Review of The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) by Brianteck — 07 Apr 2011

The source of the film is the excellent crime novel by Michael Connelly who is one of my favorite authors. Another great book of his that was made into a solid film was Blood Work with Clint Eastwood.

I was pleasantly surprised by the film which was solid both in acting and execution. McConaughey successfully captures Connely's Mickey Haller who is a relatively complex character. Borderline sleazy when it comes to advocating for his scum clients, but with a strong sense of justice and doing the right thing.

Ryan Phillippe is convincingly amoral and sociopathic and there are enjoyable side performances by William H. Macy and Marissa Tomei. This manages to be a better than average thriller because of pretty good character development.

I almost thought we would get away without seeing Matthew's bulging biceps but they managed to work it in when he is in a wheelchair leaving the hospital.