Fracture

A hotshot prosecutor (Ryan Gosling) squares off against a cunning engineer (Anthony Hopkins) who tried to murder his wife and is now defending himself in court.

Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling | Full Cast & Crew
Year: 2007
MPAA Rating: R
Genre: Suspense
Running Time: 1:53
Language: English
Country: United States
Color type: Color

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Reviews

REELZ REVIEW

"If John Grisham wrote The Silence of the Lambs, this is what it would look like...." [more]

— Thomas Leupp

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- Thomas Leupp
  
  ReelzChannel.com, April 19, 2007
  
  If John Grisham wrote The Silence of the Lambs, this is what it would look like.
  
  For Hannibal Lecter fans yearning to see Sir Anthony Hopkins reprise his signature character, the courtroom thriller Fracture is probably the closest they're gonna get. Hopkins stars as Ted Crawford, a wealthy aeronautical engineer who, upon confirming suspicions of his wife's infidelity, arrives home early from work one day and puts a bullet in her head. When the cops arrive, Crawford calmly admits to the crime and is hauled away in cuffs.
  
  Later on at the District Attorney's Office, the seemingly slam-dunk case is assigned to cocky southern boy Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), an ambitious prosecutor who has all but packed his bags for a fancy new private-practice gig. Despite having already confessed to the crime, Crawford elects to plead not guilty and represent himself, initiating a high-stakes courtroom duel between the precocious prosecutor and the wily murder suspect.
  
  Soon it becomes apparent that Beachum grossly underestimated the crafty old killer, who proceeds to steadily dismantle what was thought to be an open-and-shut case. As more details emerge, what initially looked like a spontaneous crime of passion is revealed to be a rather ingenious plot to get away with murder.
  
  Fracture boasts an entertaining -- if utterly implausible -- storyline and two highly enjoyable performances from its two lead actors. Watching the upstart Gosling spar with the veteran Hopkins is good fun, even if the two are surrounded primarily by mediocrity (with the exception of Good Night, and Good Luck Oscar nominee David Strathairn, who plays Gosling's boss).
  
  Employing heavy doses of his Lechter routine, Hopkins is gleefully over-the-top as he continually baits and taunts his increasingly flummoxed adversary, a wry smile the only sign of his enjoyment at watching the young prosecutor unravel.
  
  When Gosling and Hopkins don't share the screen, however, Fracture becomes little more than a big-budget episode of Law and Order. Unremarkable Rosamund Pike, tossed in to add some romance to the mix, amounts to little more than eye candy, while Billy Burke chronically overacts as perpetually distressed ex-lover of Crawford's comatose wife.
  
  Ultimately, it's Gosling who makes Fracture a worthwhile watch, as he continues to display an impressive nack for eaking quality performances out of otherwise unexceptional material.
  
  ReelzChannel Rating:
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MOVIE NEWS

Saturday, April 12

Movies for a Stay-at-Home Saturday Night

On Pay-Per-View, Timothy Olyphant plays a hitman with a heart of gold in the video game adaptation Hitman.

On HBO, Ryan Gosling tries to prevent Sir Anthony Hopkins from getting away with murder in the courtroom thriller Fracture.

On Starz, penguins take to the waves in the animated adventure comedy Surf's Up.

On Cinemax, Lindsay Lohan butts heads with her stern grandmother in the romantic dramedy Georgia Rule.

And on DVD, Oscar-winner Daniel Day-Lewis plays an oilman corrupted by power in Paul Thomas Anderson's epic There Will Be Blood.

Posted 04/12/2008 by Thomas

Related: Hitman | Surf's Up | Fracture | Georgia Rule | There Will Be Blood

Saturday, February 23

Movies for a stay-at-home Saturday night

We can't think of a better way to celebrate the night before the Oscars® than by watching a bunch of movies that never had a prayer of being nominated for much of anything. So if tonight finds you stuck at home, there are a few options to choose from:

On HBO, a a pampered canine becomes a troubled youth's best pal and a rundown firehouse's official mascot in Firehouse Dog.

On Starz, Halle Berry encounters danger in cyberspace in the sexy thriller Perfect Stranger.

And on Cinemax, Ryan Gosling tries to prevent Anthony Hopkins from getting away with murder in Fracture.

Posted 02/23/2008 by Thomas

Related: Firehouse Dog | Perfect Stranger | Fracture

Monday, April 30

Box Office Report: Saving Up for Spidey

It was a slow weekend at the cineplex, with movie fans apparently saving up for the May 4th release of Spider-Man 3. Newly-crowned box office heavyweight Shia LaBeouf's Disturbia led the box office for the third week in a row with a tally of $9.1 million, according to boxofficemojo.com. Teenage supernatural thriller The Invisible led new releases with $7.6 million, while Nicolas Cage's Next limped to a disappointing $7.2 million tally. Rounding out the top five were Fracture and Blades of Glory, which took in $7 million and $5.2 million, respectively.

Posted 04/30/2007 by Thomas

Related: Disturbia | Next | The Invisible | Blades of Glory | Fracture

Monday, April 23

Box Office Report: Shia on Fire

Can anyone stop the box office juggernaut that is Shia LaBeouf? His Rear Window remake Disturbia topped the box office for the second week in a row with a tally of $13.5 million, according to boxofficemojo.com, continuing its improbable run.

The courtroom thriller Fracture took in $11.2 million to lead all new releases. Blades of Glory once again led all comedies with a tally of $7.8 million, while the lightly-publicized horror flick Vacancy raked in just $7.6 million. Rounding out the top five with a $7 million take was Meet the Robinsons.

Opening in just 825 theaters, our beloved Hot Fuzz took in $5.8 million -- a whopping $7,075 per theater average. Look for Hot Fuzz to get a wider release soon.

Posted 04/23/2007 by Thomas

Related: Hot Fuzz | Disturbia | Vacancy | Fracture

Friday, April 20

By the numbers

A rundown of our reviews of this week's new releases:

Vacancy "In many ways, Nimrod Antal’s new horror flick is a welcome breath of fresh air for an exceedingly tired genre." [Full Review]



Fracture "If John Grisham wrote The Silence of the Lambs, this is what it would look like." [Full Review]



Hot Fuzz   "A great comedy, whether you're a cop movie aficionado, a fan of Shaun of the Dead or just appreciate a good laugh." [Full Review]

In the Land of Women
"Great performances but a flawed script in this spotty romantic dramedy by director Jon Kasdan." [Full Review]



The Valet    "Moves along at a quick pace with funny, surprising jokes and enough characters attempting to deceive and plot against each other that it feels like a veritable Shakespearean comedy." [Full Review]

Posted 04/20/2007 by Thomas

Related: Vacancy | Fracture | In the Land of Women | The Valet | Hot Fuzz