The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

☆ ☆ ☆

The Lincoln Lawyer (2011) – B. Furman

Looking back, was this film the start of the “McConaissance”?  McConaughey is certainly on his game, playing a charismatic but unscrupulous lawyer (named Mick Haller) who is happy to bend or break the rules for a buck, sometimes at the expense of the criminal clients he defends.  The movie begins as he takes on Louis Roulet’s (Ryan Phillippe) defence against a charge of grievous bodily harm (beating up a prostitute).  Philippe plays the spoiled heir to a real estate magnate (Frances Farmer).  Marisa Tomei is McConaughey’s ex-wife and a public prosecutor (who has to stand aside when he takes the case but still casually helps him) – Tomei is always good value.  We see a bit of their divorced life sharing custody of a young daughter.  But the film is mostly a generic courthouse drama, as Haller and his investigator (William H. Macy) uncover clues that make them question Roulet’s innocence.  Roulet is unsavoury enough that even Haller starts to develop a conscience.  The clues tie back to an older case and a convicted man who may really be innocent.  You know the story.  In the end, there’s not much here save some solid acting that boosts this from being just another Law & Order knock-off into something a bit more.  But it is only passable fare and Netflix Australia still seems like a wasteland (at least for movies).