Title:  Fracture

Year:  2007                             Release Date:  April 20, 2007

Starring:  Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Straithairn

Lawyer’s Worst Nightmare

            Here’s a movie where the protagonist (Ryan Gosling as Willy Beachum) is a brilliant DA with a lucrative new job in a big firm.  But he has one last case.  Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) is accused of killing his wife.  It should be an open and shut case.  Or as CASA’s say during CPS cases, “A slam dunk!”

            But then comes the twist.  Ted Crawford becomes every lawyer’s worst nightmare); the pro se (a layperson who represents themselves) litigator who is a formidable opponent.  The moral of this story: Never underestimate opposing counsel and Never overestimate your case.

            One of the best scenes in legal movies is when there’s a meeting in the Judge’s (Fiona Shaw) chambers and Hopkins delivers the movie’s best dialog.  I won’t repeat it here because it is just too good.  The other great thing about this movie is trying to determine if Willy Beachum’s ananlysis at the end of the movie makes sense. Was the law applied correctly or was there dramatic license.  Perhaps some great criminal mind can clear it up.  Rather some great criminal law mind.

            I’ll give this movie 3 ½ Gavels.