The Lincoln Lawyer (Film)

Way back in the early stages of this blog, I reviewed Michael Connelly's novel The Lincoln Lawyer. I've just gotten around to seeing the film version from earlier this year, and I thought it was terrific. Michael McConaughey, after years adrift in films wear he acted more with his shirtless torso than anything else, gives a performance that reminds us of his dazzling debut in A Time to Kill.

McConaughey is Michael "Mickey" Haller, a defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln sedan. He specializes in guilty clients, and is in fact leery of taking on the innocent, for fear they will be judged guilty. But he takes on a high profile client, a rich real estate agent played by Ryan Phillipe, who is charged with assault with a deadly weapon on a prostitute.

The movie ends being a cat and mouse game between McConaughey and Phillipe, who the former realizes is not only guilty, but also guilty of another crime that was wrongly tagged on one of the McConaughey's previous clients. The courtrooms scenes are good, although the prosecutor (Josh Lucas) violates the sacred rule of asking questions he doesn't know the answer to.

The supporting cast is full of terrific actors like William H. Macy, Michael Pena, John Leguizamo, and Marisa Tomei, McConaughey's ex-wife. Frankly I would liked to see her in a role that called her to do more than alternate with admiring gazes at McConaughey, but she's always a nice presence to see in a movie.

The script, by John Romano, and direction, by Brad Furman (a check reveals his earliest credits were as personal assistant to Julia Roberts) are first-rate. As I said about the book, legal thrillers are often a dime a dozen, so when a good one comes along it should be celebrated. The Lincoln Lawyer is a good one.