I’m a sucker for a good courtroom drama. Despite a few flaws here and there, The Lincoln Lawyer delivers on this premise. McConaughey plays Mick Haller, a questionable lawyer who defends lowlifes and exonerates the majority of them for their crimes from the back of Lincoln town car. Everything in his life seems to be rolling by smoothly–that is, until he encounters a case involving a young, rich playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who is being accused of sexual assault and battery. Considering the young man’s wealthy background, Haller sees an opportunity to make a fortune by representing him in the upcoming trial. While moral quandaries have never been an issue for Haller, this case forces him to test his values and how far he is willing to go to prove the innocence of an atrocious man.
I’m a sucker for a good courtroom drama. Despite a few flaws here and there, The Lincoln Lawyer delivers on this premise. McConaughey plays Mick Haller, a questionable lawyer who defends lowlifes and exonerates the majority of them for their crimes from the back of Lincoln town car. Everything in his life seems to be rolling by smoothly–that is, until he encounters a case involving a young, rich playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who is being accused of sexual assault and battery. Considering the young man’s wealthy background, Haller sees an opportunity to make a fortune by representing him in the upcoming trial. While moral quandaries have never been an issue for Haller, this case forces him to test his values and how far he is willing to go to prove the innocence of an atrocious man.
The story finds McConaughey interacting with a wonderful assortment of supporting players such as Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Bryan Cranston, Michael Pena and many more. Although everyone does a great job in playing to the strengths of the film, as adapted from a Michael Connelly novel, McConaughey is the one who shines. In every dramatic turn, he provides so much with a single facial expression or reaction. It’s a testament to the caliber of his acting abilities and it makes you wonder why he has felt so content in limiting himself to the world of romantic comedies. An immediate answer to this query is that the paychecks outweighed the value of the work in question. This isn’t all too much of a surprise. In the past decade alone, I can recall several actors with astounding credibility acknowledging that they would rather see an increased compensation for their craft. A great example is William H. Macy. Despite his participation in a movie like Wild Hogs, he was still doing projects like Edmond or Thank You For Smoking. There is an ebb and flow that can be achieved by participating in the acting community in such a way. I’m not forgiving him for past discrepancies in his career, but it’s good to see Matthew McConaughey taking on a role like his in The Lincoln Lawyer. For every How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, he has demonstrated his talent in an awesome film like Dazed and Confused and Frailty. I hope The Lincoln Lawyer constitutes McConaughey’s realization that you can do both.
The pacing of the film is splendid. Every moment is important. Even when you think you have it all figured out, something extraordinary occurs that alters everyone’s expectations. The only moments when this begins to falter are towards the film’s conclusion, but that can be forgiven. The way in which the environment, dialogue and cinematography of The Lincoln Lawyer interact with the story as a whole really sets the film apart as a bright example of confident storytelling.
The only actor I had a problem with is Ryan Phillippe. He seems like an intriguing actor in past roles, but he just felt flat in The Lincoln Lawyer. With all of the promotional materials, and with this being an adaptation, I imagine it may have been difficult to provide the audience with a sense of misdirection in regards to whether he was innocent or not. He does pose a strong threat to all parties against him and there is something delightful in seeing how he relishes the power he achieves in each situation. It just didn’t feel like enough in helping to support the implications bestowed upon the character and allowing the audience to be on his side, if even for just a moment.
The Lincoln Lawyer is perfect for anyone who desires a courtroom drama catering to adult sensibilities. It has a wonderful array of actors as well as a return to form performance by McConaughey, who, without an effort like this, may have completely removed himself from the comparisons to Paul Newman he seemed to merit in earlier efforts like A Time To Kill. It’s too early to say, but hopefully The Lincoln Lawyer is an example of the future for McConaughey.
