Movie Review: Fracture

Everybody carries a secret area of vulnerability; that fracture that they hide from the world. Even a stone cold killer has one. In Fracture, lawyer Ryan Gosling has to discover the one crack that Anthony Hopkins can't seal.

Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is a rich structural engineer who hires out to the FAA to find the tiny cracks that may have caused plane crashes. When he learns that his pretty younger wife Jennifer is having an affair, he plans the perfect murder and carries it out. But (big twist) The LAPD hostage negotiator (Billy Burke) who comes to Crawford's house to talk him down is freaked to see that dead wife Jennifer is the nameless woman he has been hooking up with!

Hotshot young prosecutor Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) has a 97 percent conviction rate and is up for a move to a posh corporate firm. This last case before the move seems a slam dunk until Willy learns of the cop/wife connection and sees that he lacks evidence to convict. A game of cat and mouse begins between clever Crawford and the cocky young prosecutor.

This well-crafted, well-acted psych thriller with several twists is a lot of fun. Anthony Hopkins, who is a real sweetie in person, is his creepiest since his Hannibal Lecter days.. a cold, suave, teasing murderer. In my screening audience, people were laughing with delight at his little gestures and teasing jabs at Ryan Gosling's character. Ryan, one of our best young actors today, is great as he transforms from cocky, ambitious young lawyer to a guy who is just doing the right thing. Things get a little slow in the middle but do hang in for the fun twist at the end!

This film is a "how'd he do it?' rather than a "whodunit?" and you'll be really engaged in the movie as you consider all the options. If you only like big popcorn movies with things that blow up, this isn't for you. If you enjoy watching two master actors going head to head in a twisty thriller (oh, and there is some romance between Ryan's character and sexy Rosamund Pike who seduces him to join the posh law firm) then definitely go see Fracture!

For a well-crafted, beautifully-acted psych thriller 4.5 out of 5 stars!

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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.