The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) User Reviews

Review: Lincoln Lawyer

[staff-577-378882 · 8/10 · 18 March 2011]

I know what you're thinking and I can agree with you that the name, Matthew McConaughey, does not instill great confidence that you're going to get a great movie experience. Now that is not to say that McConaughey hasn't done some great movies. For every Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past, Sahara, and Failure to Launch there are We Are Marshall and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Lincoln Lawyer is luckily part of the later group and reminds us that McConaughey can carry movie without having to take off his shirt in every scene.

Lincoln Lawyer is a thrilling drama about a cocky and smooth defense attorney Mick Haller, played by McConaughey, who represents a high-profile client on charges of attempted murder. But as new evidence continues to pile on, Mick starts to grow suspicious that perhaps his client isn't telling him everything. With twists and turns at every corner, Lincoln Lawyer keeps you guessing till the very end.

With the help of that distinct country voice and southern charm, McConaughey takes the movie to another level with this portrayal of the fast-talking lawyer. With the role of Mick, McConaughey is actually given a chance to show off a range of emotions that will truly surprise viewers. Mcconaughey doesn't carry this alone, Lincoln Lawyer gets some great acting from the likes of William H. Macy, Michael Pena, John Leguizamo, Josh Lucas, and Marisa Tomei. The only black sheep of his movie comes from the alleged murderer Louis Roulet, played by the ever wooden Ryan Phillippe. The only thing I find amazing from Phillippe's attempt at acting is his unique talent to deliver every line of dialogue without moving a single muscle on his face.

The tension and intensity that begins to engulf Mike as the case continues is stellar. Lincoln Lawyer really pushes Mike to edge as his whole world becomes begins to collapse due to his Attorney-Client relationship. This is where Lincoln Lawyer really comes alive and delivers a must see movie experience. The court room scenes are some of my favorite scenes in the movie and there are plenty. The approach they took to portraying the lawyer aspect of the film feels accurate and realistic. The plot is solid and keeps you invested right from the beginning and keeps the grip tight throughout the movie. The movie keeps a good pacing and the dialogue is smart and witty. The film's color and camera work gives a very raw feel although at times it can be a little too unstable. The story and characterization is done well but there are a few things that should have been given more focus, like Mike and Maggie's relationship and more insight as to why they got divorced. The movie touches on the idea with a scene or two but never really reveals too much. We also never really get too much on Mike's relationship with his daughter. My biggest problem with the film was the underwhelming ending that really had everything necessary to end the movie with, but still felt lackluster when it came. However, don't let these few problems sway you. I strongly recommend this film and promise you that you will leave satisfied.

-www.MovieFloss.com

Good Movie, Great Book, Stop Picking on Matthew !

[sweetj477 · 7/10 · 26 November 2011]

WOW ! Reading the reviews on this movie were more about Matthew M. being cast and his supposedly poor films. People do you not recall "A Time To Kill" he was very great, "Frailty" very good, very scary. "Thirteen Conversations About One Thing" Amazing. "Ed TV' great and sweet.and more where his shirt stays on. Cut it out!!!

The movie is good, it stuck to the book and did not get bent of Michael C's concept. I truly dislike when a book is made into a movie and manipulated.

As for Matthews performance, he seems a little more laid back then as in the movies mentioned above, but I do enjoy seeing him play the clever lawyer type.

Solid courtroom thriller with excellent performance by Matthew McConaughey and a five-twist ending...

[Doylenf · 8/10 · 25 March 2011]

Agatha Christie would be proud of the five-twist ending to THE LINCOLN LAWYER. The film is clearly top-notch and street smart. It's the most efficient, solidly crafted courtroom thriller since PRIMAL FEAR and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. It has so many twists and turns that it's likely that Agatha Christie would be proud of it.

It also reignites the career of Matthew McConaughey as an actor, not just a charismatic star. He manages to be smoothly appealing despite playing a corrupt lawyer who has no scruples in defending guilty clients as long as they provide the cash flow he demands. It's only after defending RYAN PHILLIPPE from a charge of murder and rape that he realizes he does have a few scruples left. And the plot twists provided by the screenwriter John Romano from the novel by Michael Connelly, are deftly handled for maximum shock effect. Brad Furman keeps the direction tight, forceful and swift-moving.

