Fracture

Here's my latest review. If any of you smart people out there know how to have a "jump" in a blog--you know, "Here's the first sentence of my review. The rest is after the jump."--so I wouldn't have to have these huge blocks of text, please tell me! I will give you a candy bar.

Fracture is a spiritless “thriller” that offers few thrills and fewer surprises, and demands major suspension of disbelief on the part of its audience. Even the clout of Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins cannot help this inconsistent movie rise above the commonplace.

Fracture is about a battle of wits and wills between two men. Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is a brilliant aeronautical engineer who investigates accidents with the National Transportation and Safety Board. Despite his impressive credentials and gorgeous home in the Hollywood Hills, all is not well with Crawford. His beautiful young wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), is having an anonymous affair with a married police crisis negotiator, Rob Nunnally (Billy Burke). So one day, Crawford comes home early from work, shoots Jennifer in the head, and sits tight, knowing Nunnally will be called to the scene and will eventually discover that the victim is his own lover, whom he has known only as “Mrs. Smith.”

The twisted dichotomy between these two men has great potential, but the film isn’t about their dealings with each other. In fact, Nunnally is a relatively minor character. Fracture is about Crawford’s relationship with another foe, assistant district attorney Willie Beachum (Ryan Gosling).

Beachum has worked the system in the D.A.’s office; taking on every case he thinks he can win and shunning all others, he has garnered an impossibly high conviction rate, which has earned him a job offer with an elite corporate law firm. He’s got one foot out the door, but he has one more case to work before he leaves for his swanky new job—the Crawford case.

It seems like a slam-dunk, since the police apparently have a smoking gun and a signed confession. But Crawford, a meticulous genius, has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Fracture is an entertaining-enough two hours spent in the theater, but there’s just nothing really special about it. Within a day or two after seeing it, you will have almost forgotten you ever saw it. And it’s really a shame, because it feels like there’s a really good story in there that just somehow didn’t quite make it to the screen.

For instance, as an NTSB engineer, Crawford would likely have a methodical, logical thought process and an extremely ordered life. He would have planned his crime to the last detail, and there would be a sick method to his madness. But the audience learns nothing about what makes him tick. Why does he go to such lengths to toy with the justice system? Why didn’t he hire someone to kill Jennifer, or make it look like an accident? Why does he choose Beachum as his adversary, as he apparently does? Why does he constantly address Beachum as “old sport?” Who knows?

I won’t reveal the “twist” ending, but it misses the mark in two major ways. First, it is as predictable as the dawn. Second, it doesn’t actually make much sense.

That's not to say there’s nothing good about Fracture. Ryan Gosling is a talented and exciting young actor, and there are a few crackling moments between him and Hopkins. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about his onscreen chemistry with his Fracture love interest.

Screenwriters Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers add a little sex appeal by giving Beachum a glamorous (if totally unnecessary to the story) girlfriend in corporate lawyer—and Beachum’s boss-to-be—Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike). But Nikki’s scenes don’t go anywhere, and the gorgeous Pike gives an oddly icy, lifeless performance.

There is no denying that Hopkins is one of our greatest actors, but (dare I say it?) he seems to be phoning this performance in. Hopkins’ Crawford is Hannibal Lecter, minus half of Lecter’s creepiness and perverse likeability. Also, Hopkins adopts an Irish accent for no apparent reason at inconsistent intervals during the film, which is just confusing.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the film is the very, very brief screen time given to the wonderful David Strathairn, who is wasted in a tiny and thankless role as Beachum’s boss, the district attorney.

Fracture is certainly entertaining enough to hold your interest. It’s the type of movie that’s great for renting some boring Friday night, or catching on cable on a rainy afternoon five years down the road. But if you’re looking for a brilliant summer thriller, keep on looking.