Michael Connelly – Mosher'sUnimaginativelyEntitledBlog

It’s Sunday night, I should be working so that means it must be time for… a film review!

The Lincoln Lawyer

“There is no client as scary as an innocent man.”

Plot-in-a-nutshell: Unethical defence lawyer defends dodgy character who’s even more dodgy that he first seems. Conflict of conscience occurs.

Another non-original work from Hollywood, but this one at least based on a novel by a decent author (Michael Connelly) which has undergone a very good transition to the big screen. I’ve not read this novel, but I’m sure I’ve read something by Connelly in the past and enjoyed it. On the strength of this film, I’d step back and read some more.

Matthew McConaughey plays Mick Haller, a lawyer who will happily defend any lowlife as long as he gets paid for it. He’s good, too. A smart guy who just happens to be working at the wrong end of the systems, or at least so his ex-wife Maggie (Marisa Tomei) thinks.

An associate of Haller’s passes him a case which should hopefully set him up. Defending a very rich young real-estate broker (Ryan Phillippe), accused of battering a young woman. He certainly seems innocent and his story adds up, plus he comes from a decent background. But things start to get complicated once Haller and his investigator friend Frank (William H. Macy) start digging.

The plot does have some nice unexpected twists, and a couple of false finishes just to keep you on your toes. Haller demonstrates his smarts early on, and his pre-planning in certain scenes is hidden from the audience until it’s revealed as part of the story. There are enough characters to push the story along and allow character development without swamping things, and the family aspect with the ex-wife is enough to flesh things out without it becoming a family drama instead.

Good performances, great story, snappy dialogue. Excellent courtroom drama and worth the trip out to see it.