Courtesy - The Sunday Leader By Sumaya Samarasinghe
Based on Michael Connelly’s first Mickey Haller novel, The Lincoln Lawyer is a legal crime drama which about a decade ago was a popular style and flooded our cinema halls.
Matthew McConaughey, who comes as criminal defence attorney Mickey Haller established his career playing a lawyer in the excellent A Time To Kill. After this rather positive start to his career, McConaughey sadly sunk into mediocre and pleasant comedies which he is now getting a little too old to act in.
So it is with a sigh of relief that we watch this physically gifted and talented actor who never seems to have lost his great Texan drawl, keep his shirt on in a film after a long time and reach adulthood at last.
Mickey conducts his legal business from the back of his Lincoln town car driven by his chauffeur and ex client Earle. His clients are mainly prostitutes, drug addicts, dealers and petty thieves, etc.
One day a bail bondsman (John Leguizamo), puts him in touch with the wealthy and influential family of a playboy accused of assault and attempted murder. Louis Roulet is the son of real estate mogul Marie Windsor (Frances Fisher). The story said by Roulet seems like the straightforward truth and it is hard to believe that he isn’t the victim of a scam set up by the prostitute and her gang to extort some money from him.
Sure the film isn’t oozing with creativity nor much novelty and a strong feeling of déjà vu cannot help but seep in right from the start. How many times have we watched the story of slightly cynical and often unethical lawyers who when confronted with some specific case find themselves and their souls? A hundred times perhaps, that’s counting the numerous television court room dramas which are produced a dime a dozen every year?more
What makes The Lincoln Lawyer so watchable and entertaining? Its cast starting with Matthew McConaughey who is a likable mess remains close to his ex wife Marisa Tomei, a prosecutor who divorced him mainly because of his choice to defend criminals and put them back on the street. This does not stop her from often coming to her ex husband’s rescue and literally carrying him back home after his drunken binges.
Mickey’s investigator played by William H. Macy is fantastic in an unfortunately short role. Michael Pena, a former client who is serving a sentence at San Quentin Prison for murder despite always claiming his innocence, is equally good.
Even Laurence Mason who plays Earle, Mickey’s driver makes a relatively short moment on screen remain stuck in the viewer’s memory.
The only casting issue here is Ryan Phillipe as the wealthy, spoilt and possibly violent psychotic killer. This actor who is well into his 30’s still looks like a teenager and never seems to age. But to limit it to his looks would be plain shallow. Phillipe is not an impressive actor. He was alright in Cruel Intentions which was made nearly 12 years ago. But some actors just don’t have what it takes to take the leap from high school/ teen roles to adult parts. Most of the time, he looks utterly expressionless and better suited to act in a commercial for facial cream!
A special thumbs up for director Brad Furman who really got the most out of the majority of his cast and did some great filming work which gives the movie a sweaty, claustrophobic look of films made in the 1970’s.
As mentioned before the script isn’t full of surprises and has some very cliché pieces of dialogue. But taken as a whole The Lincoln Lawyer is entertaining and will probably be appreciated by those who enjoy a good court room drama with a few good twists.
