Fracture

superb

williamsgwynfa [Highly rated reviewer] , 19/04/2007

this film is superb. When Ted Crawford played by Anthony Hopkins discovers that his beautiful younger wife, Jennifer played by Embeth Davidtz, is having an affair, he plans her murder…the perfect murder.

Amongst the police officers arriving at the crime scene, is hostage negotiator Detective Rob Nunally played by Billy Burke, the only officer permitted entry into the house, as Ted knows full well that Rob is the man, his wife has been cavorting with

Surprisingly, Crawford readily admits to shooting his wife, but Nunally is too stunned to pay close attention, when he recognizes his lover, whose true identity he never knew, lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Although Jennifer was shot at point blank range, Nunally soon realizes that she is not dead.

Crawford is immediately arrested and arraigned after confessing to Jennifer's murder - but now is charged with attempted murder.

this becomes a seemingly slam-dunk case, for hot shot assistant district attorney, Willy Beachum played by Ryan Gosling, who has one foot out of the door of the District Attorney’s office, on his way to a lucrative job in high-stakes corporate law. his conviction record is seamless.

With Willy distracted by his overblown confidence and his new boss Nikki played by Rosamund Pike, Ted who is representing himself in court, begins to manipulate the system, so that Willy's slam-dunk case quickly turns into an air ball.

during one interrogation, Ted tells Willy a story. The story is about sorting eggs on a farm when he was a boy, and about putting aside 300 eggs that all had minute cracks or imperfections. The moral is that everything has a weakness if you look closely enough. Hopkins is using the story to warn Gosling, that his near perfect conviction record, is about to be tested like never before.

The battle of wills between the two leads is central to the movie, and their combat is electrifying. one major problem for Willy is - where is the gun, used to shoot Jennifer?

When Willy can not find any evidence proving Crawford is guilty, everything turns into an all-out psychological fight for proof.

Fracture is a superior psychological thriller that keeps you guessing, right until the end.

well worth watching.

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yet another two hours of life wasted!!!

A customer from scotland , 27/08/2007

what a truly awful film!Quite simply put 'it flatters to deceive'. I am sure for many this film will be both witty and intriguing,the acting superb and the casting perfect,but something is seriously missing with this entire picture.Perhaps it's because you get the feeling that the script was actually conceived with sir anthony in mind for the lead role,or that he's been down this road one time to many and that it's just not working anymore,or maybe it's the fact that even he couldn't seem to make anything of his character?hence the weird irish/welsh borderline scots tongue?some kind of futile attempt to bring passion to the proceedings, who knows?As for the script,it borders on the absurd,with the plot so transparent that anyone with half a brain will have it worked out within the first half hour and then have a further hour with which to watch it drag out so predictably they'll think their nostrodamus!!!all in all very poor and this coupled with an unlikable ,almost pathetic excuse for a supporting cast simply compounded the sheer apathy i felt towards this film.In all honesty you'll get more out of an afternoon spent with quincy re-runs,if nothing else at least he makes you laugh!

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Pretty good, could have been excellent...

PaulaWestwood from Ashton-Under-Lyne [Highly rated reviewer] , 07/05/2007

This gets off to a cracking pace, it really is both entertaining, clever and also humerous, up to half way in... Then it changes somehow, it seems to run out of its first sharp 'clever' steam, and that does dull its edge a bit. The first half has you thinking the clever so and so, then it sort of gets watered down in some way and the ending that should have been quite spectacular sort of trails off. It is still a really good movie nevertheless, well worth its 4 star rating, but it just missed out a little. I would recommend it.

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Predictable court room drama

A customer from Scotland , 23/08/2007

This was a slow film and was just like watching another Hannibal Lecter saga.

Antony Hopkins played Ted Crawford his character was exactly like Hannibal's.

The supporting actor Ryan Gosling who played Willy Beachum the prosecutor was not a strong actor and he let down the plot.

The storyline is predictable and i found the ending had no surprises it was just like watching an episode of Ironside.

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Malice aforethought?

Getuthere from Oakham , 05/05/2008

Hopkins again in his dark and chilling Mr H Lector guise playing mind games with a young prosecutor played well by Ryan Gosling. A clever,quirky and absorbing thriller.

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Mildly intruiging potboiler posing as a serious psychological thriller

Northernsky from Halifax [Highly rated reviewer] , 10/01/2008

Fracture is not so much a whodunit? as much as a we know he did it but errr how did he do it and then more pertinently get away with it? It's an intriguing premise for a film and in the right hands could have been a serpentine thriller worthy of David Mamet at his finest. Fracture though never moves beyond the intriguing into the genuinely intense or absorbing experience it could have been.

Aeronautics engineer Ted Crawford(Anthony Hopkins) a very precise fellow as we are soon to find out , has discovered that his wife Jennifer is having an affair with Rob( Billy Burke) who just happens to be a cop. Ted confronts her with measured sibilant tones , she gives him the brush off so Ted tells her he loves her then shoots her in the head. This is the films jump off point as it then develops into a cat and mouse battle of wills and strategy between Ted and Willy Beachum(Ryan Gosling) the cocky young prosecutor from the District Attorneys office who had taken this as his last case before entering the big leagues in private law firm.

Willy rapidly learns that Ted has all the bases covered and before long his case is shot to pieces, no pun intended ,along with his carefully constructed reputation too. This doesn't impress his hot boss to be (Rosamund Pike) or his soon to be ex-boss Joe Lobruto(David Strathiarn) so he faces an agonising struggle for true justice to be done and for his career to be saved.

Fracture the idea , written by Daniel Pynne and Glenn Gers is far superior to Fracture the movie. Director Gregory Hoblit concentrates on the lawyer but the film sags badly when Hopkins, doing his best Lecktor lite impression, isn't around. The romance between Beachum and his new boss is completely irrelevant .There are plot developments that make absolutely no sense what so ever especially the twist ending which given what we know of Hopkins fastidious, meticulous character just seems to lazy convenient writing in order to achieve the conclusion the film wanted. As a piece of mildly absorbing entertainment Fracture is fine, but a serious , psychological, labyrinthine thriller? .....Give me a break, pun very much intended that time.

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