Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. Here’s another of this weekend’s releases I haven’t seen. This is what happens when you pile 30 movies into a single weekend... press screenings happen on top of each other, time grows short. Still, Capone’s the man, and he’s managed to send in five new reviews today, including this one:
Hey all. Capone in Chicago here. I'm in a camp with most people that believe trailers on the whole show way too much, and often ruin the surprises and/or the ending to many a worthy movie. Even when that isn't the case, I've seen enough mystery movies in my time to be able to figure out the real killer or some elaborate twist miles ahead of the reveal. So here's what kicks ass about FRACTURE: there's so much about this film I thought I knew or thought I'd figured out, and I was wrong on all counts. You might think this film is about a rich man (Anthony Hopkins) confessing to killing his wife (Embeth Davidtz), but the evidence in the case against him doesn't support his confession. Not exactly. You might think that the assistant DA played by Ryan Gosling has to find either the correct evidence to convict Hopkins or proof that he's covering up for someone else. Sort of. Actually, the judgment in the case against Hopkins happens just after the halfway point in the film. In fact, I don't think the trailers show us anything that happens in the film's second half. But it's in that second half that the film truly takes shape. You see, there's no question that Hopkins is our killer. We see the successful structural engineer shoot his wife after he confronts her with the knowledge that she's having an affair. He knows this because he has followed her to a hotel where she and her much-younger-than-Hopkins lover meet twice a week. We are shown all of this right at the outset. No spoilers here. So why is it that the gun that kills his wife is not the same one in his possession? Why don't the shell casings on the floor of their home match the guns? Why does the gun show that it's never been fired? The police assume the gun is hidden somewhere in the house, but they can't find it after repeated searches. And that's just where the fun begins. Every scene between Hopkins and Gosling is a treasure. These two fine actors come from totally different schools of acting. Hopkins has been doing this acting game for so long that's he's learned to have fun and make it look effortless. Gosling is the arguably the finest actor of his generation, and he absolutely disappears into this cocky bastard of an ADA. He's already got a job in the private sector waiting for him, so he's got one foot out the door when he gets saddled with this annoying case that appears to be a slam dunk. The courtroom scenes that pit these men against each other are so well done that you have to laugh out of admiration for the sheer skill on display. Hopkins is the master manipulator who is able to logically anticipate every more of the people around him. There's an entire fascinating subplot involving Gosling's expected job at a top-ranking corporate law firm and an affair he enters into with the woman who would be his immediate supervisor. And soon, even that job's future is called into question because of the high-profile nature of the murder case he's trying to tie up. I don't want to reveal too much about what happens after the court case is finalized, but no part of this plot lets you down. FRACTURE is a smart, nervy thriller that could only be pulled off by two of the finest actors of their respective generations. It tricks the audience without leaving any crucial elements up for grabs. This is one of the best crime scripts (from Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers) I've seen in years, and director Gregory Hoblit (who pulled off a similar acting-script coup with PRIMAL FEAR in 1996) has crafted a near-perfect film. Capone
