Description
Having opened to mostly positive reviews, 2007's "Fracture" may not have set the critical world on fire with it's pacing and plotting but the general consensus has been one of a good, enjoyable crime drama. Still, from what I saw it should have set the critical world on fire regardless of whether the one-paragraph plot summaries paint the picture of a dated film. I guess it is dated though, for I saw a return to the old-fashioned battle of wits stylings of years past. With two lead actors that are revered and proven in their profession at the front of it all, you know that at the very least youmore…'re going to get a lesson in quality screen acting. But "Fracture" does more than showcase the abilities of Hopkins and Gosling, it prospers from it and all the while plays out brilliantly, prospering also from it's director Gregory Hoblit's masterful craftmanship. Viewers thinking about going to see the movie need not ponder the decision for long, because you're practically guaranteed to enjoy it.
Like I mentioned earlier in this review, "Fracture" is a return to the battle of wits style of filmmaking of years gone by. The wits in question are those of Assistant DA Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) and the man he's been hired to prosecute Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins). But what is seemingly an open-and-shut case becomes something more difficult than Beachum could have ever imagined. Crawford's signed a confession to shooting his wife in the head (his wife lies in a comatose state throughout) and they've got the gun. Right? Well, Crawford states that he was forced into confessing by the officer who assaulted him at the scene of his wife's near-demise. And naturally when he reveals that said officer was having an affair with Mrs. Crawford the so-called confession is out the window. And the gun? Well it's never been fired has it. Thus, Beachum's fight to convict Ted becomes a struggle and for a man that doesn't like to lose that sets the stage for a two-hour motion picture. Great.
As Willy Beachum, Ryan Gosling equals his outstanding performance in previous work "Half Nelson" -- which was also released today. His portrayal of the determined Assistant DA is charismatic and engrossing, definitely one of the best performances from an actor that I've seen so far this year. Of course it isn't the best and the reason for that is his co-star Anthony Hopkins. Somehow acting with even more charisma and flair to his younger counterpart, Hopkins' either matches or surpasses his hugely acclaimed performance as another fictitious serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. Of course, the characters are almost entirely different and the only similarity is that they share the same actor. Rosamund Pike plays Beachum's new boss Nikki Gardner (that is, if Beachum wraps up the case) well, but like everyone else involved she's not featured enough to seem anywhere near as good as either Hopkins or Gosling. That being said, pretty much everyone else involved does good however minimal their roles in "Fracture" are.
Probably the best scenes in this superb motion picture are those that directly pit the two lead characters face-to-face against each other. Hopkins and Gosling have chemistry and consistently evoke laughter and interest throughout -- particularly true of Hopkins. Even if you don't find yourself liking the rest of "Fracture" at least you're going to endure their interplay.
The courtroom footage isn't plentiful for all the promotion as a courtroom drama that "Fracture" has had leading up to it's release. But whatever scenes take place in said courtroom are equally as entertaining as the rest of the movie both before and after. And given that much of the wit battling mentioned in the above paragraph takes place in these scenes assures that they're enjoyable throughout for whatever reasons, be it humour or just the thoughts and actions of the individuals involved.
"Fracture" isn't an open-and-shut case though, much like the attempted murder charge at its core. The movie is a character study that retains the interest of the viewer throughout. Complete with excellent directing, excellent acting, excellent scenery, excellent dialogue and excellent everything else "Fracture" is altogether a classical-style psychological thriller that retains the same high quality throughout it's entire running-time. It made my day a good one.
| Anthony Hopkins |
| David Strathairn |
| Ryan Gosling |
| Billy Burke |
| Rosamund Pike |
Info:
- Category:
- Movies > Films
- Case Type:
- DVD
- Release Type:
- Retail
- Language:
- English
- Region:
- R1
- Format:
- Widescreen
- Comments:
- 1 read add
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Cover Info:
- Title:
- Fracture (2007) WS R1 Retail DVD
- Part:
- Front
- Dimensions:
- 3190 x 2150 px
- Size:
- 1,479 KB
- Downloads:
- 1194 (3 today)
- Uploaded:
- 06/08/07 by KiwiBandit
- Quality Rating:
-
- Currently 5/5 Stars.
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