Article for Black Hills State University Today Newspaper

by Nicholas Berg

Fracture

A neatly written, smartly directed mystery, “Fracture” is a departure from most thrillers in that the audience is told from the beginning who actually committed the crime. It’s the chess match that plays out between the suspect and the attorney prosecuting him that sets Fracture apart from the typical legal drama.

In “Fracture” Sir Anthony Hopkins stars as aeronautics engineer Ted Crawford. An eccentric genius who attempts to pull off the perfect murder after discovering his wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) is having an affair. Assistant District Attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is about to take a job in a prestigious law firm when Crawford's open and shut case winds up on his desk. Willy reluctantly takes the case after hearing that Crawford has already confessed. The twist is that everyone knows Crawford murdered his wife, but he’s meticulously planned every detail so that no one can prove he‘s guilty.

The film makes you wonder, step by step how Hopkins did what he did? Where is the key piece of evidence that could condemn Crawford? By far the best sections of the film are when Gosling and Hopkins are onscreen together. They bring out the best in each other and have some great onscreen chemistry. I found myself liking both characters equally even though it is an obvious good vs. evil scenario. Although Hopkins is the villain he has some funny scenes in the courtroom that make you almost root for him to succeed.

This is not a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller but instead a clever battle of wits between two men. The story gets a little slow at times but not so much so that it detracts from the film. Those with short attention spans may have a little trouble staying involved all the way through the film. I found the love story between Gosling and Rosamund Pike unnecessary and more than a little cliché. She almost instantly falls for Beachum even though she is his boss and he is quickly spiraling out of control.

Director Gregory Hoblit may not be a household name but he has crafted several notable works over the past decade including “Primal Fear”, “Fallen”, and “Frequency”. With “Primal Fear” leading to an Oscar nomination for then newcomer Edward Norton. In Fracture, Hoblit delivers a compelling thriller that will keep the audience guessing till the very end. It probably won’t win an awards but it’s a nice departure from the typical murder mystery film.