The cast surrounding McConaughey has been selected with care and all of them offer realistic performances. Marisa Tomei is appealing as his ex-wife who knows his shortcomings but is still attracted to him, and William H. Macy delivers a solid performance as his investigator friend. Ryan Phillippe is excellent as the client whose surface appearance belies the fact that he's as street smart as his sleazy lawyer, and FRANCES FISHER is outstanding in a small but pivotal role as the young man's protective mother.

Not since the days of PRIMAL FEAR and WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION has there been a more intelligent script than this one, designed to baffle and blindside the viewer in the course of unraveling some startling surprises.

By all means, highly recommended for fans of this genre.

Handsome, snappy, warm movie--and leading man! But kind of ordinary crime stuff, too.

[secondtake · 21 November 2011]

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

You gotta love the suave, smart, never quite cocky performance by Matthew McConaughey as a wily defense lawyer in this slightly clever, slightly formulaic movie set in contemporary L.A. He's almost like the James Bond of the justice system, operating outside the rules but ultimately on the side of good. And himself.

The one woman in his life is a common movie cliché, unfortunately, though a useful one--an ex-lover he's still a little in love with, and they once had a child together so there is a tinge of sweetness once or twice. And this woman (played by Marisa Tomei--I never caught whether they were once married or if they were just making good on getting pregnant) works in the D.A.'s office, which is useful for a defense lawyer. The rest of the cast is straight Hollywood fare, including a couple of older men big players who are always strong if a little too dependable and a couple of younger actors who are a bit more pretty than talented. The includes especially the principle perp, Louis Roulet, played Ryan Phillippe (he was that brand new cop in "Crash") who is decent in a role that demanded amazing.

Roulet is super rich, and he's been accused of beating up a prostitute, who in turn is accused of using Roulet in some kind of scam for his cash. It's complicated from the get go, which makes the movie get your attention and hold on--you actually have to be careful not to get lost at first. The mind game/power game between the two men--McConaughey and Phillippe--is the crux of the movie, but it never gets the intensity of say a Hitchcock film (Hitch being the master of the innocent man accused, and of psychological intensity).

In fact, you might say the movie misses a beat by letting the plot center mostly on the lawyer, except for the simple fact that McConaughey is so darned good. The subplot with his child, his relationship with Tomei, and a few other small diversions don't add enough to make them worthwhile. There is, luckily, plenty of screen time with the two men together, though all the courtroom scenes might not count (Phillippe is oddly lifeless there, except for one nice overacted speech about the horror of being accused of a crime you didn't commit). And gradually a very subtle shift in guilt and motive takes place, so that what we thought was happening gets undermined.

And it's no great surprise. The one surprise at the end isn't even a surprise, quite, or if it is, it's not set up enough to really make you care. It's another cliché worked into a well made movie with a single actor shining in something close to an Oscar-winning role.

The title? And the selling point of the movie (a lawyer working out of his Lincoln)? A terrific idea that is only pertinent in small moments, most notably and ludicrously in the motorcycle gang scenes (plural) Which shows another direction the movie might have taken into farce and comedy.

But this is a congenial movie with a serious plot of crime, enjoyable all the way through, nothing more or less than that.

Pretty good!

[santiagocosme · 7/10 · 6 August 2016]

I remember that there was a time, not that long ago, when I really could not stand any movie that featured Matthew M. However, slowly and steadily, the guy started picking or getting better roles and started to gain some good movies under his belt. Even his acting skills that seemed total rubbish in movies such as reign of Fire seemed to improve massively over the course of the years. Now, you could even say that if Matthew M. is acting, the movie must be at least decent. And that's exactly what The Lincoln Lawyer is. A pretty good movie that I enjoyed to watch and would even watch a second time when my fish memory has erased the contents of it from my brain. More Matthew M., more good m.

Pretty darn good

[MartianTom · 8/10 · 18 March 2011]

Hey, this isn't half bad at all. I'll be honest and say I wasn't expecting much, so it was nice to be pleasantly surprised. Okay, it's no 'Primal Fear' - but it's as good as any Grisham adaptation.

