The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

[Tim Glover]

Title: The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

Tagline: This Case is a Dangerous Game of Life and Death

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Director: Brad Furman

Release: 2011-03-17

Runtime: 119

Plot: A lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills.

Saw this today. Really liked it. Not a big fan of Matthew McConaughey, but he's effective in these types of roles. The trailers give away a pretty big piece of info but still maintains an edgy, suspenseful nature. Ryan Phillippe was also excellent and truthfully deserved more screen time. I was reminded of the excellent and underrated "Fracture" film. Different films no doubt but showcases personal and professional attorney issues.

To nitpick I thought the film was a bit too quick with who's the bad guy but I understand why. We need that info to see the conflict Matthew M (Mick Haller) has & how he juggles it all.

William H. Macy always great and has a small role. As does the hot Marisa Tomei.

Well done & worth your time and money. Would like to see it again.


Solid 8.5/10.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I agree with it being a fine film. Almost didn't recognize Michael Pare in that small role.





Crawdaddy

 

[Patrick Sun]

Matthew McConaughey plays Mick Haller, a defense lawyer whose nickname "The Lincoln Lawyer" comes from the black Lincoln that carts him around town. Haller gets involved in a case involving a rich momma's boy Louis Roulet (played by Ryan Phillippe) arrested for sexual assault. What appears to be a standard crminal defense case soon spirals into something bigger, and Haller finds himself in a dangerous and legal quandry, and it's quite fun to watch him try to wrangle free from the situations he finds himself in without risking disbarment or worse, bodily harm.

The supporting cast is solid, and the film's tone harkens back the 1970s for such a legal thriller. The final act has quite a few surprising LOL moments as Haller puts on a show, and it's quite entertaining and fun to watch.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.

 

[TonyD]

Watched on cable last night. Enjoyed it enough but it was almost just an episode of a cop/detective show from the 70's, that's not a bad thing. Also I had a strong sense of deja vu the entire time I was watching and after reading the first post I now realize why. It was the trailer that ran for this movie probably nearly two years ago now. The trailer is practically the entire movie in three minutes. I haven't gone back to look at the trailer again but I'm sure that must be why I felt like I had seen this movie before while I was watching it. Btw imdb says this is n the same "universe" as Blood Work, I couldn't figure that out anyone know why?

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I bought this for $4.99 on Vudu during one those weekend sales. I've become a huge fan of the Amazon Prime series "Bosch", and this was one of the better regarded Michael Connelly film adaptations. On the literary side, the titular Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, and Bosch are half-brothers.

I liked it a lot. It felt like it could be the same universe as "Bosch"; they're both set in Los Angeles, and they both heavily focus on the unglamorous and mundane corners of Los Angeles. Haller is an interesting protagonist, a moderately successful attorney of what used to be known as the "phone book" variety. He doesn't have an office, instead working out of the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car driven by a former client. He bounces from cases to case mostly on word of mouth, getting low-level criminals off when he can, and arranging favorable plea deals when he can't. He has a particular reputation for representing the guilty.

Early in the movie, he hooks what appears to be a very big fish, the trust fund son of one of the city's real estate titans. The money is excellent. It soon becomes clear that all is not as it appears with his new client, but by the time Haller understands the situation he is in, he finds himself trapped between his moral duty and self-interest, and his legal obligation to provide the best possible legal representation for his client.

How he reconciles those competing interests is incredibly compelling to watch, with some very satisfying twists and turns.

I would love for them to make a sequel, and I would love for a crossover with "Bosch". Lakeshore Entertainment put its assets up for sale in March, which presumably include the film rights for Mickey Haller. I'd love for Amazon Studios to snap them up.

 

[Matt Hough]

I reviewed the film on disc and really admired it. And I'd love to see Amazon inherit the character for a new series of adventures for him.