Review of Fracture (2007) by Kevin P — 27 Jun 2018

Strengths: Though this came before we all considered Ryan Gosling (William Beachum) to be a great actor, I'd say this was the first time he shined this brightly. Sure, he was good in the Notebook, but here, he went toe to toe with a great and performed very well. Anthony Hopkins (Theodore Crawford) is the star. He is tremendous and each time he's on screen, you feel like you can't look away. The interplay between his character and Gosling's is what drives the movie and what makes it so you must keep watching. The stuff in the courtroom is strong, but it's watching how the characters deal with these situations that stands out. It takes some twists and turns you don't expect, with the twist ending coming right when you think things can't go well for our hero at all. The writing and dialogue are top notch, as well.

Weaknesses: The B plot of William's romance with Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) was distracting. Both actors were fine separately, but together, they lacked chemistry. The relationship also didn't make much sense, as Nikki was portrayed to be this strong female in a high position. Why would she get herself into the position of dating someone working under her? It seemed out of character. It's a side plot that weighs things down, holding this back from being a stellar film.

Overall: As noted, there's something holding this back from being stellar. That doesn't mean it's not great. Gosling and Hopkins are powerful together, giving us enthralling scenes together from the moment their character meet. It's an engaging thriller and one of the more underrated films in recent memory.