The script is pacey and smart, with some excellent lines from the central character - played with just the right balance of sass and integrity by Matthew McConaughey. In fact, everyone in the cast was up to the mark - and it's always a pleasure to see Marisa Tomei up there: a fine actress who deserves to be seen more often. Willliam H Macy, too, is always worth watching.

As for the story... I thought it gave an interesting angle on the classic legal/moral problem : the failed defence in which an innocent client goes to jail, and the successful defence that acquits a killer.

I haven't read the Michael Connelly novel, but I think I will now - if only to see more of the Mick Haller character. His back-story wasn't much more than suggested in the film - lost licence, broken marriage, smartness that's a combination of natural intelligence and life at the grittier edge of things. I want to know more!

A couple of quiet spots, and a little bit of overstating the obvious (a la 'CSI'), but otherwise this is a highly entertaining film. The perfect antidote to some of the blockbusters and cartoons on offer at the moment.

8/10

Ping Pong Tournament

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 19 March 2011]

Greetings again from the darkness. Major dilemma: I am a sucker for courtroom dramas vs. I am no fan of Matthew McConaughey. I decided to give it a shot, and given my low expectations, I found the movie to be quite entertaining - despite its numerous flaws. If you are a fan of the endless stream of John Grisham book-turned-movie, then I expect you will find this one to your taste.

Based on the Michael Connelly series of novels built around Mick Haller, this one has the look and feel of part one. Haller is the Lincoln Lawyer, so named because of his propensity to handle much of his work from the backseat of a classic Lincoln Town Car. The choice of McConaughey as Haller seemed all together wrong given his annual appearance in some lame ass Rom-Com, where he spends most of each movie shirtless and smirking. Luckily for us, Mr. McConaughey manages to re-capture some of the acting skills he flashed in A Time to Kill, so many years ago.

In addition to his close to the vest portrayal of Haller, the movie works because of an incredibly deep cast that includes Marisa Tomei as his ex-wife and frequent courtroom adversary (she is an ADA), Ryan Phillipe as the accused rich boy, William H Macy as the long-time and streetwise private investigator, Josh Lucas as the ADA in the main case, Bryan Cranston as the detective in charge, plus Michael Pena, Bob Gunton (warden from Shawshank), John Leguizamo, Frances Fisher, Laurence Mason (Earl the driver), Shea Willingham (Boardwalk Empire), Trace Adkins (country star as the leader of a biker gang) and Michael Pare (Eddie and Cruisers). Seriously, this cast allows every scene to have something worth watching.

The two things that prevent the movie from being top notch are the beyond belief exaggerated moments (including about 3 too many endings) and the absolutely distracting camera work courtesy of director Brad Furman. In the hands of a more experienced director, many of the flaws could have been corrected.

This is not presented as an ultra serious courtroom drama in the vein of 12 Angry Men or Judgment at Nuremberg. Rather it is a character driven story with a multitude of twists ... some of which work and some of which don't. I found it to be quite enjoyable despite the script issues and the hey-look-at-me direction.

Entertaining Thriller with Many Twists

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 26 July 2013]

Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is sleazy but efficient defense lawyer that has scum clients. He has a daughter with the attorney Maggie McPherson (Marisa Tomei) and his car is a Lincoln driven by his loyal driver Earl (Laurence Mason). When the wealthy Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) asks Haller to defend him in a case of raping and beating the prostitute Regina Campo (Margarita Levieva), Roulet claims that he is not guilty and the woman is trying to get money from him despite the evidences against him.

Haller asks his investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy) to check Rooulet's story. Soon Haller discovers that Roulet's case is connected to an old case of his. Further, Haller can not use his findings against Roulet due to the confidentiality. When Roulet threatens Haller's family, Haller is behind the eight ball. But he is a smart guy and has an ace in the hole.

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is an entertaining thriller with many plot points and a great cast. Matthew McConaughey is excellent in the role of a sleazy and smart defense lawyer that finds that has been used by a psychopath and who has a crisis of conscience for not believing in his client. The efficient Ryan Phillippe is also great in the role of a cynical psychopath and Marisa Tomei is sweet as usual. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Poder e a Lei" (The Power and the Law")

Great Movie!!!

