Review of Fracture (2007) by Rameshwar I — 21 Apr 2016

What does the title Fracture refer to? State of its script? If not for the A-list names it is a perfect B-movie with a contrived plot and corny dialogues which one would see in any cheap paperback novel. Especially Anthony Hopkins performance and his dialogues were quite inconsistent.

Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) is an entrepreneur of an aeronautics company married to beautiful Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) who is having an affair with a Lieutenant of the police department Rob Nunnaly (Billy Burke) who doesn't know anything about the secretive Jennifer. When Ted finds out about this, he hatches a plan and kills his wife, confesses to the negotiator at the time Nunally. Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is a successful deputy in the state prosecutor's office is in process moving into a prestigious private legal firm gives into an obligation to take up this one last case which is anything but solved. With Willy hardly concentrating on the case Ted puts on a game that turns the trial upside down putting Beachum's career in jeopardy.

Though the performances were inconsistent individually, the dual of the lead characters ups the game occasionally. Marketed as a courtroom thriller, the movie lacks enough twists and relies on one puzzle which takes too long to arrive and ends up being contrived and dumb. What helps the screenplay is the side plot about Beachum's recruitment to a private firm which helps up the stakes and induces some pace which otherwise is a slow burner with lots of mindless fillers.

Lacks enough twists, wit and ambition.