Review: The Lincoln Lawyer

The Lincoln Lawyer is a strong legal drama from director Brad Furman (The Take). It follows lawyer, Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) representing high profile client, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) accused of assault and rape. However, Roulet’s alleged innocence is soon seen through.

After seeing the trailer I was expecting a far more crime-thriller type film as opposed to a legal drama (my own stupidity, hence the title The Lincoln LAWYER). However, the film proves to be engaging with a solid story and excellent performances. Matthew McConaughey, now known for his romcoms goes back to his original roots (No, not The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation) of serious acting, somewhat akin to his role in the excellent A Time to Kill. His performance combines touches of humour yet still comes across as a believable lawyer. It’s also very nice to see Ryan Phillippe back on the big screen (Scarily he’s not aged since 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer and looks as good as ever) – he gives an intense and sinister performance as the completely smug and unlikeable Roulet. Marissa Tomei, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Joe Leguizamo, Bob Gunton and Michael Pena are all welcome additions to the cast and a joy to watch.

Films with heavy court scenes sometimes  loose the audience and become a bit tedious, however The Lincoln Lawyer does not suffer from this and manages to stay engaging and entertaining throughout. Considering this is only Furman’s second feature – it’s incredibly well paced and a strong effort.

The film isn’t perfect and suffers with a slightly unsatisfying ending and some predictable moments, however it’s a highly entertaining film with an interesting story and strong performances.