I've noticed a lot of hate being thrown in this film's general direction. Didn't quite understand why. Sure, Matthew can't seem to shake off his accent or keep his shirt on, whatever the role. But, I really liked this one.
It tells a tale of a successful and extremely cocky defense lawyer. His everyday routine, high class livin' and some witty business humour. And all the while showing these side-stories and anecdotes, the main story presents itself quietly and slowly. He is paid to represent a wealthy young man accused of rape and assault. And after some withheld information rise to the surface, he finds himself deeply involved in the crime he is paid to debunk in the first place.
The acting was surprisingly pretty good. Sure, nothing fancy or award worthy, but good nonetheless. Matthew is a handsome hotshot suit-wearing driving in a back of a Lincoln muthafucka, but he is also a regular human being with issues. He's divorced, he's a father and he's kind of an alcoholic. Ryan Phillippe was great too. He displayed all kinds of emotions and did it in an excellent fashion. Marisa Tomei, on the other hand, didn't really have room for expansion, therefore her character was a completely sided one. And like a cherry on top, and to my very surprise since I didn't bother to look at the cast beforehand, William H. Macy was in it too. And, let's face it - the guy is a legend. I can't think of a film where I did not appreciate his appearance.
So, it's an excellent mixture of drama and thriller with perfect characters portrayed by fantastic actors. The story too was well developed and, in a way, quite subtle. But, in the end, the feeling of it was mediocre, so a higher mark eluded the film.
7 out of 10.
