Stress Fracture (Fracture (DVD))

Name: collingwood21

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Product:	Fracture (DVD)
Date:	31/08/07 (178 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Solid acting, Enough twists to keep viewers entertained, Hopkins' character

Disadvantages: Irrelevant romantic sub-plot

Fracture (2007) – FILM ONLY REVIEW

Certificate: 15 (UK), R (USA)
Running time: 113 minutes

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Main cast:
Ted Crawford – Anthony Hopkins
Willy Beachum – Ryan Gosling
Rob Nunally – Billy Burke
Nikki Gardner – Rosamund Pike
Jennifer Crawford – Embeth Davidtz


There seemed to be a compelling case to see “Fracture”, the legal drama that many critics were setting up to be one of the thrillers of 2007. The thought of Anthony Hopkins reprising the evil persona that he used to such powerful effect in “The Silence of the Lambs” was I suppose the main draw of it for me, although the simple fact that I do enjoy a good whodunit also spurred me into renting this title. However, it soon becomes very clear that what we are going to get is not a simple whodunit, as we witness the crime that forms the centrepiece of the film within minutes of it opening. It is not even one of the “whydunnit” thrillers that have become so popular since “Cracker” hit our TV screens, as the motive is straightforward and clear. “Fracture” instead offers the story of a man attempting to outwit and successfully manipulate the American legal system, a premise that while not original, is certainly diabolical fun in many places. It has a simple plot structure, giving a perspective on a court case in Los Angeles from crime to conclusion – but before you all glaze over, this is a legal case that offers something you won’t see on your average episode of “Law and Order”. If you can suspend your disbelief sufficiently to get around the more preposterous elements of the story, what you get is well worth sticking with.

Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) is an aeronautics engineer specialising in fracture mechanics; methodical, precise and highly intellectual, he prides himself in being able to detect the tiniest of flaws in any system or structure. When he discovers that his own perfect life has a flaw in the form of beautiful younger wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) having an affair, Ted calmly plans his stratagem for removing the imperfection: an overly complex revenge whereby he commits the perfect murder. When Jennifer returns home one evening after a hard day’s cheating on her rich husband with local hunk Rob Nunally (Billy Burke), Ted innocently requests a hug from her, and then unflinchingly shoots her in the face. He then cleans himself up, and quietly waits for the inevitable arrival of the police. (After countless movies where husbands murder their wives, you would think that women in movieland would take precautions against such things – by not marrying a man who has psychopathic traits, or by remaining faithful, for instance. But it seems fictional wives never learn). The film then takes an unexpected turn: Crawford confesses to the murder quite happily as he is arrested, leaving the viewer with what appears to be an open and shut case.

The same assumption is made by the charmlessly ambitious young assistant district attorney who is given the case to prosecute, Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling). Despite looking like a dozy student half the time, Beachum is supposedly in possession of a razor-sharp legal mind, and already has one foot outside the door of public office to head for the far greener pastures of corporate law. All Willy has to do before he can start his lucrative new job is to wrap up his outstanding cases in the DA’s office, and prosecuting Crawford seems a simple task for a man who boasts a 97% conviction rate: there is a signed confession and Crawford refuses council, insisting on representing himself in court in a way that only happens in Hollywood. With his overblown confidence and sexy new boss Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) offering significant distraction for Willy, Ted begins to manoeuvre his crafty way around the legal system – soon turning Beachum’s slam-dunk case into something altogether more slippery. Hence, we are set up with a battle of wits, a pivotal encounter that has Ted with the calm intelligence of a master manipulator on one side, and Willy with the arrogance and energy of a young hotshot on the other.

When faced with the prospect of Hopkins versus Gosling, my initial reaction was that the veteran actor would east him alive (albeit without the fava beans and a nice Chianti). Gosling, however, easily holds his own in this film and provides a solid adversary for his co-star – and certainly manages to hold his chosen accent a good deal more consistently than Hopkins, whose voice seems to take something of a tour of Britain and Ireland during the course of the film. Still, Hopkins rarely disappoints, and seems to relish such a meaty character and the chance to send up what is arguably his most famous role (I especially like how Crawford’s taunting “Willy Boy” replaced “Clarice”). The pairing of Gosling and Hopkins ultimately worked surprisingly well and provided a wonderfully enthralling battle of wits, although as Beachum makes early mistakes that even a casual viewer of “Law and Order” would have known to avoid, I did begin to wonder how this guy had been supposedly hand-picked to join the most prestigious law firm in town. The supporting cast all did their jobs well, with Rosamund Pike as a suitably sultry love interest for young Beachum, although I found it difficult to work out exactly what this sub-plot was doing in the film other than providing some eye-candy for male viewers. The film would have worked just as well (better?) had this element been stripped out and just concentrated on the core of the story – the legal proceedings. Hopkins’ character was witty and a pleasure to watch, and I would far rather have seen more of him and less of Gosling and Pike’s artfully lit sex scenes.

I must admit that after recently seeing a succession of ropey thrillers I was waiting for this one to, well, fracture. However, the director keeps the audience guessing with plenty of plot twists – none as outrageous as M Night Shyamalan might have used, but enough to keep most viewers engaged, pleasantly entertained and happily trying to figure out the puzzles for themselves. It is largely built from the notion that your average filmgoer won’t pay enough attention to the small details of such films to put the pieces together for themselves, so clues to the deceptively simple (and yet surprisingly good) conclusion will escape their notice until the final scenes. I’ll admit I didn’t see a lot of what happened coming, and I enjoyed it all the more for it managing to be unpredictable in a genre that has been so thoroughly worked and re-worked over the years. This is a restrained and intricate thriller that will appeal to viewers after a well-acted and smarter than average thriller. The villain is easily more likeable than the hero, but that is not necessarily a bad thing; it helped to add a bit more punch to the drama.

VERDICT: Guilty of having irrelevant and inconsequential sub-plots, and of using sharp dialogue to hide legally inaccurate proceedings, but overall a good film and one worth spending £3 to rent. But I wouldn’t buy it (currently £9.98 on Amazon); the re-watch ability is far too limited.

Recommended.


Official film website: http://www.fracturemovie.com/
Internet Movie Database page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0488120/

Summary: An above average legal thriller