This is just not a very good "thriller". For one, the "twist" near the end of the movie (attempted murder v/s murder) , you could see coming a mile away.
The casting left much to be desired also. I believe Ryan Gosling is a terrific actor, but his performance in this film was poor. He came across as just a young, arrogant POS lawyer. His gum-chewing, "cooler-than-the-other-side-of-the-pillow" act was cringe-inducing. He was supposedly this young, hotshot lawyer, yet his actions were dumber than a fence post. The scene in the Judge's chambers with the Judge and Anthony Hopkins, after he was attacked in the courtroom by the Detective, showed a somewhat befuddled lawyer who had no idea what was going on. Really??? Thought you were the young high-powered hotshot. He threatens Hopkins with "Don't make me come across this table". Really??? Right after an assault in the courtroom, this is all he can think of to say? In front of the Judge? Really??? I could be wrong, but do lawyers make threats that they can't actually follow through on, if need be? "Don't make me come across this table" sounds like a threat in a barroom between 2 construction workers. I doubt if any judge would permit something like that in chambers between 2 opposing counsel, and a young, hotshot should have known that was inappropriate.
The whole "find the gun" charade was just tiresome. The Detective told him that they had gone through the house 3 times...these are knowledgeable, experienced police and forensics people. There IS NO GUN IN THE HOUSE! Have as many temper tantrums as you like...Treating the detective and his people like mis-behaving children will not help, and shows you are no hotshot. It's a law...you can't fit a square peg into a round hole, but you're going to force this Detective's nose into the dirt until he shits a gun? Nice hotshot lawyering there, slick.
There was a decent idea for a movie here, but this was incredibly mis-handled, and Ryan Gosling completely misplayed the lawyer.
I give it a 3 because of Anthony Hopkins performance. He was a completely unlikable, slimy snake, and he seemed to relish the role.
Otherwise, this was just poorly written, and poorly made. The casting of Gosling was a mistake.
The casting left much to be desired also. I believe Ryan Gosling is a terrific actor, but his performance in this film was poor. He came across as just a young, arrogant POS lawyer. His gum-chewing, "cooler-than-the-other-side-of-the-pillow" act was cringe-inducing. He was supposedly this young, hotshot lawyer, yet his actions were dumber than a fence post. The scene in the Judge's chambers with the Judge and Anthony Hopkins, after he was attacked in the courtroom by the Detective, showed a somewhat befuddled lawyer who had no idea what was going on. Really??? Thought you were the young high-powered hotshot. He threatens Hopkins with "Don't make me come across this table". Really??? Right after an assault in the courtroom, this is all he can think of to say? In front of the Judge? Really??? I could be wrong, but do lawyers make threats that they can't actually follow through on, if need be? "Don't make me come across this table" sounds like a threat in a barroom between 2 construction workers. I doubt if any judge would permit something like that in chambers between 2 opposing counsel, and a young, hotshot should have known that was inappropriate.
The whole "find the gun" charade was just tiresome. The Detective told him that they had gone through the house 3 times...these are knowledgeable, experienced police and forensics people. There IS NO GUN IN THE HOUSE! Have as many temper tantrums as you like...Treating the detective and his people like mis-behaving children will not help, and shows you are no hotshot. It's a law...you can't fit a square peg into a round hole, but you're going to force this Detective's nose into the dirt until he shits a gun? Nice hotshot lawyering there, slick.
There was a decent idea for a movie here, but this was incredibly mis-handled, and Ryan Gosling completely misplayed the lawyer.
I give it a 3 because of Anthony Hopkins performance. He was a completely unlikable, slimy snake, and he seemed to relish the role.
Otherwise, this was just poorly written, and poorly made. The casting of Gosling was a mistake.