Fracture
- In theaters April 20th 2007
- Rated R for language and some violent
content
- RunTime: N/A min
- Matt's rating - 3.75 out of 5
- Cindy's rating - 3.5 out of 5
Matt's Review below
There are actors and then there are actors. I am
beginning to think that as with musicians, some
actors just have this gift. This talent. This technique. I
mean what makes some guitarists able to do more
with one note than most can do with 12 chords?
Maybe it's an inner ability and passion for the art. It is
unexplainable and so I am not sure why I keep trying
to explain it here. In the new dramatic thriller Fracture
we see acting as it should be. Natural, believable and
solely one with its character. I am speaking of Anthony
Hopkins and his continued flawless performances.
I am glad I as able to follow this up on the heels of last
weeks Perfect Stranger. It is a perfect study of what
works and what doesn't. Though Stranger had a great
twist at the end it failed to deliver what was put on
paper. Fracture on the other hand took well written
dialogue and combined it with perfect cast selection in
order to allow the parts to dance. I use this
comparison a lot but it is like comparing a love song
to a commercial jingle. Both have words and music
but only one is art.
In Fracture we have Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins)
who is charged with attempted murder of his wife
Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz). Ted begins a cat and
mouse game with hot shot, Assistant DA Willy
Beachum (Ryan Gosling). Willy, who never loses
cases, finds himself with no evidence and a string of
technicalities that may allow Ted to walk. To make
matters worse Ted is a cunning foe who finds every
way possible to expose Willy's failures. He is making
Willy a laughing stock and could destroy his entire
career.
Hopkins is part Hannibal in the way he manipulates
Gosling. This is where Hopkins always shines. The
way he can look at a person blankly but you know he
is reading every inner thought. Gosling does great too
as a southern born, up and coming LA lawyer. He
could have stepped right out of a Grisham novel with
his arrogance and down home charm. Ryan holds his
own in the presence of Hopkins and the two flow
nicely together.
Fracture is rated R for language and some violence.
This not a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller but
instead a clever mental bout between two men. You
find yourself liking both equally for who they are.
Those with short attention spans may have a little
trouble staying on board but if you like witty dialogue
that is delivered perfectly in a nice legal game; this will
be your flick. I give it 3.75 out of 5 appeals. With a look
at Fracture, I'm Matt Mungle
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Matt and Cindy are members of the North Texas
Film
Critics Association (NTFCA). For additional
reviews
and interview clips visit the website.
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Mungleshow Productions
Matt Mungle
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