[bvannatta · 9/10 · 18 March 2011]

I found this movie very enjoyable. Matthew McConaughey played a very believable and spot on performance as Mick...I think the casting decisions were great Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, etc. Did a fabulous job. The plot line was fantastic and left you on the edge of your seat, the script was enjoyable, with both serious dramatic scenes to funny lines that left the whole theatre laughing. Over all a great movie thats targeted toward an older audience 30's-60's. But I'm 13 and my mother took me and I loved it. Although I'm a teenager and most of us just like a bunch of romantic-comedies, I have a wider genre of love in movies. Hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did.

Good Story, Distracting Camera Work

[ScriptiSandy · 7/10 · 3 April 2011]

Saw this movie last night. Decent story, solid performances, lousy camera work. Don't use hand-held when steady cam is called for - the opening scene was unbearable to watch due to not using steady cam. Far too many extreme close ups and haircuts - I'm talking middle of the forehead - tell the story with the shot instead of filling the screen with half a face. The camera work completely distracted me from the story in at least a third of the scenes.

Matthew McConaughey's performance was nothing other than what one would expect from him; he makes acting look easy and he is very comfortable in the roles he chooses - I'd love to see him in something that challenges him for a change.

Marisa Tomei is solid and real as usual. This is an underused actress to be sure - I'd love to see a movie where she is the lead.

Ryan Phillippe turns in another great performance.

A thoughtful ride with characters and intriguing conflicts of innocence and guilt

[napierslogs · 8/10 · 23 March 2011]

The titular Lincoln lawyer is smooth Mick Haller who is just as smooth as Matthew McConaughey. His sleaziness is entertaining, but his lawyering is smart and intriguing. This film has pretty much the perfect mix of a smart plot, with inventive twists, amusing one-liners, and captivating thought-out characters.

Limited action and instead using characters who have an actual story, we get a film that sets itself above its competitors. A charming, but also smart and strong, Matthew McConaughey introduces us to a lawyer who has a few inner turmoils that develop along with the plot. There may be a few too many twists in the story (and with the camera), but the evolution of McConaughey's Haller is rather subtle and not cliché.

Questions of innocence versus guilt surround Louis (Ryan Phillippe) as Haller agrees to take on his case. But as the case starts to collide with incidents of the past, present and future, similar questions of guilt and innocence start plaguing Haller, his other clients, and the other lawyers. The fact that all these other characters are played by great actors only increases the entertainment value of this film. I highly recommend taking a thoughtful ride with "The Lincoln Lawyer".

great acting, poor screenplay

[poinla37 · 6/10 · 8 May 2021]

Just read the book, all will make much more sense! There's too many plot holes and shortcuts here, it doesn't give credits to Connelly's novel. Otherwise, great cast and great acting.

" No one is innocent until I see the size of his bank account "

[thinker1691 · 7 August 2011]

In every American courtroom there is a statue which represents the Greek goddess Justice. Anyone who comes before her in a courtroom is suppose to be innocent until proved guilty. However, that is not always the case. In this Michael Connelly story, a hustling pragmatic attorney is hired to defend the son of a wealthy real estate family on the charge of rape. Accordingly, his defense states the brutalized victim is really after a hefty settlement. To this end the Lincoln Lawyer (Matthew McConaughey) Mick Haller, creates a plausible defense and seeks evidence with which to exonerate his guilty client. At the same time, a wrongly convicted prison inmate, pleads for Haller to believe him that he is innocent. Believing that money makes for a better case, Haller shuns truth over justice. That all comes crashing down as he is overtaken by conscience and his chief investigator is murdered, which causes him to begin an uphill battle to set things right. Marisa Tomei leads a superb cast which includes Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, Michael Peña, Bob Gunton and Michael Paré. The result of their efforts ultimately creates a memorable Classic. Good reading of the book and wonderful rendition on the silver screen. ****

Most Charm is Interjected from the Corners

[jzappa · 7/10 · 12 July 2011]

