Directed by Brad Furman.
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillipe, Josh Lucas, John Leguizamo, Michael Peña, Bob Gunton, Bryan Cranston and William H. Macy.
SYNOPSIS:
Mick Haller, a smug, flashy lawyer, gets entangled in an attempted murder case that threatens his morals and his life.
No one seems to like Matthew McConaughey that much. Family Guy certainly doesn’t. He’s been labelled as cocky and smug, but maybe he’s just laid back. He’s really quite fun in Sahara. Sometimes you need a laid back/cocky/smug guy to make a role work. It can sometimes make any character development a little more pronounced.
The Lincoln Lawyer works on these people’s feelings towards McConaughey in its opening scenes. Mick Haller (played by McConaughey) comes across as quite the dickhead. He has a chauffer driving him around LA in an impressively blocky Lincoln town car, which doubles up as his office. Seeing his house later on, you get the sense that his car, suit and briefcase cost more.
Haller’s convincing. You’d trust him if he asked you to. But then again, you wouldn’t have much of a choice if you needed representation in court. Haller’s a good defence lawyer who takes on a range of cases, from the blatantly guilty to the innocent burglar; not necessarily for the money, more for the extra excuse to be a dickhead. But it’s this democratic approach to taking on a client that shows he isn’t all bad. When you see a few of the people he’s represented, they obviously don’t pay big bucks. One of them is now his chauffer. Perhaps does it because he believes everyone is entitled to the best defence possible. Maybe all the flash and bravado is simply a way to mask his inner-integrity.
Haller is headhunted by the under-investigation Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe). Roulet is an incredibly rich, spoiled brat, alleged to have brutally assaulted a female prostitute in her home. It was a set-up, he petulantly protests. It’s all part of an elaborate scam – one where the prostitute had beaten herself up so she could frame and then sue Roulet for a get-rich-quick scheme. Obviously…
This puts Haller in dubious moral territory. He senses Roulet isn’t completely forthcoming, so he sets his private investigator, ex-cop Frank Levin (William H. Macy, with all the solidity you would ever want from a supporting actor), to double-check the facts. But even if Roulet is lying, anything Haller or Levin uncovers will be useless in court. There was something about client/lawyer confidentiality in that part…
And that’s the great thing. This movie makes you think. The plot is deceptively intricate. If you switch off for a few seconds to admire Macy’s moustache, you’ll most likely be punished for your distraction. “But it’s so thick” “SHUT UP AND PAY ATTENTION.”
The scriptwriters are also aware enough to not let any of the standard sub-plots get all self-important. Haller can’t make meaningful relationships work; Haller is too devoted to his work; Haller doesn’t see his daughter enough – all sub-plots that in a lesser film could so easily highjack the main narrative.
If you don’t like McConaughey already, you’ll probably find him insufferable here. He’s never off screen. If, however, you don’t see what all the hatemongering is for, and you appreciate above-average courtroom drama thrillers, then you’ll really quite enjoy this. Don’t hate. You’re probably only doing what Family Guy tells you to do anyway. Embrace the smugness.
Oli Davis
365 Days, 100 Films
Movie Review Archive
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