DVD Reviews

The Lincoln Lawyer – Blu-ray Review

By Patrick Luce Jul 11, 2011, 17:04 GMT

In the gripping thriller “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Matthew McConaughey stars as Michael “Mick” Haller, a slick, charismatic Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Having spent most of his career defending petty, gutter- variety criminals, Mick unexpectedly lands the case of a lifetime: defending a rich Beverly Hills playboy (Ryan Phillippe) who is accused of attempted murder. However, what initially appears ...more

Matthew McConaughey provides a slick and solid performance in The Lincoln Lawyer - even if the movie fails to stand apart from any other recent legal thriller.

Based on the novel by Michael Connelly, the film was adapted by John Romano (Nights in Rodanthe) and was directed by Brad Furman (upcoming Cry Macho).

Along with McConaughey, the film features an ensemble cast of character actors including Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Peña, Bob Gunton, Frances Fisher, Michael Paré and the incredible Bryan Cranston (who isn’t given enough to do in this film).

It also features a brief appearance from country music star Trace Adkins as the leader of a motorcycle outlaw gang.

In the film, McConaughey takes on the role of defense lawyer Mick Haller – who embodies pretty much every negative image of a defense lawyer ever created for the screen.

He is a man who is not above taking the quick and easy way out of a case and at times seems almost as crooked as the criminals he gets off. He believes in bending the law as far as he can to get his client the best deal possible.

He is also not above some creative book keeping to make sure he is able to maximize the billing of his clients or keeping them in jail until they pony up the money he is due for their defense.

After quickly establishing the type of lawyer he is (always on the go so much that his office is the backseat of his Lincoln as he driven around town by a former client), Haller is presented with the opportunity to represent a franchise client (someone so rich that he can make enough money off the client to be set for several years), and one who might be innocent.

Haller is contacted by bail bondsman Val Valenzuela (Leguizamo) about representing rich boy Louis Roulet (Phillippe) – who has been arrested for attempted rape is facing other charges such as assault.

Following a quick meeting with Roulet, Haller believes in his innocence and takes on the case. The fact that Roulet is rich and comes from an even richer family also helps Roulet decide to take the case.

Along with his other cases and Roulet, Haller has to deal with his ex-wife and prosecutor Maggie McPherson (Tomei) – who is forced to hand the case to new prosecutor Ted Minton (Lucas) due to her relationship with Haller. This encounter helps spark the romance between Haller and McPherson and gives the character a chance to show some of his humanity.

With his investigator Frank Levin (played by a disheveled Macy), Haller starts to assemble his defense and pick apart the prosecution’s case. He also starts to discover his client might not be as innocent as he first believed.

Worse, Roulet might be to blame for a murder from Haller’s past – which means he might have sent an innocent man, Jesus Martinez (Peña), to prison simply because the client had no money to pay for a defense and Haller had no interest in believing his story.

Once it gets going, the film moves at a pretty fast pace with Haller getting in deeper with Roulet, and struggling to find a way regain some of the innocence he lost with his handling of Martinez’s case. He also continues to try and juggle a growing need to reconnect with his ex-wife and child, and a prosecutor who isn’t afraid of taking a few shortcuts of his own.

The movie is a tad predictable and suffers from a weak third act, but is entertaining from start to finish. It has several curves that fans of the genre will probably spot a mile away, and fans of the novel might not like some of the changes done to the story.

I read the book right before seeing the film so some changes were a tad annoying to me – such a lack of Haller’s love of rap music and some of the changes made to the Levin character.

All of the actors are solid in their roles with McConaughey (who looked older and more weathered in the film) bringing his own natural slick charm to the character of Haller and Phillippe doing an equally impressive job with the dual nature of Roulet.

The film does suffer in a lack of building the supporting cast and some actors are not given enough to do with their roles – including Macy, Tomei and Peña (whose character needed a better transition from the young innocent man to the man who has spent years in prison).

I also couldn’t help but feel the film might have done better as the launch of a television series since the character seems ripe for a franchise (Connelly has several novels featuring Haller) or gritty cable series.

The film is a solid Blu-ray release with a picture that shows both the grit and glam of its urban Los Angeles setting. Furman does a good job in the director’s chair keeping the pace fast enough that the audience doesn’t get bored with yet another by-the-numbers legal thriller.

The Blu-ray comes with decent special features including a standard “making of” the movie, and a couple of looks at Connelly (who reportedly wanted McConaughey for the role) and his involvement in the film.

Although the film feels familiar from start to finish, The Lincoln Lawyer is worth watching if you are fan of the legal thriller genre or the actors involved. The film does suffer from a few well spotted plot twist and a weak third act, but Furman and company keep the pace fast enough to be entertaining.

Although it is unlikely McConaughey has found a franchise with The Lincoln Lawyer, I wouldn’t mind taking another ride.