Read Mixed User Reviews for Fracture

5

JimG.Jun 2, 2007

Plenty of other better movies to go see. Not even something you need to catch on DVD. Unless you've already watched every good movie available, don't waste your time with this. It reminded me a lot of the director's much Plenty of other better movies to go see. Not even something you need to catch on DVD. Unless you've already watched every good movie available, don't waste your time with this. It reminded me a lot of the director's much better film, "Primal Fear," but it never came close to reaching that film's genius. I think that Anthony Hopkins needs to stop playing roles that are so similar to Hannibal Lecter before that's the only type of part he is offered. Or maybe it already is. It seems as though he tried to make his character more interesting (did anyone else notice the very subtle accent?) but what the character needed was to be WRITTEN more interesting. I never understood just exactly what his character did for a living. We were given a basic idea, but I think more of an exploration into his mind would've allowed for a better film. His ball bearing devices that litter his office and home suggest a much more interesting man. Gosling is great, and this was the first film I've seen him in. This is merely a stepping stone for him to better films. I wish I could say I saw all the twists coming, but I didn't. I've never been good at predicting what's going to happen before it happens unless it's blatantly obvious. But it doesn't matter, because when the answers were revealed, they were completely uninteresting. Boring film. Don't waste your time on it.… Expand

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6

TokyochuchuDec 1, 2013

Fracture is a fine lawyer criminal face-off between Ryan Gosling and Hannibal Lecter... Oh, I mean Anthony Hopkins. No, wait. I mean Hannibal Lecter. Quite why Hopkins thinks he can just play Lecter in a different film with a different nameFracture is a fine lawyer criminal face-off between Ryan Gosling and Hannibal Lecter... Oh, I mean Anthony Hopkins. No, wait. I mean Hannibal Lecter. Quite why Hopkins thinks he can just play Lecter in a different film with a different name and no-one will notice is a bit disconcerting, but the movie is still a good bit of fun.… Expand

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6

moviegrabbagJun 12, 2011

This was a very well done movie. The acting was incredibly solid and the story was very well written. The only issue that I had with this movie was that it became a little slow in some spots. This is definitely a movie that court roomThis was a very well done movie. The acting was incredibly solid and the story was very well written. The only issue that I had with this movie was that it became a little slow in some spots. This is definitely a movie that court room thriller fans need to check out as well as fans of Anthony Hopkins because he was amazing in this movie.… Expand

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6

beingryanjudeAug 29, 2014

Amidst the hay-days of the murder mystery genre, Fracture is refreshing. Anthony Hopkins may lean on Hannibal Lector for influence but he and Ryan Gosling are a surprisingly great match.

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5

MovieMasterEddyApr 3, 2016

In 'Fracture,' shameless conviction.

A movie about shamelessness should be shameless itself. And for five minutes here and there, ‘‘Fracture’’ does a passable job. In fact, Anthony Hopkins, who plays a genius structural engineer who shootsIn 'Fracture,' shameless conviction.

A movie about shamelessness should be shameless itself. And for five minutes here and there, ‘‘Fracture’’ does a passable job. In fact, Anthony Hopkins, who plays a genius structural engineer who shoots his wife and then represents himself at the trial, has rarely demonstrated less shame than he does in this preposterous courtroom thriller. Nor has Ryan Gosling. Although at about a third of Hopkins’s age, he has decades to top his oily performance as opposing counsel.

The film is neither a whodunit nor a whydunit. We know both. Hopkins’s character, Ted Crawford, pulls the trigger because his wife (Embeth Davidtz) has been having an affair. Not long after the shooting, a detective (Billy Burke) arrives at the Crawfords’ great big Southern California home, and to his shock discovers that the woman on the floor is the very one he’d been seeing. Ted goes to jail, willingly confesses, and relishes the fact that Gosling’s district attorney, Willy Beachum (what a name), will try to put him away.

Willy is the movie’s favorite kind of lawyer: hotshot. This one is about to move on to bigger things — a fancy new job at a corporate firm, where he can work alongside the icy dame (Rosamund Pike) who recruited and bedded him. But his 97 percent conviction rate and Ted’s obvious gamesmanship (that the wife’s lover took Ted’s confession nullifies Willy’s entire case) compel him to find a new angle to prosecute. Ted chooses to be his own defense attorney, claiming he knows nothing about the law. But he’s obviously better at it than Willy. Fiona Shaw plays the presiding judge, and she looks rightly confused and exasperated.

