Fracture

Review by: Doc

Hopkins is outstanding
Anthony Hopkins stars in this wonderfully crafted suspense thriller as the murderer with what looks like a perfect plan. Discovering his young wife having an affair with a homicide detective, he sets in motion an intricate plan to “get away with it”. The detective doesn’t know his paramour’s name and arrives on the murder scene as the negotiator after Hopkins shoots her in the head and fires bullets out his front skylight. The police surround the home, the negotiator comes in, Hopkins confesses to the killing, the cop recognizes his lover on the floor and attacks older man.



How can a man confess to a killing and still get acquitted? The case is assigned to Ryan Gosling who plays a young assistant DA on his way up and out of the DA’s office after excelling at convicting people. Hopkins character notes in an interview that he is an expert in finding flaws in things, “fractures” if you will. His business finds flaws in airplanes after crashes and he notes that he has already found the young attorney’s flaw.



I’ve spent more time on plot in this review as most since I found the setup absolutely fascinating and the developing plot even more so. I don’t understand why this movie isn’t making more money. True, it has slow portions which drag as Gosling mulls the case and whines interminably. The middle isn’t quite up to the beginning.



However, Hopkins is outstanding, although one occasionally expected him to ask for chianti and fava beans. He is just such a great intelligent psycho. As supporting cast, Gosling is good as the ADA, Wily Beacham, and Rosamund Pike serves her role as eye candy in a commendable fashion.



This was a tightly constructed, intelligent, and, as is rarely seen, plausible murder mystery and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It gets 4 of 5 scalpels and a satisfied phalanx up.



Doc Hollywood

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