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Fracture (2007)

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218 comments in total

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94 out of 113 people found the following comment useful :-
Willy Beachum: "I'm not going to play any games with you." Ted Crawford: "I'm afraid you have to old sport.", 27 April 2007

Author: Galina from Virginia, USA

"Fracture" (2007) is directed by Gregory Hoblit who has also made "Frequency" (2000), "Fallen" (1998) both of which I like and "Primal Fear" (1996) - his feature debut that I love.

Crime /Thriller/Mystery /Court Drama are among my favorite genres and as long as the combination of these genres is clever, gripping, atmospheric, well acted, keeps me guessing and entertains me, I am happy. I know that many viewers were very insightful and figured out the twists and the ending within first half of hour or so but I did not and I was impressed by the way the disappearance of the crucial evidence had been handled - very clever. Besides being an entertaining crime movie, the most interesting element of "Fracture" is a struggle of wills and intellects between two main characters, self-made inventor - millionaire Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) who shot his unfaithful wife in the face and put her in a coma and young, successful and smart assistant D.A. Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), who has a 97% conviction rate and is assigned to prosecute Crawford just when he is ready to accept a lucrative offer from the prestigious LA law firm. The game of cat and mouse that highly intelligent and malevolent Crawford plays with Beachum makes the film interesting and the scenes between Hopkins (in his "playful Dr. Lector" mode) and Gosling (whose character does change as he realizes what he is dealing with from the unsympathetic self-centered hot shot to the man who becomes obsessed by the case, vows to put the murderer behind the bars and makes it his priority) - riveting and joy to watch. I also would like to mention David Strathairn as Willy's boss, DA Joe Lobuto in yet another understated effective performance. Strathairn's Lobuto is so interesting that he could be a main character in another move. "Fracture" is not perfect. For example, Willy's affair with Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike), a beautiful lawyer and his perspective boss was lifeless - they did not have any chemistry together. I think that Nikki's purpose in the movie was to introduce Willy to her father, a judge, whose help he would desperately need in one of the later scenes. I'd rather prefer more scenes between Willy and Crawford but even the way it was, the movie kept my attention all the way through and despite the rather weak ending, I found "Fracture" quite good.

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97 out of 130 people found the following comment useful :-
Great chemistry, 30 April 2007

Author: mbplex from United States

I thought the intellectual chess game between Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling was pure joy. What a pleasure to watch the two play mind games with each other -- with the audience in on the action. Thought the pace was good, the direction suspenseful. The only aspect of the movie that I would say was less than A+ was the love interest between Ryan Gosling and Rosamund Pike. I thought it a bit confusing that she was both his boss and his love interest. Not sure they needed the full love interest in the plot. All in all, a most entertaining movie. Other than that, the plot line of the legal case was engaging, understandable and realistic. I highly recommend it to those interested in movies that make you think.

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78 out of 98 people found the following comment useful :-
shrewdly executed courtroom thriller, 29 April 2007

Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

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.

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57 out of 70 people found the following comment useful :-
Will keep you glued to your seat, 18 May 2007

Author: steffanie1988 from Apeldoorn, the Netherlands

The tagline of this film sounds interesting, but also shows the movie's thin plot. 'I shot my wife. Prove it.' Ultimately, the film is smart and witty and keeps you intrigued the entire time as you try find a way to do what the tagline asks you to. However, that's it. Naturally, Anthony Hopkins can do now wrong and 'newbie' Ryan Gosling does really well. Together in a scene, these two are awesome.

What I like about this film is that it totally focuses on the Hopkins/Gosling story-line. In many other films like these there's always that the policemen/attorneys (in this case Gosling) fall in love and then mess it up/ruin their marriage because the case is tearing them apart, you know the drill. There's always some sub story-line involving romance. Gosling finds romance in this movie with Rosamund Pike's character, but it doesn't evolve into another story-line. It doesn't take Willy Beachum's (Ryan Gosling) eyes off the price and even when it falls apart, he doesn't appear to care much (it's all about getting Crawford behind bars) or to feel a need to make it right. I like that. I mean, I love romance in films, but this movie shouldn't be about that and it's not.

Also, the fact that Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is in complete control over everything and everyone in this film astonishes me. This man plays roles like these so well! He just keeps you glued to the screen. The way he is in charge of Willy for (almost!) the entire film is just enjoyable to watch, making the end of the film even more enjoyable when the story comes out and the roles change.

