This film left me feeling split somewhere down the middle. A part of me really truly enjoyed it. The other part of me... well.... its having some battles of its own.
The Lincoln Lawyer is about a lawyer (if it wasn't obvious enough) named Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) who is known for representing criminals in trial. He decides to take the case of a rich Beverly Hills family, more specifically their son Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), who is accused of sexual assault on a woman. Little does Mick know of what he's actually getting himself in to, until he discovers the truth of the case and fights for justice. The cast also includes Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas and John Leguizamo.
First and foremost, this film purposely and wonderfully deceives. The story itself is about deception; about manipulation. This is the part I enjoyed the most. And no, there isn't something wrong with me. The scenes that included the characters putting on a show, was really a work of art, especially in the courtroom. Matthew McConaughey was sensational. It was acting within acting. His character had to be convincing towards his client in order to fool him - but, he did so well, that even we, the audience, weren't sure what was real and what wasn't.
It's about keeping the audience guessing, never really being sure of fact or fiction. This is how films engage the audience; by giving them something to do - we sit there and make predictions and assumptions about the characters. You'll never lose your audience's attention because they'll want to wait and see if it was their prediction that would turn out to be the right one. And that's exactly what I ended up doing. They definitely kept my attention throughout, which is quite a feat.
Everyone played their part in this film. Tomei and Macy filled their roles in the best way possible, making their characters seem important no matter how little they were in the movie. Lucas played the caught-off-guard attorney extremely well. His expressions of surprise and defeat were priceless and extremely entertaining. The camera angles were effective, especially the close ups of McConaughey's face after his friend is killed. McConaughey did a wonderful job with his character and I applaud him for rising to the challenge. The story was decent, a little hard to follow at times, especially with the random clues here and there, but interesting none-the-less.
Now here is where my opinion gets a little more fuzzy. The film starts with an impression. You're left with an impression that Mick is an arrogant, somewhat corrupt lawyer, who simply has to win no matter what kind of person he is setting free. He seems to have nothing prying on his conscious about what he does and its consequences. However, when he takes the main case of the film, suddenly, what his client confesses to doing is unspeakable and shocking to him. Yet he admits earlier that he once represented a man who cut his wife's head off and put it in a freezer. So, how is it that one criminal's actions took some sort of conscious priority in Mick's mind, over the supposed numerous others? Why did this one case, wake him up to what he had been doing? It seemed like an abrupt 180 degree transition from arrogant prick lawyer to suddenly having respect for the loss of human life. For someone who had had so many cases before, you'd think he wouldn't be so surprised when the truth comes out, or, be so offended that a client could do such a thing and lie about it. You would also think that a lawyer with as much experience as they make Mick out to be, would not be so gullible to a client's word alone. He was so sure Louis was innocent over one meeting with him. And for those who have watched the movie know all too well how that blows up in his face.
Another thing that was off, was the conclusion. We find out who actually shot William H. Macy's character, but we never find out why it was this particular person. The problem with that is, without the proper human explanation coming from the killer's mouth, without that understanding, the audience struggles with finding human connections with the film as a whole. And without connection, there is no unity, and the audience and the film divide. There is never that final conclusion, that final closure, that final explanation that ties up the mysteries of the film or the details. Therefore, we are left unfulfilled, once again.
Oh, and as a final note. A random thought really.
I have a little issue with Ryan Phillippe. And it has nothing to do with his overall acting, which was good. Now, I can't explain it exactly, but he bothers me. And as silly as this sounds, it has something to do with his voice. For some reason, whenever I hear it, it makes me think of an adolescent boy purposely trying to deepen his voice to sound more manly, but instead he just sounds like he's trying too hard. It's unnatural. That artificiality of his voice, rubs off on the acting for me. I can't take him seriously, when I feel like he's doing something to his voice to change it in some way. That's the best way I can think of to explain myself. Go back to Cruel Intentions and I think you'll understand my meaning. Or, maybe it was that movie that ruined him for me in the first place. I dunno.
Anyways, back to my point.
This is a good film. It is lacking in some parts as I pointed out, but it is still worth $10.75 a ticket to watch, at least in my personal opinion. So if your in the mood for a thriller that keeps you guessing, with excellent acting, some adorable men (I mean adorable), and some good old fashioned entertainment, then go see this film. If not for McConaughey's abs then... well... then I don't know who you are, but, what's wrong with you?
I give this film 7.8/10 Enjoy!
Update: so I figured out my problem with Ryan Phillipe. It wasn't the sound of his voice after all, it was his lips. If you watch him, they barely move as he talks, just kind of slamming up and down as a dolls would. They don't properly form the words he's saying, which makes his acting have a more artificial outcome, instead of genuine one. I just wanted to clarify myself. It's still a good movie. Go see it!
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