The Lincoln Lawyer

I knew very little about The Lincoln Lawyer walking in, which I think is the best way to enjoy this film. The movie is clever, well-acted, fast-paced, but most of all, it's the rare kind of thriller that doesn't bog itself down in dead ends and red herrings. We pretty much know who's guilty almost the second the character walks onto the screen, and so does the movie. What's smart is how the movie (based on a novel by Michael Connelly) manages to create suspense out of personal ethical dilemmas, instead of thinking up contrived ways to lead us off course.

The movie stars Matthew McConaughey, in what is easily his best performance in a while. Not only is this his first serious film role in a long time, it's also the first time he actually seems to be acting in a while. I hope this is a sign of good things to come. He plays Mark Haller, a hot shot lawyer who gets around town in a chauffeured Lincoln Town Car. He's a defense lawyer, and is known mainly for defending some of the least desirable members of society (motorcycle thugs, drug addicts, etc). That's why it's a little bit odd when a bondsman (John Leguizamo) approaches him with a client that's a bit more high class than he's used to. A young millionaire named Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) is being accused of assault and attempted rape of a prostitute who was working at a club he was attending. He claims he's innocent, and that she attacked him, and set up the whole attack and rape story in order to get at his fortune.

Mark seems to know that the pieces don't quite fit together, and that Louis is not telling him the whole story right off the bat. He hires his personal investigator, Frank Levin (William H. Macy, giving an enjoyably offbeat performance), to look into the matter, and that's where things get interesting. In order to avoid spoilers, I can't go much further, but I will say a lot of personal ghosts of the past come up, and Mark becomes trapped by the confidentiality clause that all lawyers must follow. That's what's interesting about The Lincoln Lawyer. So many movies (especially legal thrillers) treat lawyers almost like unfeeling observers to the events unfolding, but here, Mark goes through a battle with his own conscience as the details about his client unfolds, and he (and even we, the audience) begin to wonder if he will be able to win. The conclusion that the film reaches is a bit disappointingly pat and tidy, but the ride to get there is definitely entertaining, and creates a fair level of tension.

I was also fascinated by how the screenplay lets us see all the different sides of Mark. When he's in the courtroom, he's a total professional, and it's kind of thrilling to see him knocking down his opponent's case one fact at a time, even though he has many strong reservations about the client he's defending. Outside, he does his best to appear professional, but he is obviously falling apart. His personal life is a bit of a shambles. He has an ex-wife (Marisa Tomei) and a young daughter, both of whom he's still friendly with, though he obviously wishes things had turned out differently in the past, and they were still a whole family. The character of the ex-wife (and the daughter) seem to have been trimmed, or perhaps they played a bigger role in the original novel. But the movie does enough with these characters to give us a personal connection with Mark outside of the courtroom, and the central mystery plot.

This is a well-acted movie, too. McConaughey seems to have a knack for picking lightweight roles below his ability, but here, he's able to flesh out his character into a fascinating individual. He's charming, he's funny, and he's smart. Best of all, the film allows him to use his brain to get him out of the situations he finds himself in. Sure, I enjoy action thrillers as much as the next person when they're done well (as in this weekend's other release, Limitless), but it's also nice to have a smart one once in a while, and McConaughey gets to be quite smart here. I also enjoyed Macy as the private investigator. It's a small role, but he leaves a big impression whenever he's on the screen. As for Ryan Phillippe, he's charming in a cold and distant way - perfect for the character he's playing.

Like a lot of thrillers, The Lincoln Lawyer kind of cops out at the end, relying on contrivances and last minute revelations, but I didn't mind. The movie is brisk, entertaining, and effective, and that's really all that matters here. Like the best legal thrillers, you want to see it all the way through to the end, and even if the outcome disappoints, you're not all that upset. Like a lot of things, it's not the destination, but the journey that counts.

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