Fairly engaging as far as the plot goes and a little over the top in the manner in which the drama unfolds, Lincoln Lawyer isn't a complete lost cause.
Most of the film's 'aha' moments aren't really aha in the true sense of the word, yet Lincoln Lawyer is a fairly engrossing watch.
There's no real reason for Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey) to operate from the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car but then Haller isn't a regular lawyer.
His ex-wife, prosecutor Maggie McPherson (Marisa Tomei), can't stand his penchant for picking up the guilty to defend but Haller's only fear is that some day he might not be able to identify the true innocence.
His past of pushing one of his clients, Jesus Martinez (Michael Pena), to plead guilty in order to save him from the death penalty haunts him to no end.
Haller sees defending millionaire real estate heir Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) in a rape case as his ticket to salvation and even though Louis seems to be hiding things from his own lawyer, Haller believes in his innocence.
Convinced that Louis is being set up by a prostitute and her lover as their ticket out of the miserable life, Haller is shocked when he scratches beneath Louis' surface.
Haller realizes that he was zeroed by Louis to protect him when he sees a connection between Louis and the Martinez case and then when his only friend and investigator Frank Levin (William H.
Macy) is killed, Haller ends up becoming a pawn in Louis' bid for acquittal.
Based on Michael Connelly's book the film is well paced and even though it does keep the interest levels maintained there are times when the screenplay ends up running around like a chicken with its head cut.
There are half-baked subplots in the film that come and disappear without really affecting the main plot and this ends up confusing at a few occasions.
There are many characters in the film that are not developed as well as they should have been for they play a significant role at important places in the film especially Haller's chauffeur, who vanishes for a better part and then resurfaces almost as inexplicably towards the third act.
Barring his star agent act in Tropic Thunder the last two years have been quite for Matthew McConaughey and here he makes most of a character with whom the actor shares a great deal of similarity.
When he started McConaughey was considered to be the next Paul Newman and much like Haller, the going hasn't been too good for McConaughey.
He also shares great onscreen chemistry with Marisa Tomei, whose performance initiates her transition into playing potent supporting characters.
John Romano's screenplay keeps the basics intact and what's interesting is that he approaches this very present day film with a very 1970's like treatment.
He works on Haller's character long enough and makes you want to know what happens to him unlike many recent films where a lot of character depth and growth is traded for flashy sequences.
Even though the plot is a little muddled in the middle and far too many high-points towards the end that endlessly try to outdo each other, what makes the film tick is that it's pleasingly acted and coupled with a fairly decent narrative makes Lincoln Lawyer worth watching.
The Lincoln Lawyer Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 The Lincoln Lawyer Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillipe, Michael Pena and William H Macy The Lincoln Lawyer Written by: John Romano based on Michael Connelly's book Lincoln Lawyer The Lincoln Lawyer Directed by: Brad Furman