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Movie Review
Fracture
By Lee Tistaert Published March 30, 2007
US Release: April 20, 2007
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Ryan Gosling , David Strathairn
R language and some violent content
Running Time: 112 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $39,004,700
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Anthony Hopkins , Ryan Gosling , David Strathairn
R language and some violent content
Running Time: 112 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $39,004,700
C-
This is a very breezy and cheesy courtroom flick that features a decent performance by Ryan Gosling, but the film just has minimal cinematic value altogether.
In the thriller, "Fracture," Anthony Hopkins stars as a charming madman (Ted) who shoots his wife in the head in the opening scene in revenge for cheating. However, she does not die. Put on trial for attempted murder, Ted appoints a young rookie attorney named Willy (Ryan Gosling) because his seriousness amuses him. During the investigation, Ted plays mind games with Willy to prove his genius and to get inside Willy?s head. Ted is not intimidated by anything, which pushes him to see what he can get away with on this trial.
What struck me quickly was how much of a cheap knock-off this concept is; the story doesn't go anywhere. Fracture is on the level of a straight-to-cable courtroom thriller; the setup is cheap, and the cinematography, lighting, and makeup are all accentuated just for good looks. Hopkins? performance is a recycled mix of Silence of the Lambs and Instinct; there is nothing new about this character and it is just old-school by now. We?re supposed to think Ted's fearless charm is amusing because of Hopkins, but there is no character development to back up any likability. Hopkins? role ends up being very corny instead of cute; it's just a much shallower version of Hannibal Hecter. There is so much here that just feels fake, forced, and unnecessary.
Some scenes in the courtroom are pretty well-shot given the confined and rather dull circumstances, but we still don't have a good reason to care about Ted's motive, whether or not he gets off the hook, and whether or not young Willy will move on from this madness. This is a very breezy and cheesy courtroom flick that features a decent performance by Ryan Gosling, but the film just has minimal cinematic value altogether.
What struck me quickly was how much of a cheap knock-off this concept is; the story doesn't go anywhere. Fracture is on the level of a straight-to-cable courtroom thriller; the setup is cheap, and the cinematography, lighting, and makeup are all accentuated just for good looks. Hopkins? performance is a recycled mix of Silence of the Lambs and Instinct; there is nothing new about this character and it is just old-school by now. We?re supposed to think Ted's fearless charm is amusing because of Hopkins, but there is no character development to back up any likability. Hopkins? role ends up being very corny instead of cute; it's just a much shallower version of Hannibal Hecter. There is so much here that just feels fake, forced, and unnecessary.
Some scenes in the courtroom are pretty well-shot given the confined and rather dull circumstances, but we still don't have a good reason to care about Ted's motive, whether or not he gets off the hook, and whether or not young Willy will move on from this madness. This is a very breezy and cheesy courtroom flick that features a decent performance by Ryan Gosling, but the film just has minimal cinematic value altogether.
Lee's Grade: C-
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
