The Lincoln Lawyer Review

Often, when I see a movie based on a book, I will try to read the book.  This is no exception.  In the case of the Lincoln Lawyer, it is not only because of the quality of the movie but the fact that I felt a little confused trying to follow the plot and characters.  That being said, this is still a great legal thriller.  While it may not be as good as the Pelican Brief or A Time to Kill, it is still very well done.  There are a lot of twists and, while many of you may say you saw them coming, I will admit that I didn't see a few of them.  And I think everything got wrapped up well.

The one thing that really struck me as good about this film was the acting.  Matthew McConaughey gives a very solid performance as the hero and the supporting acting is quite well done too.  Even Trace Adkins does a good job.  But the one that really blew me away was Ryan Philippe.  Who would have thought that one of the best actors to come out of the 90s douchebag pretty boy era would be him?  He and McConaughey do a really great job playing their little convoluted chess game.

Finally, I thought the directing was really good.  It started out with some of that damn shaky camera work and I thought, "oh no, here we go."  But they didn't stay with that and actually ahd some really cool shots; especially with regards to the Lincoln.  The movie does slow down a bit when McConaughey has his obligatory "crisis of conscience."  But it picks back up quickly and moves well to the end.  The only thing I really didn't understand was the need for the whole "Lincoln" thing.  It seemed like a bit of a gimmick and unnecessary.  But I didn't mind.  Boxy Town Cars are cool.

See it.  It is a very good movie and definitely one of the better legal thrillers out there.