The Bottom Line
Pros
- Just watching Ryan Gosling and Sir Anthony Hopkins square off is worth the price of a ticket
- A delightful twist on the typical whodunit
Cons
- The pacing is a little slow but not bad enough to induce boredom
- The film didn't need a clunky love story between Gosling and Rosamund Pike
Description
- Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, Rosamund Pike, and Billy Burke
- Directed by Gregory Hoblit from a screenplay by Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers
- Rated R for language and some violent content
- Theatrical Release Date: April 20, 2007
Guide Review - 'Fracture' Movie Review
Sir Anthony Hopkins stars as engineer Ted Crawford, a wealthy, meticulous man whose beautiful wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) fills her lonely days in the company of Detective Rob Nunally (Billy Burke). Mrs Crawford’s apparently slept around before and has figured out it’s best to not clog up her affairs by revealing any of her personal history - or even her real name – to her lover. Nunally only knows her as Mrs Smith.
Ted chooses the circumstances carefully and then exacts revenge on his wife for her cheating ways. Ted calmly puts a bullet in her head and then waits for the police to send in the hostage negotiator on duty (the aforementioned Det. Nunally) before surrendering. He admits he shot his wife and even signs a confession while his wife remains barely alive in a coma on life support.
Assistant District Attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is basically wrapping up all loose ends before taking off for a cushy job in a prestigious law firm when Crawford's case winds up on his desk. Believing it's a slamdunk, Willy takes the case thinking it shouldn't require anything more than a single appearance in court to accept Crawford's guilty plea. But Ted Crawford, the sly old dog, has different plans and Beachum's playing right into his hands...
To Sum It Up
Attaching ‘riveting’ to a description of a performance has never seemed more appropriate than it does when describing the work of both Hopkins and Gosling in Fracture. Hopkins and Gosling appear to relish their time together in scenes, bringing out the best in each other and treating the audience to some of the best onscreen chemistry between adversaries on film.
The dialogue is biting and clever, and not every little twist is spelled out a mile in advance. With Fracture, director Gregory Hoblit delivers a spellbinding thriller that'll keep you guessing to the end.
GRADE: B+
