Throwback Thursday - Lincoln Lawyer

I caught this film on TV the other day and couldn't help but watch it again. Originally, we (the Movie Geeks) had seen this film on the big screen during our Winter 2011 movie season. We took a gamble on it, and it paid off. I decided to re-watch it that lazy Sunday when it happened to come on TV and I was once again impressed with the outcome.

 

The Lincoln Lawyer
Director: Brad Furman
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Marissa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe
Released: 2011
Box Office Gross: $57,981,889 (USA)
Throwback Review

The Lincoln Lawyer stars McConaughey, in a similar role as to the one that gave him "street cred" in 1996's A Time to Kill. McConaughey plays criminal defense attorney Mick Haller who operates in LA county out of his black Lincoln Town Car. Making a career on defending small-time criminals, Haller lands the case of his career when Louis Roulet (Phillippe), a rich playboy, is accused of the brutal beating (and attempted murder) of a prostitute.

Believing his client, Haller and his private investigator Frank Levin (William H. Macy), dig deeper into the case to find that not everything is what it seems to be.

I know what you're thinking: typical thriller/drama with McConaughey playing the charming, misunderstood title character who turns out to really possess a heart of gold. Usually, you can easily write-off this type of film by your first viewing of the teaser trailer. But you'd miss out on a very decent crime thriller.

McConaughey returns to his previous "decent actor" status with this "safe choice" role. But don't punish him for taking this safe path...it worked out in his favourite - it reminds audience why we became fans of his work in the first place.

Phillippe is good in the role of the playboy with a dark side. Not standout or memorable by no means, but not horrible. He didn't bring anything new to the role; was almost a mash up of some of his previous work (think I Know What You Did Last Summer meets Cruel Intentions).

Macy is his usual brilliant self. Not much to say about his role other than it was great.

Final Verdict: See it. Take this film for what it is - don't go into it expecting to see breakout acting or a stellar storyline. It's engaging. It's charming. It's bottom line: entertaining. 

Rush

New Release Review
Director: Ron Howard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde

Rush tells the story of two Formula 1 drivers and their rivalry during the 1970s: Nikki Lauda (Bruhl) of Austria and James Hunt (Hemsworth) of England. Starting in Formula 3, we follow their respective careers as they both work towards being selected for a professional Formula 1 team and achieving greatness by winning the driver's championship.

If you're not a fan of racing, Formula 1, or cars in general, you're still going to love this movie, I promise. Director Ron Howard has created a movie around racing that tells the story of Lauda and Hunt, two very different people with very different approaches to the sport of racing. For Hunt, life is a party and every time he gets in the car he's prepared to risk everything - even his life - to win. Lauda, on the other hand, races because it's something he's good at and therefore is not prepared to race where the risk of injury is over 20 percent. The tension stems from their competitive natures; each strive to beat the other and are pushed outside their comfort zones with surprising results.

The story is centered on, and narrated by, Lauda, so we get a little more insight into his actions and motivations. Yet we do see much of Hunt's side of the story, in fact we're introduced to him first, and we only meet Lauda through the eyes of James Hunt. It's interesting how your perception of Lauda is coloured by Hunt's initial impressions, and how we come to understand and appreciate both men as the movie progresses. Arlaine made an interesting observation after Rush was over and we were watching the credits: You don't have one character you're rooting for more than another. In other words, there is no hero/villain relationship established and that's what makes Rush so refreshing: it's a real story about real people.

The last few scenes of the movie incorporate some great footage of the actual Lauda and Hunt and wow, did they ever get the casting right. These two actors look a lot like the people they're playing which was a relief. I was concerned that Hemsworth only got the role because of his Avengers/Thor star power but in addition to his looks and star power, he brings depth to the character who lives a lot of life on the surface. Daniel Bruhl also was exceptional in the role of Nikki Lauda, adding some softness to the serious personality for which Lauda is known. (Bonus points for having the real Lauda give a stamp of approval on the movie and the portrayal of characters)

Verdict? See it. On the biggest screen you possibly can. The racing scenes have some amazing camera angles that you just don't see on TV broadcasts of races. We saw it in "Ultra AVX" and it was totally worth it.

IMDB
Rotten Tomatoes