If you have trouble keeping track of all the
characters in Brad Furman's courtroom drama, The Lincoln Lawyer, you
probably have plenty of company. One character you cannot miss,
however, is Mick Haller, the slick, charming defense attorney
skillfully played by Matthew McConaughey in a performance that is
almost certain to produce some sequels. Mick's office is the back seat
of a Lincoln Continental, chauffeured by Laurence Mason, which saves
money on rent and allows him to wheel and deal away from public
scrutiny.
Divorced from the very attractive Maggie McPherson (Marissa Tomei),
another attorney, Mick knows his way around courtrooms and has
connections with police, bail bondsmen, and even the Hell's Angels, who
are portrayed as being so gentle they could be mistaken for a church
social group if they didn't have bikes and facial hair. Mick pays them
for favors rendered and they never seem to haggle over price. What a
great bunch of guys, ready to beat someone up for a buck whenever Mick
comes-a-calling. Though I wouldn't call Mick unscrupulous, he's not
troubled by too many ethical concerns and defends all sorts of lowlifes
including murderers, drug dealers, and prostitutes, if the price is
right.
In this case, however, his primary client is a wealthy socialite named
Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), usually seen with his mother (Frances
Fisher). Because Roulet is so fit and proper, we tend to believe him
when he insists that he is innocent of the crime of brutally beating a
prostitute. Soon, however, Louis is caught in a lie and the case
becomes complicated when evidence of Roulet's past begins to surface.
Though Mick begins to have considerable doubt about his client's
veracity, he is committed to defend him. His chief investigator is
Frank Levin played by William H. Macy, looking very uncharacteristic
with long hair and a moustache and Levin will play a key role in the
unraveling of the case.
Many different characters surface including Jesus Martinez (Michael
Pena), a man serving time in prison for the murder of another
prostitute and who Mick is beginning to think was wrongfully convicted,
and Val Valenzuela, a sleazy bail bondsman played by John Leguizamo.
Based on the best-selling novel by Michael Connelly and a screenplay by
John Romano, The Lincoln Lawyer is an entertaining film that avoids
gruesome over-the-top violence, chase scenes, and all the other
accoutrements of what passes these days for entertainment, and Furman's
sure hand keeps us on edge with many plot twists and turns. While, on
the surface, The Lincoln Lawyer is a standard crime drama that
telegraphs its punches, Mick's personality is so compelling that it
takes the film to a different level and renders over-analysis
meaningless. So grab some pop corn and enjoy one of those
entertainments that are such great fun at the time but that we just
might forget the next day.
