The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Director: Brad Furman                                     Writer: John Romano
Film Score: Cliff Martinez                                Cinematography: Lukas Ettlin
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe and William H. Macy

This is one of those instances where a really great mystery novel transfers seamlessly to the screen. It also helps that it has a star-studded cast. The Lincoln Lawyer is a well-filmed, well-acted, well-written film that satisfies on nearly every level of viewing experience. And that’s not something that can often be said about a film. Director Brad Furman has an affinity for L.A., which comes through in his choice of projects, and while his other films have proved disappointing everything came together in this piece in a way that he had to be extremely happy with. The story is based on the novel by Michael Connelly, which was the first spin-off from his regular detective novels, and he was equally happy with the film. Though it didn’t receive rave reviews, audiences have been mostly positive. This was the second film in which Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer, the first being John Grisham’s legal thriller A Time to Kill from 1996. In both films his character goes through a learning curve that is impressive to watch. And that’s what makes this film so great. The characterizations are particularly good and so the film doesn’t have to rely completely on plot. Plus, the cinematography is edgy without being off-putting, and the music uses a bit of rap without being intrusive.

The film opens with hot-shot lawyer Matthew McConaughey in his office: his vintage Lincoln Town Car driven by chauffer Laurence Mason. Unlike most lawyers who try to pretend different, he only cares about money. When court clerk John Leguizamo tells him about the rich Ryan Phillippe who has been arrested for assault on a prostitute, it’s easy money in the bank for McConaughey. On the other side of the aisle in the courthouse is the lawyer’s ex-wife, Marisa Tomei, and the two have a surprisingly good relationship, which stems from their mutual love for their daughter. He also has a crack investigator, William H. Macy, who thinks Phillippe is guilty but does a good job of trying to find the truth. Meanwhile cop Michael Paré has a grudge against McConaughey for getting killers out of prison on technicalities, as does assistant D.A. Josh Lucas who would like nothing better than to sandbag the hot shot and put him in his place. Of course Phillippe begins by lying to McConaughey, and eventually the lawyer sees a connection with a murder case in which he advised Michael Peña to plead guilty because he didn’t have a case. It doesn’t take long for McConaughey to realize that Phillippe hired him in order to have all of the evidence of the connection covered under attorney-client privilege, leaving him protected from the first murder. How McConaughey attempts to get justice for everyone involved, while Phillippe tries to do the opposite, is incredibly suspenseful.

Matthew McConaughey is simply marvelous, as both the slick hustler and later in the film when he becomes haunted by his own hubris. And Marisa Tomei is equally impressive as his gorgeous ex-wife. They play off each other brilliantly and have great onscreen chemistry. William H. Macy is also wonderful as the street-wise investigator, as is Josh Logan as the overconfident prosecutor who gets played by McConaughey. In addition to a great principal cast, there are a bunch of great supporting roles. Besides the delightful appearances of Michael Paré, John Leguizamo and Michael Peña, Bryan Cranston plays a homicide detective that McConaughey can’t stand, while Bob Gunton plays Phillippe’s family lawyer. The great Shea Whigham puts in an appearance as a jailhouse snitch, a year into his impressive run on Boardwalk Empire, while Frances Fisher does a nice job of replicating a 40s noir type mother. Nevertheless, even with all of that talent, it’s difficult to not to lay the success of the film on a terrific story, adapted by screenwriter John Romano, and some confident direction by Brad Furman. Because the majority of the film takes pace during the day and the humor in the story, it’s something of the flip side to a film like Collateral’s dark depiction of L.A. at night. Though perhaps not a great work of art, The Lincoln Lawyer is great cinema and well worth seeking out.