“The Lincoln Lawyer” does its best to replicate a 90s courtroom drama. The 2011 legal thriller is based off a novel by Michael Connelly. Connelly writes his narrative showcasing the good, bad, and ugly sides of the judicial system. Fans of John Grisham works will enjoy.
The great Matthew McConaughey stars as Mickey Haller; a smarmy Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who works out of the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car. Haller is shown to rub elbows with a variety of nefarious clients. Drug dealers, bikers, gang members. Haller doesn’t care if the client is innocent – as long as they pay.
Writing for a character like Mickey Haller is an important facet to a story such as this. He needs to be real. In the eyes of the law, the accused are entitled to adequate defense. Haller provides this. And does whatever he has to do to get his clients off the hook.
The plot of “The Lincoln Lawyer” comes from a common situation. Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) is your standard preppy a-hole. Roulet is the son of a millionaire real estate mogul, and lives an enviable lecherous life. Roulet is accused of assaulting a stripper. Mickey Haller is retained for services. As the case unfolds, we learn there may be more to it than the initial simplicity.
Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to legal dramas. One of his earliest starring roles came in the 1996 thriller “A Time to Kill.” McConaughey is excellent in his usual way. His natural charisma becomes a necessary component of the genetic makeup of Mickey Haller. It’s as if the book was written with McConaughey in mind. The supporting cast is also like a 90s All-Star team. Marisa Tomei plays the ex-wife. William H. Macy is Haller’s trusted investigator. Bryan Cranston and Bob Gunton make appearances. Country singer Trace Adkins is right at home in the role of a biker.
I really enjoyed “The Lincoln Lawyer” for the most part. But I found some of the ending moments to be a bit too Hollywood to be believed. And the plot itself becomes a somewhat confusing as the intricacies start to unravel.
Well-acted, simple, and effective. “The Lincoln Lawyer” is a good movie. If you are a fan of legal dramas its one you’ll want to check out.
