A wealthy and highly intelligent engineer, Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) shoots his wife in cold blood after discovering she is having an affair with policeman Rob Nunally (Billy Burke). The case seems open and shut with a signed confession and gun found in the house. A young prosecutor, Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) takes the case despite recently being accepted at a highly regarded civil-law firm. What seems to be a simple case turns out to be riddled with complications that all play into the hands of Crawford, entrapping Nunally and leaving Beachum with frustratingly little defence.
This is a refreshingly original murder mystery as there is essentially no murder (survives the gunshot) and no mystery as the killer is known from beginning. Yet the film is utterly intriguing from start to finish. The script and direction provides the viewer with just enough insight and intrigue to want to continue watching. Many murder mysteries/thrillers often introduce a realm of characters or subplots that have little importance to the story. Director Gregory Hoblit focuses on the case and exploring the two characters of Crawford and Beachum, enabling great character development and a clear, focused plot.
I am yet to see Gosling deliver a poor performance and it's interesting to see him deliver a strong performance that hasn't come from his breakout year, proving that the guy can really act and has been successfully doing it for the last 10 years. Beachum is a high achieving, confident lawyer that has achieved success in his profession at a very young age. However Crawford accurately outlines his flaw, he is a winner. Beachum must risk everything including his prospects at the civil-law firm whilst struggling with his own moral code in order to 'win' the case against Crawford. Hopkins as always delivers not just a good performance but an excellent performance. After seeing the movie I read some reviews and found that many people found Hopkins performance as lackluster as if he was simply going through the motions. I have to disagree as I think Hopkins provides a truly intriguing performance as the calculated and brilliant Crawford. What results is a battle of wits between the two main characters as they try to use each others weaknesses to their advantage.
I came into this movie with very little knowledge of what I was going to see, choosing it simply for the actors. It seems to be a movie that has slipped through the radar, earning no rewards or recognition despite the great performances and quality of the film. I think this kind of adds to the charm of the film, even it it has been unjustly recognised. If you are sceptical as to whether you want to see this film, give it a try, because like me you might be surprised discovering a very satisfying thriller and a truly entertaining movie.
It's interesting to note that Hopkins has been announced to play Alfred Hitchcock in a future film about the making of Psycho. There's very limited details as to what path the movie will take but I think the casting choice is excellent, with prominent actresses such as Helen Mirren, Jessica Biel and Scarlett Johansson also signed up to star.
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