Another reason to praise Gosling for the way he portrayed Willy Beachum. Anthony Hopkins is a legend. He is what draws people to theatres and he is one of the most brilliant actors of all times. Plus, he portrays such a strong character here that I can't help but praise Gosling for holding his own in a very strong manner. Scenes with Gosling are entertaining to watch. You feel drawn to him in almost the same way you feel drawn to Hopkins, even though Willy is in a dark place for most of the film and is hardly in control. Gosling's got great timing.

The story-line might be a little thin and fragile, the outcome is worth it. The movie surprises in more than one way, not in the last place because of the pretty much brilliant performances of both actors. Gosling is going to be big.

8/10

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62 out of 87 people found the following comment useful :-
A Knockout of a movie, Gosling and Hopkins are Great., 11 April 2007

Author: LittleWill92 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

My father received movie passes from his work or something for an exclusive premiere of this movie and we just got back from it about 2 hours ago. Wow. If you've seen the previews and trailers for this movie, you'd think that this will be a cool cat-and-mouse thriller. And surprisingly, it really is.

Fracture is the twisting story about a young attorney named Willy Beachum(played by Ryan Gosling) in the fast lane to success. Willy is brought into a case where a man named Ted Crawford attempted to murder his wife(Embeth Davidtz) after discovering that she had been cheating on him with the cop that had actually arrested Crawford for the attempt. This Crawford guy is pretty sick and demented, but very clever, and really knows all the rules to play a creepy mind game. When Beachum can not find any evidence proving Crawford is guilty, everything turns into an all-out psychological fight for proof. Cleverly titled Fracture, referring to a break or breaking point, Crawford tells Beachum that he will find Beachums weak spot, and will break him down.

Ryan Gosling. What a year for him- nominated for his first Academy Award for his powerful role in Half Nelson (which was excellent- go see that too) and now puts on another pitch perfect performance in Fracture. I don't think this performance will go unnoticed, and he really proved himself as one of the best actors in his generation. Amazing.

And what about Anthony Hopkins? He was nothing less than excellent for his role as the psychotic Teddy Crawford. I think that there will be no fans of Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal disappointed by his performance. Very creepy.

Not only is this film packed with drama, excitement, and suspense, it is also dusted with just enough humor to make it one of the most supremely entertaining movies of the year. Hopkins' quick wit and Gosling's humor jump off screen and brings the whole audience to many laughs.

All around, Fracture is a superior psychological thriller that keeps you guessing. I loved it, and I'm sure millions more will too.

*p.s.- about an hour and a half into the movie, watch David Strathairn's character when he goes to Beachum's house. His car is parked in one direction, and then when he goes back to it, it's in a completely different direction. i just thought i'd throw in that goof. =]*

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41 out of 50 people found the following comment useful :-
"Fracture" – A Break into the Abnormal, 7 May 2007

Author: frankwhat from Lakewood, NJ

I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed watching this film as I heard many positive critical reviews before going into it so I had high expectations to begin with. However I was not let down one bit since "Fracture" more than held its own. It contained a very simple plot structure but also offered a very original take on a different type of court case. While it might not be possible in real life, it worked magic on the big screen and transformed into an excellent film almost within the first few minutes.

Even though Sir Anthony Hopkins played a role almost exactly identical to that of his previous Hannibal Lecter, it was still great to see him back in this form because that's what I always thought he was best at: the maniacal genius. Although I will admit he does have an incredible range. He didn't add anything new to his character that we haven't seen him do before, yet I still loved watching him whenever he was on the screen. The big shock for me was Ryan Gosling. I knew he was a good actor and that he has been in some great movies but this was his best performance by far. He just calmly waltzed into each scene and was able to hold his own against the veteran Hopkins. Gosling's natural ability is simply breathtaking with how much of it he was blessed with. Any doubts of him I had before are now officially thrown out the window. The rest of the ensemble was at least adequate and the only one who I was a little disappointed in was Billy Burke since he didn't seem completely convincing.

There is somewhat of a twist waiting for the viewer at the final showdown and what I loved about it was it wasn't thrown in there for no reason. It actually went with the story, which is what's supposed to happen but hasn't lately in numerous other cases. It won't throw you for a complete loop but rather ties up some loose ends that had me scratching my head up until then. While there's elements of the legal proceedings that are completely Hollywoodized and could in no way happen in real life, I didn't seem to mind at all and was actually glad they did that. This was most likely because it flowed with the story and offered a fresh perspective.

