Fracture

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

In this adult "how-did-he-get-away-with-it" mystery, Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling skillfully pull off a mesmerizing game of cat and mouse that should have you solidly hooked for two hours just trying to figure out where it's going. Hopkins, in his first real villainous turn since Hannibal Lecter, is a rich, successful man who admits to shooting his wife, and then, on a technicality, gets away with the crime after acting as his own attorney. This is just the beginning , however, as Gosling as assistant D.A. just won't accept the case as closed, even as the wife (Embeth Davidtz), the only eyewitness, lays near death in a deep coma and hooked up to life support. Hopkins cleverly exploits the D.A.'s weaknesses and rattles him to the point of no return. Gosling is further hampered by the fact that he is planning to leave this job and go out on his own, which only complicates matters more and threatens his credibility. The fun of all this is watching these two outwit and outmaneuver each other as new revelations and twists start occurring at a fast pace. Hopkins knows his way around this kind of self-assured asshole better than any actor working today, and he is completely believable getting himself unhooked. Gosling, easily one of his generation's best actors, is every bit his match, finding a way to keep his case alive. Yes, there's definitely a formula to this type of courtroom drama, but when it works as well as it does here, you don't mind the feeling of déjà vu. Fracture is a sleek, surprising, and surefire thriller that will grab you by the throat.