It's been awhile since Matthew McConaughey really seemed keen on being an actor in preference to a beefy shirtless smile for producers to drape a blonde actress on. With this mechanical legal drama, he still doesn't substantiate much significant concern with dramatic recreation. A few cocky furrows of that rigid brow and some wily, bourbon-battered line deliveries obey the role, as is normal. Though luckily, some of the people sharing the screen with him give The Lincoln Lawyer some needed integrity. With William H. Macy, John Leguizamo, Marisa Tomei, Bryan Cranston and Michael Pena interjecting from the tangents, the film is intermittently freed from its forced manner by cream-of-the-crop players with a knack for natural, unaffected and all the more compelling delivery. These roles aren't exceptionally big or unpredictable, but they make it refreshingly idiosyncratic. Each of these supporting actors brings a less predictable fluency that establishes a past between themselves and McConaughey without lots of exposition, though the script is mainly interested in its mechanical use of Tomei as his prosecutor ex-wife, of course, and P.I. buddy Macy, able to roll with most any punch beneath unkempt shag-top.

McConaughey sports his routine self-assurance and charisma in a role that should fit him as well as the loud designer suits his unrealistic character fancies. Mick Haller is a social butterfly of a highly unlikely defense lawyer, flitting from one rendezvous to the next in his glossy, stylish eponymous town car out of which he operates, slipping people money with a smirk and having a cool black bodyguard while a comic book catalogue of offenders compete for his card like the ladies compete for McConaughey's number. He's that brashly calculating litigator who knows which hands to oil and how to neatly hemorrhage a client of money.

Mick isn't supposed to always be a likable guy, nor a bad one either, indeed a much humbled one, ideally, and that's part of what gives the movie its needed sharpness. Actually, we tend more to like near-McConaughey lookalike Josh Lucas, playing the inexperienced prosecutor going after Phillippe. The plot whirls Mick into a case that at first looks like a bonus but becomes a possibly career-ending devastation. After twisting his slyest sleight of hand, Haller is solicited to represent a particularly prestigious client in the guise of a young, well-to-do Ryan Phillippe, indicted for beating and raping a prostitute. Haller sees a superb take-home packet and maybe even that most infrequent of luxuries: a genuinely innocent defendant.

However, anyone paying attention will continuously look askance at the rich client, at the scene where Haller rides up on him while he's swatting golf balls on a course whose vast deluxe greens set alongside the azure Pacific might as well be a postcard reading "I'm rich and you're not." In a respectable twist, the crucial mystery of the plot is answered about midway through the movie and it then becomes about some witty legal manipulation by Mick. If you've seen Primal Fear and Jagged Edge, you understand the general effect of this route through the overcrowded but virtually surefire courtroom genre.

This is a film that intermittently comes within reach of the stark, wicked, and darkly shrewd legal thriller that it wants to be, but never quite knows how to stay there. But hey, the desaturated sheen of the film and fly-on-the-wall hand-held camera-work make the bilious innards of LA fittingly tense. All of this coagulates in an adequate manner. It's not inspired, it's a long way from perfect, and the second emergence of the biker gang officially meets the criteria, I think, of a phenomenon. The formula of ostensibly superfluous and ancillary characters comes satisfactorily into play as proceedings from the present are discovered to be linked to the past. I did feel destabilized by the movie's ultimate surprise, which is totally capricious and uninformed. The intrigues seem like half-baked shots in several directions made household by other crime pictures. But for what it is, this certainly tense spellbinder is workmanlike, likeably acted and engaging.

Well-worth watching

[PWNYCNY · 9/10 · 25 March 2011]

Matthew McConaughey has arrived. He carries this movie. His presence makes this movie happen. He is the spark that lights this movie's fire. He takes a good story and makes it excellent. He projects the intensity and savvy that makes his character interesting and unique. And this is not hyperbole. Mr. McConaughey's performance is energetic, engaging and entertaining. He manages to project street-smarts and style; he is smart but not slick; he's realistic but not cynical; he is sensitive but not mushy. Another surprise is Ryan Phillippe's excellent performance which also adds considerably to the movie's entertainment value as his character spars with Mr. McConaughey's. Although the story itself is a variation of the detective-who-done-it genre, the effective manner in which the story unfolds coupled with the excellent acting makes this story well-worth watching.

