The Lincoln Lawyer

Hollywood continues its tradition of adapting screenplays from books. “The Lincoln Lawyer” (2011) is a recent movie adapted from the book of the same name, written by Michael Connelly. Connelly is a prolific writer who has won numerous awards for his fiction writing, notably grabbing an Edgar Award for the Best Debut Novel, “The Black Echo” (1993). I haven’t read Connelly’s book, so I cannot comment on how well “The Lincoln Lawyer” translates to the screen. But I can say this: the film is a well-crafted crime drama that is surprisingly entertaining and packed with fine performances from its leads. On the revenue front, the film grossed over $90 million at the box office, and critics were generally positive in their assessment of the film.

The movie’s title has a significant meaning in relation to its main character. Looking at the movie’s poster, one would guess the story revolves around a lawyer in a small American town called Lincoln. Wrong. Instead, Connelly uses the name as a metaphor to describe the sprawling cityscape of Los Angeles; the long traveling times in L.A. make local commutates time consuming. Courthouses are not located at comfortable distances in L.A.; instead, the courthouses are scattered across different counties. Lawyers working on multiple cases might spend the majority of their time on the road, hopping from one county to the other to attend court hearings. We meet one such lawyer, Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey), who spends the majority of his day sitting in the backseat of his Lincoln town car navigating his way through the busy freeways of Los Angeles. While sitting in the backseat, we see Mickey working on different cases, calling important people, meeting clients in prisons across the city, and making his court appearances. Indeed, his smooth-talking skills make him one of the best lawyers in L.A.

I think it is best to leave out the major plot details of the film because of the fear I might reveal vital plot twists. Having said this, the film mainly focuses on Mickey as he gets a tricky case to defend a rich playboy, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe). The case shakes Mickey’s foundation, as he tries to reach to the bottom of the crime Louis may have committed.  He begins to question his identity as a defense lawyer. After all, a lawyer’s job is to defend his client, irrespective of the evidence and other pertinent details. We begin to see how some lawyers gradually cross the fine line between right and wrong. Moral issues are always tossed around in a high-profile case, and Mickey’s case is no different in this aspect.

Mickey starts his own investigation because of a number of inconsistencies in the case that raise concerns about their validity. We see Mickey diligently analyze the case from all angles. Soon, we begin to see the entire story through Mickey’s eyes. Mickey’s natural lawyer instincts make the plot entirely plausible; the story functions like any other courtroom crime drama with a case and motive that set things in motion. But a superb performance from Matthew McConaughey further elevates the plot. Mainly known for his romantic image, McConaughey’s performance here is a cut above his past performances of romantic lead. His character is classy and intelligent, and McConaughey further smoothes out Mickey’s character. Yes, McConaughey is as good-looking as ever, but with the script focusing mainly on the crime, his looks never become distracting.  Perhaps “The Lincoln Lawyer” is McConaughey’s best performance since his work in Bill Paxton’s “Frailty” (2001).

With a crime at its center, Connelly’s story feels like a John Grisham novel, in which we see a lawyer fighting for his client. But Connelly’s story is unique; the elements of the judicial process are rarely brought to the forefront. As such, the main protagonist and his actions and how he interacts with the supporting characters drive the entire plot. The manner in which Connelly develops the case as it slowly transforms into a web of deception and lies makes this film not a run-of-the-mill story. Having said this, Connelly’s book consists of 550 pages, and I am assuming the scriptwriters dropped details about the characters. It helps in the film’s pacing, but the characters tend to appear hollow at times. For example, Marisa Tomei’s character in the film is inadequately developed, although we understand her beef with Mickey’s profession. In addition, the script injects abrupt elements to the story that don’t quite add up in the end.

Still, barring a few inconsistencies in the screenplay, “The Lincoln Lawyer” is a fast ride that maintains the viewer’s attention throughout its running time.

Video:

“The Lincoln Lawyer” rides on a beautiful-looking transfer that captures the essence of a big city like Los Angeles. The 1080p transfer is encoded using an AVC codec and presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The film is mainly shot during bright sunny days, and as a result, the colors are warm and vivid. Never overly bright, the warm-looking transfer is surely pleasurable to eyes. The detail and sharpness are consistently solid. Similarly, the skin tones are realistic, with natural colors. The close-ups have remarkable detail and never appear too processed. Finally, to top it off, we also see a nice layer of inherent print grain, making this a filmic transfer.

Audio:

The lossless 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio doesn’t have the loud, thundering sound of an action movie. Nonetheless, this is a damn-good track in its own way. Being a dialogue-driven affair, the dialogue is crisp and clear, driven by the front channels. Often times, in several scenes, rear channels kick in, especially in the bar scenes and when the film’s musical score is triggered. The track perfectly presents a number of subtle moments in the film in which we hear soft background noises. Overall, there is nothing to complain about this track.

Extras:

Starting off, we get a regular-making featurette, “Making the Case.” In this we see, the director, writer, and the crew discussing the film. Michael Connelly talks about the characters from his book. Director Brad Forman discusses how the book was translated for the film, since the book itself was very dense with details. Up next, Michael Connelly takes us on a brief city tour of Los Angels in “At Home on the Road.” Following this, Connelly interviews Matthew McConaughey in a Q & A session, “One on One.” We also get a set of four deleted scenes.  Finally, Lionsgate has included a digital copy and a DVD version of the film on a separate disc.

Parting Thoughts:

I really wanted to check out “The Lincoln Lawyer” when Lionsgate released it in theaters early this year, but I couldn’t because of my busy schedule. This Blu-ray release validates my initial interest in the movie during its theatrical run. I found the film thoroughly entertaining and engrossing, and for once I really liked Matthew McConaughey. The Blu-ray release offers a crisp-looking 1080p transfer and a well-balanced audio track, thereby making this release highly recommended.