dangerous situation, a situation that not only affects him, but his entire family.

The writing is spectacular, nothing useless, nothing over the top, just quick little jabs that provide the audience with the right amount of information, or withhold enough to keep us guessing until the end. Although the film itself offers little to the All-Time court film repertoire, it does not fall into the land of cliche and is able to maintain its own style.

So what if we are usually in terrible movies?
At least this one is competent.

In addition to the writing, the acting was pitch perfect. The casting was exceptional and all the actors absolutely took charge of their roles and made me feel as if this was reality. Ryan Phillippe, who usually doesn't light the world on fire with his acting or films, turns in an wondrous performance as Louis Roulet. McConaughey is great in his role as well, blending his southern-boy charm with an intelligence seldom seen in his past work. Others of note are Michael Pena as a former client and William H. Macy as a private investigator.

For all the great things that can be said about it, this film did feature its share of problems, none more prevalent than the direction of sophomore Brad Furman. Now his effort certainly will not earn him a Razzie Award (he does not deserve one) but this film in the hands of a more capable director would only have added to the films successes. Furman utilises unnecessary close-ups and disconcerting camera angles heavily in the first half of the film before seemingly finding his groove and directing in a more conventional way.

My second gripe is the way in which the story is formatted. The third act is nauseatingly drawn out to the  point where the audience believes the film could have ended in 3 different places. After a film climaxes the norm is for falling action to tie up all the films loose ends and leave the audience satisfied with the direction of the main character. In The Lincoln Lawyer there is new conflict introduced after the final climatic court scene, a fact which takes away from the strength of the story- and leaving me less satisfied (which is obviously what is important here).

However my biggest problem with this film is the lack of attention paid to Lincoln Lawyering. Sure Micky Haller takes a call, and reads a legal document or two, but there is zero exposition as to why he 'works' out of the back seat of his car, and, quite frankly, if the name of the film didn't give it away I am not entirely sure audiences would see the car as his office. It is a shame, not necessarily a deterrant, that this situation is not explored because it could have been one of the most interesting parts of the film.

This film is a great watch and enjoyable from start to finish, just do not expect it to take the legal drama anywhere it has not been before.

8/10 - Definitely Need to See This Film