"Attorney Client Privilege, This Is All Confidential"

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 18 March 2011]

Playing the title role in The Lincoln Lawyer is Matthew McConaughey so nicknamed because he conducts most of his business from his Lincoln Town Car which is chauffeured by Laurence Mason. As he has to travel to and from various courts, this makes it a whole easier. And the car and Mason thereby become a business expense. Roy Cohn would have been proud.

McConaughey is no idealist, his services come at a price. But it turns out he has some scruples and they are put to the test when rich boy Ryan Phillippe and his mother Frances Fisher hire him to defend Ryan when he's arrested for rape. He was literally caught in the act as two neighbors broke in and held him for the cops for raping Marguerite Levieva.

Due to the canons of the Bar Association ethics McConaughey finds himself in a jackpot similar to the one Al Pacino found himself when he played a young idealistic lawyer in And Justice For All. But the results are a whole lot different because McConaughey is not an idealist and he makes those canons work for him.

The film looks like the pilot of a TV series, but I doubt we'll get any of the big name stars there if such a thing comes to pass. Marisa Tomei co-stars as McConaughey's ex-wife and a prosecutor to boot. Can't imagine what broke that marriage up. William H. Macy has a key role in this film as well as a private investigator who works for McConaughey and does very well in it.

The Lincoln Lawyer is a very well done addition to the legal cinema with a cast that fills its roles out to a "T". I would really recommend renting the Al Pacino classic And Justice For All and see the very great similarities and key differences in both of these films.

If It Please The Court

[damianphelps · 7/10 · 29 March 2023]

A nice suprise. MM delivers a great performance full of drama, sleaze and an undercurrent of humour.

The story bounces along with enough twists and turns to keep the audience, most of them, interested in how thigs will play out.

The rest of the cast is somewhat lacklustre, The Lincoln Lawyer is a vehicle for MM and there is no room on the raft for anyone else.

I am a sucker for a courtroom drama so I was easily pleased but the courtroom scenes are done well and go a long way in setting up the intrigue.

This is an easy recommendation for movie fans, its well put together, entertaining and fun :)

Very interesting!

[elizaveta-68625 · 10/10 · 19 January 2022]

A brilliant lawyer takes on a new case, during which he realizes that his client is hiding the truth. During the investigation, he is framed, so now he will have to win the case with his participation. He thinks through all the moves, takes into account the small details and meticulously gets out of the current situation, which confirms his high status. The film is fascinating, and the feelings for the protagonist add emotionality when watching the film. A film about the wonders of legal technique, the ability to get out of difficult situations and the skill of one of the best lawyers.

Entertaining but far-fetched.

[MOscarbradley · 6/10 · 14 December 2019]

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is a reasonably entertaining thriller but it's also extremely far-fetched and really not much of a movie. A good cast work very hard with the cliched material as hot-shot lawyer Matthew McConaughey is hired to defend rich mother's boy Ryan Phillipe on a charge of rape and assault only to find the ghost of a previous case coming back to haunt him. McConaughey works hardest of all, sweating, fretting and generally behaving badly while Phillipe is ice-cool. Marisa Tomei is also in the mix as McConaughey's ex-wife and another lawyer but she's basically wasted, being decorative rather than dramatic. About the best you can say is that it's John Grisham lite.

Crackling with tension and suspense, and buoyed by an excellent performance by Matthew McConaughey, this twisty and well-plotted legal thriller is one of the best in years

[moviexclusive · 8/10 · 22 March 2011]

Matthew McConaughey returns to the courtroom- after a string of rom-coms that had all but typecast him as the romantic cad- to play the sleek, smarmy and hustling defense attorney Mick Haller, a famed Michael Connelly character whose first appearance was in the book on which this film is based. It was back in 1996 when McConaughey first made his mark in Hollywood with a stunning lead debut in the legal thriller "A Time to Kill", and it seems the years have not dimmed his ability to light up a courtroom.

With his signature slick charm, toothy grin and Southern drawl, McConaughey is dynamic as ever in "The Lincoln Lawyer", the title a reference to his character's workplace- the back seat of a Lincoln Continental whose registration plate reads "NTGUILTY". Haller is chauffeured from courtroom to courtroom across Los Angeles by Earl (Lawrence Mason), a former client now offering his services in lieu of legal fees. His clientele belong in the rock-bottom of society- biker gangs, drug dealers, and prostitutes- and because of this, Haller's expertise lies in negotiating plea bargains through finding loopholes that can get crucial evidence thrown out of court.

