At the Movies with Fatwayne

 This is a film adaptation of a novel by the prolific writer Michael Connelly. Connelly is known for his gritty style, suspense and less than perfect characters.  The Lincoln Lawyer is about an “ambulance chaser” type who lands a case that can change his career. He is called the Lincoln Lawyer because he operates out of the back seat of his car which just happens to be a Lincoln Town Car.

Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a criminal defense attorney whose clients represent the bottom of the human pond. He’ll take on just about any case if it pays well enough regardless of whether he thinks the client is guilty or not. He is not above bribing officials in order to get the evidence he needs to further his efforts. He gets a referral from a sleazy bail bondsman Val Valenzuela (John Leguizamo) which could mean the end of his ambulance chasing. He decides to represent a rich playboy, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) who is accused of a brutal rape and beating of a prostitute. Louis is very convincing in his pleas that he is not guilty and is being framed because of his wealth.

Mickey and his investigator, Frank Levin (William H. Macy) go to work proving that their client is innocent. What they eventually discover is that not all things are as they appear and there can be many layers between what is fact and what is not. This case gets down and dirty but most of all extremely dangerous for Mickey and those he cares about.

Beneath his crusty but suave exterior, Mickey really has a caring and soft heart. We see this in his dealings with his ex wife, Margaret (Marisa Tomei) and their daughter. We also see that his conscience is bothered by a past case whereby his client, Jesus Martinez (Michael Pena) is serving time in jail after a plea bargain without which he would have faced the death penalty. Mickey is struck between the similarities of the two cases and the fact that Jesus also proclaimed his innocence vehemently.

This turns out to be an  excellent courtroom/whodunit/action movie with a great cast. McConaughey has found his “pot of gold” in portraying Mickey Haller and if we are lucky we just may see him return to the big screen again as Mickey.

Rated – R -

Fatwayne’s Rating

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