"Fracture" will be one of those small cinematic feats that goes overlooked and prematurely fades into oblivion but for those that do get to see it you won't be disappointed. You may not agree with some parts and might even spot some dead on plot flaws, but if you can overlook that and instead focus on the film as a whole you are in for a treat. The courtroom drama is suspenseful and is presented just as it should be. The quips taken from both sides are clever and offer some well-timed comic relief. The love story while not necessarily essential didn't take anything away from the other parts either. Job well done to mostly everyone on this production, this was a tightly wrought law thriller that was no chip off the old block by any means!

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67 out of 112 people found the following comment useful :-
Good acting by the leads, but everything else was boring, 21 April 2007

Author: Dave (freaky_dave) from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The movie Fracture was a crime movie and played as a game of cat and mouse between an assistant DA (Ryan Gosling) and a manipulative man name Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) who is charged with killing his wife who was having an affair. The two leads were superb, but the storyline was weak and the pacing ever so slow.

Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is a millionaire who one day discovers his wife is having an affair with a detective. More disappointed then angry, he confronts her at home and shoots her in the face, putting her in a coma. The detective who was having the affair with the wife comes to the crime scene where Crawford confronts him and tells him that he has shot his wife.

Once in court, Crawford becomes his own attorney, and discovers that the prosecutor trying his case is a young assistant DA name Willie Beachum (Gosling) who has a perfect record in convictions. Beachum doesn't want the case at first because he is about to move up in the world, but decides to take it when it appears as if it will be an easy conviction. However the gun that was used in the shooting can't be found, and so the game is on between both men. One who is trying to gain his freedom, and another who wants to put the killer behind bars.

Both actors were great, and it's too bad that the rest of the movie's pacing and storyline couldn't hold up. Included in the story is a lame affair between Gosling's character and his new boss to be named Nikki (Rosamund Pike.) It never really works, but I guess the movie had to have a love interest.

There were also no real surprises and no real shocking twists, other than how the murder weapon disappeared from the crime scene. That twist with the weapon was all right, but other than that, this movie offered nothing new.

I really wanted to like this movie because I liked both actors, but even their performances can't make up for all the other boring stuff that we as the viewers had to struggle through to get to the finale. The finale was nothing spectacular, but I won't dare spoil it for anybody who wants to see it. If I were the moviegoer, I would go and see this at the matinée instead. It isn't worth the 9 to 11 dollars that you will have to pay if you go during prime-time.

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29 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
Could have been so much more...., 22 April 2007

Author: Phat Beast from Texas

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The first 3/4 or so of Fracture are amazing. The acting is dead-on, the writing is solid, and the plot is done just well enough that it's incredibly entertaining without being either trite or pretentious. The story is simple enough: Ted Crawford (Hopkins) -- ostensibly an aerospace engineer who runs a successful company -- catches his wife having an affair and shoots (but doesn't kill) her. Being incredibly meticulous, he is able to plan every detail of the attempted murder to assure himself of an acquittal. Willy Beachum, Assistant DA handling the case (Gosling) is a hotshot who's on his way out the door to bigger and better things and, at first, neglects to prepare well for the case. The middle half of the movie is essentially the legal struggle between Beachum and Crawford. Ultimately, the overconfident Beachum is no match for the cunning Crawford. Toward the end of the trial, there is a scene in which Beachum must decide whether or not to plant evidence in order to obtain a conviction. The tension is palpable and the scene comes off as one of the best and most dramatic in the movie. In the end, Crawford is acquitted and, as he leaves the courtroom, his wife's grief-stricken lover shoots himself. This would have been an almost perfect ending to the movie, and would have guaranteed it at least an 8 or 9 rating from me. Up to this point, it was a solid film that was realistic, and just unconventional enough to stand out.

But apparently that wasn't enough for the folks behind the movie. Unable to cope with his failure, Beachum takes a personal interest in Crawford's comatose wife. What follows is a ridiculous and clichéd attempt by Beachum to obtain a court order preventing Crawford from pulling his wife's life support. This portion of the film is unrealistic and filled with false drama. The story does not sell Beachum's sudden dramatic change of character well, and it gives little reason to care about what happens to the wife (her doctor all but says that she's almost gone anyway). Beachum fails to stop Crawford from pulling the plug (legally), but then in an even less believable sequence, realizes where the crucial piece of evidence was, and then extracts a confession from Crawford, who believes he's protected by prohibitions on double jeopardy. Using a seemingly flimsy argument, Beachum takes Crawford back to court. The movie ends, fortunately, with the new trial beginning, rather than a conviction, which, in my opinion, would have reduced its score even more.