Cajoling, wheedling and sweet-talking are the tools of his trade- very early on, we see Haller sweet-talking a bailiff to get a case advanced on the docket, deliberately delaying the trial of a biker until he gets his fee, and plea bargaining on behalf of a hooker who accepted payment in crack cocaine- and McConaughey's cocksure ease fits just right with his character. His latest client however is somewhat different, a Beverly Hills rich kid called Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) who is being charged with assault and battery of a female escort. Haller knows that he has struck gold, but the case starts becoming more complicated when Louis insists that he is innocent and flatly refuses to accept any plea bargain.

The trailer will reveal more, but as with any crime thriller, the less you know the better. Suffice to say that veteran crime screenwriter John Romano has retained all the elements of Connelly's twisty, cleverly plotted thriller, including Roulet's overprotective matriarchal parent Mary Windsor (Frances Fisher), Haller's reliable investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy) and Haller's ex-wife-cum-prosecutor Maggie McPherson (Marisa Tomei). Other characters that readers of Connelly's book will instantly recognise are the bail bondsman Val (John Leguizamo) through whom Haller gets Roulet's case, and Haller's former client Jesus Martinez (Michael Pena) intimately connected with his latest case.

Romano had the unenviable task of condensing Connelly's page-turning novel into a two-hour movie, and he does so superbly without losing any of the tension or suspense in the story. He also loses none of Connelly's debates about the vagaries in the justice system, seeing as how attorneys like Haller manage to put the innocent in jail and the guilty back out on the streets. Haller's crisis of conscience is also at the heart of the movie, and McConaughey gets to do some serious acting when his character is eventually confronted with the magnitude of his past follies.

On his part, director Brad Furman (The Take) keeps the pace of the movie crackling every step of the way, making this as much of a gripping yarn as reading Connelly's novel. Furman's most significant accomplishment is in employing Lukas Ettlin's cinematography to give the movie a great sense of place amidst the less glamorous streets of Los Angeles, an unpretty look that suits the theme of the story just fine. Of course, Furman and Ettlin are equally adept when it comes to courtroom drama, and the back-and-forth questioning by Haller and the inexperienced prosecutor (Josh Lucas) unfolds with sizzling rhythm.

Kudos to Furman too for assembling a top-notch ensemble cast who do outstandingly in their various supporting roles- especially William H. Macy as the wisecracking investigator, and Shea Whigham as a colourful jailhouse snitch called on the prosecution to testify against Roulet. But the actor that holds the movie from start to finish is McConaughey- and just as how "The Lincoln Lawyer" became a star-making turn for Connelly regular Mick Haller, McConaughey's performance here will also be a similarly definitive turn as the on screen rendition of that character.

Time Killer

[torchwood949-166-552404 · 5/10 · 13 December 2011]

Matthew McConaughey plays the sleazy, street-wise lawyer Mick Haller who at one point exclaims that he 'couldn't believe he was representing an innocent man' which goes to show the types of people he defends. The Lincoln Lawyer follows the story of Haller as he takes on Louis Roulet (Played by Ryan Phillippe) who has been suspected of assault. But as he represents him starts to question the good in what he is doing and the morals of his actions. This is one of McConaughey's finest roles in a long time but is nothing compared to William H. Macy who plays his detective in the case and brings a charismatic and involved attitude, stealing the limelight off of anyone else on screen.

The problems that lie within The Lincoln Lawyer however are the horrible plot points that often appear out of nowhere to do nothing other than twist the story, especially around the halfway mark of the film. Along side this is the constant thought of how this would fit better as a late night television movie, it doesn't feel cinematic enough and the courtroom scene feel like missed opportunities to show this. That being said the film is entertaining enough while it lasts and the actors really throw themselves into their roles, despite the clichéd character development. There are worse ways to kill a few hours.

A great crime thriller

[Gordon-11 · 29 May 2011]

This film is about a street wise lawyer who defends a rich young man accused of rape and battery.

