Fracture (2007) 8/10

Starring : Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, Rosamund Pike, Billy Burke, Embeth Davidtz
Director : Gregory Hoblit
Running Time : 110 mins

Willy Beachum (Gosling) is a highly successful assistant DA who finds himself at the losing end of a battle of wills with attempted murder suspect Ted Crawford (Hopkins). Beachum knows that Crawford is guilty of shooting his wife and putting her in a coma, but due to a series of technicalities it becomes more and more evident that Crawford will get away with the crime.

This was actually a really enjoyable mystery-thriller, kind of in the vein of Columbo; we know what happened, but we want to see the police solve the crime and catch the criminal. Hopkins is suitably manic as Ted Crawford, and comes across as being on the verge of going insane to great effect. I'm surprised he didn't just plead insanity, that would have worked. The only thing I didn't like was the romance between Gosling and Pike - she invites him to Thanksgiving dinner with her family after meeting him maybe twice? That was a bit ridiculous.

You'll like this if you liked : Primal Fear