The acting in Fracture is fantastic. Though Gosling gets most of the screen time, Hopkins (as usual) steals the show. Strange side note: Hopkins seems to change accents throughout the movie. The writing and the plot are outstanding for the first hour to hour and a half. And the music is excellent (especially when Crawford returns home after his acquittal). What would have been a great movie is no more than mediocre or slightly above average simply because it tried to fix what wasn't broke.

My Recommendation: See the movie, but leave shortly after the trial ends.

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36 out of 52 people found the following comment useful :-
The Old Master and the Rising Star play chess, 15 April 2007

Author: A_Roode from Halifax, Nova Scotia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The character played by Anthony Hopkins tells a story in the film to Ryan Gosling. The story is about sorting eggs on a farm when he was a boy and about putting aside 300 eggs that all had minute cracks or imperfections. The moral is that everything has a weakness if you look closely enough. Hopkins is using the story to warn Gosling that his near perfect conviction record is about to be tested like never before.

I caught an advance screening of 'Fracture' and am counting myself among the lucky. 'Fracture' showcases two terrific performances. The first is Ryan Gosling who plays a hot shot Assistant District Attorney on the verge of joining a very lucrative private law firm. He's only got one case left to handle and, although it looks like a slam dunk on paper, he'll soon find it to be a bit more formidable than he first thought.

The second great performance is Sir Anthony Hopkins. Stealing every scene he's in with charm, humour and menace, Hopkins turns in one of his most enjoyable performances of recent years. Hopkins plays the accused in Gosling's last case and goes out of his way to give Gosling a very bad day. The battle of wills between the two leads is central to the movie and their combat is electrifying.

One of the main questions in the movie is the location of the murder weapon. The film quite explicitly shows the crime of the film and how it is carried out in the first ten minutes of the movie. It seemed obvious to me where the gun was (although my friends told me after the film they had no idea). For my part, knowing where the gun was didn't hurt the film at all because although Gosling's battle to solve the case and get a conviction are certainly a core part of the film, 'Fracture' works better as a character study. Both leads are over-flowing with pride. Both believe themselves to be as flawless as the eggs from the story are supposed to be, but both will come to realize that they have micro-fractures too. This movie is about their arrogance and ultimately about how they deal with the discovery that perfection is a little more elusive than they thought. 'Fracture' shows all seven deadly sins at work and places Pride as the deadliest -- all else springs from it.

'Fracture' has a great score, a terrific script and dynamic characters who are believable in everything they do. This is a rich and highly enjoyable film. I fear it might get lost in the shadow of huge summer blockbusters like Spiderman 3 which is really a shame -- totally engaging little gems like this are why I love movies. 'Fracture' is well worth your time and the price of admission.

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20 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
style with the substance to match, 12 October 2007

Author: Mike Keating (yamawhore@gmail.com) from London, England

Fracture is the story of Ted Crawford (Hopkins), a rich engineer who shoots his wife after discovering she is having an affair. When the police arrive, he confesses and hands in his weapon, and the case is passed on to hotshot DDA Willy Beachum (Gosling), who sees this, his final public service trial before he moves onwards and upwards, to be a slam-dunk case; but alas, thanks to Crawford's mind games, things are not what they seem and the case undergoes a series of twists and turns as Crawford and Beachum engage in a tense battle of wits.

The most obviously noticeable thing about Fracture is the how well-polished it all is. The whole thing looks so...expensive. The cars are expensive. The phones are expensive...even the cutlery during the Thanksgiving dinner scene looks expensive. Beachum seems to wear a new suit in every scene, and even the outdoor location shots look glossy; South California looks like it has been lacquered up especially for the camera lens.

It's all very smooth, well edited, cleverly shot, and well-paced, but without these two actors, this movie would have been nothing more than a glossy second-rate courtroom "thriller". Hopkins and Gosling take it to the next level with great lead performances. Hopkins clearly enjoys playing this sort of manipulative role, controlling events, making sly remarks, and winking in that very obviously shifty way, and he gets to drive flashy cars and live in a big house while he does it, which I imagine only increases the amount of fun he has. Similarly, the cockiness arrogance of DDA Beachum allows Gosling to strut around, make wisecracks, and generally be a smug git. While the Hopkins-Gosling clashes make the movie, they are ably supported by David Straitharn, Rosamund Pike, and Billy Burke, who all inject a bit more life and background into the film.

While the ride is comfortable for the most part, Fracture slips a gear towards the end; the shift from murder mystery to moral crusade feels a little bumpy, but nonetheless, strong performances and great artistic direction make Fracture a stylish, clever and enjoyable thriller that's definitely worth a look.

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