Fracture (2007)

Director:

Gregory Hoblit

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Pyne (screenplay) and
Glenn Gers (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 April 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If you look close enough, you'll find everyone has a weak spot.

Plot:

An attorney intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he's trying to prosecute.

Plot Keywords:

Crimes Of Passion | Obsession | Beautiful People | Death | Planting Evidence

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Ted Crawford
Ryan Gosling	...	Willy Beachum
David Strathairn	...	DA Joe Lobruto
Rosamund Pike	...	Nikki Gardner
Embeth Davidtz	...	Jennifer Crawford
Billy Burke	...	Lt. Robert Nunally
Cliff Curtis	...	Detective Flores
Fiona Shaw	...	Judge Robinson
Bob Gunton	...	Judge Gardner
Josh Stamberg	...	Norman Foster
Xander Berkeley	...	Judge Moran
Zoe Kazan	...	Mona
Judith Scott	...	Resident
Gary Cervantes	...	Ciro (as Carlos Cervantes)
Petrea Burchard	...	Dr. Marion Kang

Also Known As:

Perfekte Verbrechen, Das (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violent content.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Argentina:16 | Denmark:15 | Ireland:15A | USA:R (certificate #43317) | Brazil:14 | Hong Kong:IIA | Italy:T | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-13 | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Germany:12 | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Sweden:11 | Netherlands:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Dijon Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

When Willy Beachum is in his office, the boxes behind his desk are labeled "People .vs. Morgenthau" - Kramer Morgenthau was the cinematographer for the film and another box reads, "People .vs. Beaupre" - Steven F. Beaupre was the second assistant director

Goofs:

Factual errors: By the expert's testimony in court we are informed that Ted Crawford's bullet pierced through the frontal cortex in the temporal lobe coming to rest upon the upper side of the brain against the skull. Yet when we see wife Jennifer's head hit the floor for a brief moment in a close-up, there is no injury visible at all. Furthermore in another scene Ted points to his left cheek bone when he describes where he shot his wife. Such an injury is very different from that described during the trial. The shot was fired at close range with a powerful .45, which makes it very unlikely that the bullet would come to rest within the skull.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Crawford's Secretary: The NTSB guys are here about that bulkhead problem.
Ted Crawford: OK, thanks.

Movie Connections:

References Dr. No (1962)

Soundtrack:

Ombra Fedel Anch'io

shrewdly executed courtroom thriller

Blessed with a smart script, stylish direction and first-rate performances by Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, "Fracture" emerges as more than just the "Silence of the Lambs" knock-off it would appear to be on the surface.

In a role reminiscent of a somewhat toned-down (i.e. non-cannabilistic) Hannibal Lecter, Hopkins plays Ted Crawford, a wealthy L.A. businessman who shoots his wife when he discovers she's having an affair with a hostage negotiator. Crawford readily admits to the crime, giving the police a signed confession and insisting on defending himself in court. Gosling is Willy Beachum, a cocky, up-and-coming public prosecutor who takes the case believing it will be one last slam-dunk victory for him before he moves on to bigger and better things at a prestigious private law firm downtown. Beachum gets more than he bargained for, however, when the creepy and unnerving Crawford begins to play the legal system for all it's worth, tweaking the hotshot lawyer by outthinking him and continually knocking him off his game.

In less capable hands, "Fracture" could easily have been a standard-issue, twist-and-turn courtroom drama, but thanks to the talents involved, it transcends the limitations of its genre. Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers have written a screenplay filled with witty, crackling dialogue and sharply observed insights into the psyches of its two principal characters. Hopkins and Gosling play the cat-and-mouse game with conviction and gusto, while director Gregory Hoblit and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau use a smoothly gliding camera and a barely perceptible visual distortion at the edges of the picture to highlight the "fractured" nature of the piece. Moreover, the film has a nice L.A. feel to it, as it takes us to various interesting sites around town, including the ultra-modern, near-surrealistic Disney Concert Hall located in the heart of the city.

There is strong supporting work by David Straitharn ("Good Night, and Good Luck"), Billy Burke, Rosamund Pike and Fiona Shaw ("Mountains of the Moon"), among others, but it is Hopkins and Gosling, locked in a life-or-death battle of acumen and wits, who make "Fracture" a perpetually compelling and watchable courtroom thriller.