The Lincoln Lawyer

Dir. Brad Furman

Theatrical

The best part about waiting a month to take in The Lincoln Lawyer is that it’s now April. This means I can safely refer to it as “the first shocking surprise film of the year” without truly embracing quote whore status, but let me explain since this is a far more decent film than it needs to be.

As most everyone with function eyes has joked, Matthew McConaughey is not shirtless/playing bongos/dating generic blonde stand-in #52342/or even heh heh-ing (much) in this quick courtroom suspense premise that’s based off the book of the same name by noted crime novelist-cum-machine Michael Connolley. As “Mick” Haller, McConaughey is slimy, conniving and reminding us why he is so goddamn appealing as a creep (Dazed and Confused) and really, really intense (Frailty). Still, Haller wheels, deals and lucks into a seemingly fat pay day with a rich mama’s boy, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillipe), claiming innocence to assault charges. Haller’s secret do-gooder nature shines through here and we’re off to the races when it comes to fake evidence, half-truths and William H. Macy stopping by for a brief cameo so his new hairdo/mustache wouldn’t just be wasted on Shameless.