The movie seems so content to be smarter than you’re expecting that it never amounts to more than a talky tease. What’s breezy about the first half of the picture turns logy in the second. The entire film is hung on a shrugging legal plot twist that, years ago, managed to inspire a whole Ashley Judd vehicle. And since Hopkins is far too likable as a would-be cold-blooded murderer (whose wife, mind you, remains in a coma) the movie has to settle for a humane ending that also feels like a shrug.

‘‘Fracture’’ was written by Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers and directed by Gregory Hoblit, whose last legal thriller, ‘‘Primal Fear,’’ was more enjoyably hokey. The new movie isn’t stupid, however. The screenplay has its share of fun, snappy dialogue, and there’s no shortage of good actors to deliver it, from Shaw and Pike, to David Strathairn, as Willy’s boss, Cliff Curtis, as a detective, and Bob Gunton, as Pike’s father.

Then there’s Gosling and Sir Anthony slinging ham at each other. They spend their scenes crossing accents. Gosling’s has a backwoods lilt that evokes possums, beer cozies, and spritzes of cheap cologne. Hopkins might be using his native Welsh brogue. Who can say, since to me he doesn’t ever sound the same way twice?

In any case, you needn’t actually see ‘‘Fracture’’ to know that if the charge is acting that winks, these two are guilty.… Expand

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6

amheretojudgeSep 17, 2018

never less than a "check"..

Fracture Fracture is a plot driven courtroom drama among a lawyer at its prime prosecuting an already confessed guilty who now is defending his case with no whatsoever experience. It is surprisingly hilarious withnever less than a "check"..

Fracture Fracture is a plot driven courtroom drama among a lawyer at its prime prosecuting an already confessed guilty who now is defending his case with no whatsoever experience. It is surprisingly hilarious with much more mature humor installed in with suave note that it never seems forced and cheeky. The narration is fast paced with tightly packed screenplay that is gripping if not layered and thoroughly entertaining for its runtime. Amidst all these highly pitched dramatic sequences it fails to draw out the emotions especially concerning the relations and chemistry since the frustration and the irritation described and portrayed for the protagonist communicates clearly. The background score is exhilarating if not scored extraordinarily and along with decent cinematography and fine editing, the boat floats safely on technical aspects. Gosling is vulnerable but still resists it on each frame against the master Hopkins whose reputation is justified in here with a cunning script and slick chess moves that were never less than a "check". The script aces on enfolding newer territories and bold turns and choices that it makes which is not only to bedazzle the viewers but also justifies it considering each perspective. Hoblit's execution might be decent and palpable to its tone but what stands out in here, is the world created by him that feeds itself on nothing but nature and that is something which doesn't come often. The only thing that itches throughout the course is the procedure through which the makers either rush up or skips few beats. The gripping screenplay, the enthralling high stakes through which it conveys its subject and Gosling's stellar performances are the high points of the feature. Fracture not only breaks but shatters expectations that results into never wearing off euphoric energy for the viewers, actors and makers.… Expand

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4

FilipeNetoJun 26, 2019

Good, but still could improve.

In this "court movie" we have the simple situation of a vain lawyer, accustomed to winning cases, who is faced with the difficult task of proving that a powerful businessman killed his wife. Cold andGood, but still could improve.

In this "court movie" we have the simple situation of a vain lawyer, accustomed to winning cases, who is faced with the difficult task of proving that a powerful businessman killed his wife. Cold and thoughtful, he manages to anticipate every step of the prosecution lawyer and is determined to seize every asset to confuse and shuffle him. To make matters even more complicated, the prosecution lawyer is in the process of being hired to work in a large and important business law firm, and hiring largely depends on his performance in this case.

I have little to say about the script ... the story seems to me well built and developed, and the twists that happen are, in fact, what keeps people stuck in the film. However, it is not very credible, it could be even better and there are some loose ends that can bother you. Plus, it's a bit predictable. Ryan Gosling is convincing in his character. Together with veteran Anthony Hopkins, who gave life to the villain, dominates the film, and how the two characters interact and provoke help greatly to maintain the interest of the public. We really want to know which of the two will come out on top. The remaining cast is limited to the space that the two protagonists leave free. I would particularly highlight the good contribution of Fiona Shaw. Rosamund Pike, meanwhile, despite being like a fish in the water on yet another ice cold character, seems to be left in the film. Technically, the film has quality as well. Good camera game, nice color and light, a regular soundtrack but it does what it needs to do.

Overall, this movie does what it claims to do, but it can not do enough to exceed what it is regular and become truly good.… Expand

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6

TonyB.Oct 8, 2007

Extremely well-acted legal thriller with some unfortunate plot holes. Ryan Gosling more than holds his own up against one of our finest actors, Anthony Hopkins.