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Fracture [2007]
from Entertainment in Video
starring Anthony Hopkins, David Strathairn, Ryan Gosling, Billy Burke, Rosamund Pike
directed by Gregory Hoblit

Features:

• Anamorphic
• PAL

Editorial Review:

Sir Anthony Hopkins trots out another psycho you'll hate to love in Fracture, a by-the-numbers legal thriller that's redeemed by electric performances from its two leads. Hopkins is on fine accent-bending, twinkle-eyed form as aeronautics engineer Ted Crawford, who has devised the perfect way to bump off his cheating wife. Ryan Gosling positively crackles as Willy Beachum, the cocky public prosecutor looking to add Crawford to his long list of successful convictions, before moving into the lucrative world of corporate law.

Despite the glossy look and audience-friendly pacing, it's Hopkins and Gosling's charisma-duelling that provides the film's biggest reward. Apart, they're enjoyable enough, but when they get together to butt intellects -- with Hopkins at his most impish -- things really come to life. Given that Crawford is a rich, sneering murderer and Beachum is a swaggering money-hungry upstart, you'd be forgiven for wondering why you should care at all. This is, after all, an alienating world of elite high-rollers. Not even Rosamund Pike, as Gosling's highly-strung legal eagle love interest elicits any sympathy. But Hopkins and Gosling imbue their characters with such undeniable charm that you could actually end up rooting for either. Without the chemistry, you'd be left with a clever, well-crafted but ultimately empty thriller. It hides its final twist well, but the true triumph is in the casting. --Luke Mawson

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• A masterful fracture
  I'd just finished reading Karin Slaughter's book of almost the same name when this dvd popped through my letterbox so I initially thought - obviously mistakenly - that some film producer was ahead of the game!
  As a thriller the film works well but only because of Anthony Hopkins as the lead criminal (if proven guilty, of course) and the attempt by a young legal hotshot, Ryan Gosling, to do just that.
  Frankly, this would have been a run-of-the-mill made-for-tv film but for these two. Anthony... more info

• Okay film
  Rented this film because it had Anthony Hopkins in it. It's a murder suspense with a twist. Hopkins has shot his wife but can he be convicted?
  The film works reasonably. There's no bad acting (although Hopkins is patchily Irish- you'll see). The script is okay and the characters are reasonably well developed. It's just all a bit flat.
  However on a warm Sunday evening the family watched the film and quite enjoyed it. My advice- watch it while doing something else (e.g. reading the paper) and don't... more info

• so boring it hurts
  you know this film is going to be rubbish cause its got sir antony hopkins playing yet another variation of hannibal lecter.this is boring,bland,predictable, and so pointless

• Any film with Anthony Hopkins very good
  The story line was good but the how he does it & why is clear to see from half way through the film. The ending was not a shock but still a good film and worth a watch.

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