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is a great thriller. The plot keeps you guessing all the way through, did that pretty boy really commit that atrocious crime. Just when you think you have figured it out, things get complicated again. The well kept suspense, together with a twist at the end keeps me glued to the screen. It is a change for Matthew McConaughey to play a serious character, and he does it well. Maybe it is a sign that he is changing the types of roles he play, into a more mature and challenging direction.

Lead Charisma, A Decent Plot and a Depth Cast Power This Entertaining Thriller

[boris_bek · 7/10 · 4 February 2022]

McConaughey is McConaughey in this film. Playing a shrewd, street-savvy lawyer he navigates the stickiest of situations with such nonchalance and coolness that it teeters on playing out like the prequel story to those silky Lincoln commercials he does. He takes 'meetings' in his car with a fierce gang of bikers on the freeway, he drawls his way through intense court-drama, and ball busts with a gutsy pair of unapproving detectives; all whilst not breaking a sweat. He's too cool for school but it ends up working for the flick.

A captivating-enough plot, a strong background cast, and a good script properly grounds McConaughey's character and gives him the right amount of depth to jump on board. He ends up doing a good job in the role; and the movie, though not groundbreaking, is a very enjoyable one.

From the outset, the plot unravels rather predictably. Haller, McConaughey's character, is tasked with a high-profile case to represent a baby-faced Ryan Phillipe who plays a guy charged with murdering a prostitute, Roulet. His story begins to waver, Haller starts to question his claim of innocence and so the arc unfolds. This movie is going to be about whether Roulet did it or not. Predictable.

However, the turns and twists begin to unfold here. Haller recalls a past prostitute-murder case of his where he bargained a guilty plea from his client to avoid a death sentence. Like Roulet, this man was adamant he was not the killer. Haller, plagued by his conscience and the possibility of putting away an innocent man, starts to connect the dots between the two cases. Could they be connected? Was Roulet somehow responsible in the earlier case? Haller realizes the danger inherent in Roulet and finds himself in a proper quagmire of navigating attorney-client confidentiality, handling competing cases, and ensuring his own well-being. Roulet is a cunning criminal who gets Haller tied up in an intriguing web. McConaughey's character finally starts sweating. Now we've got a fun movie.

You think you know exactly how this movie is going to play out, but it offers just the right amount of drama to keep you interested. It also combines a very solid cast; I mean VERY SOLID. Marisa Tomei is always a joy to watch. Brian Cranston has a small part as a cliched tough detective but does it convincingly. This is a midst breaking bad Cranston, mind you. And William H. Macy puts in an honest performance as McConaughey's P. I. They all read off a script that is coherent and never clunky and plods along nicely. It's a fine film.

They say this movie was the start of the McConaissance; a period of depth-roles for the otherwise rom-com shoe-in. It rings true. McConaughey brings the recognizable, though sometimes overly syrupy, and air-conditioned charisma to The Lincoln Lawyer, but his dramatic nous is evident. He shows he can portray a layered character and do it convincingly.

The Lincoln Lawyer is a fun, mildly thought provoking, competently made feature.

Quintessential McConaughey

[exttraspecial · 8/10 · 13 November 2018]

This is a who-done-it-cat-and-mouse thriller where the tables turn sometimes on a pin head. McConaughey brings all the punch, verve and deadpan comedy from Wolf of Wall Street broker, to this thinking man's lawyer role. Except here he is in every scene and I was sitting on the edge of my chair the whole time. William Macy is excellent as the fixer. Only problem here is everytime there is an important morsel of information needed to move the story along Macy comes up with it in no time, without any explanation, even before we know there is a need for that information. I guess that is the expediency of film. Keep it simple stupid.

Other than that, there is a surprise at every turn. The dialogue is fast and snappy and the other characters along with McConaughey and Macy form an ensemble cast that make this movie run like a tightly wound clock.

Enjoy.

Watching this 10 years later, after reading the book

[peter_donov · 7/10 · 13 August 2021]

Wow, the star cast! These people didn't know what lay for them in the future. The film is OK. The spirit of the book is well preserved. The cast matches well. A very satisfactory watch, even if I already knew the plot.