by Chris Alexion, Copyright May 13, 2007, all rights reserved. 276 views
I realize that movie trailers almost invariably make the films look better than they really are, but I thought Fracture–with Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling–was going to live up to the hype. Sadly, it didn't happen.
Don't get me wrong; Fracture wasn't that bad. It's one of those films that seeks to capture its audience by–gasp–telling an engaging story, and for that director Gregory Hoblit deserves props. Hoblit's film contains no explosions, formula villians, bad car chases, or cliched gunfights occurring every ten minutes. Instead Hoblit relies on such rarities as plot tension, moral dilemmas, intense acting, and characterization. The nerve.
Anthony Hopkins stars as Ted Crawford, a wealthy engineer whose success is based on his ability to find minute flaws in mechanical systems. When Crawford discovers that his younger wife is having an affair, he shoots her in the head, then surrenders calmly to police. He even dictates and signs a confession. (His wife is critically wounded and sinks into a coma.) Gosling plays Willy Beachum, an up-and-coming prosecutor who takes the case as his last trial before moving on to his ritzy new private-sector job. The lovely Rosamund Pike (Pride & Prejudice) enters as his new boss, a materialistic siren luring Willy to the "dark side" of the legal profession.
Willy is young, cocky, and sure he can put the would-be murderer behind bars. But Willy's advantage quickly evaporates. Crawford–who believes every person and system to have a hidden weak spot–has found a minute crack in the law. The confession Ted glibly signed is inadmissible (the hostage negotiator who took it was the one sleeping with his wife), and the alleged weapon has never been fired. Unless Beachum can find new evidence, Crawford will be off the hook and protected by the double jeopardy rule.
Not a bad plot line, and the trailer really plays this up. Yet Fracture doesn't really sustain the right level of tension throughout, causing more fidgeting than nail-biting. Too, the film's twists and turns aren't what we were promised, and even the final revelation lacks the arresting cleverness we were hoping for. Rosamund Pike's plot line doesn't click with the rest of the film, making us suspect that it–especially Willy's meaningless affair with his boss–was added to spice up the ads and help the film compete in today's skin-conscious Hollywood.
That said, Hopkins was phenomenal. He saved the film. Hopkins has the air of an old pro; he tackles the role with an effortless–almost lazy–confidence. In its better moments, Fracture lets us take a glimpse into the subtleties of human nature, and it's here that Hopkins shines. We learn about greed, conscience, love and hate. Yet through it all Hopkins remains enigmatic, flashing a chilling half-smile that implies that maybe he (not just his character) enjoys the game of cat-and-mouse. Gosling, though not at Hopkins's level, isn't bad either. He's likeable while being unlikeable and has a knack for dry humor–which Hoblit employs, though perhaps a bit too much, in the film.
As I mentioned, the movie has its better moments, such as when Willy is caught in a poignant moral dilemma over falsifying evidence. And the dialogue is above-average; Hopkins and Gosling have some great scenes and some memorable lines. Also worth remembering is a comment from Willy's new boss's father. When discussing the trade-offs of "low pay public service work," the older man remarks that every now and then one gets the satisfaction of "putting a…stake in a bad guy's heart." In many ways this is a turning point for Willy, who'd previously pursued the Crawford case out of arrogance. Willy begins to see the deep-seated evil in Ted Crawford and wants to bring him down.
In the end, Fracture is a renter, but it offers a good time and some surprisingly astute glimpses into human nature. The primary theme here is pride. If Crawford is right about every person having a hidden flaw or breaking point, then vanity would have to rank as one of the most deadly. It's Willy's vanity that enables Crawford to toy with Willy, luring him into his game. Arrogance is such a powerful blinder, the film reminds us. Vanity also plays a vital role in the film's later twists, reminding us of ancient wisdom: Pride goes before a fall.
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