大象传媒

A sedate courtroom thriller from the director of Primal Fear, Fracture sees Anthony Hopkins reprising his Hannibal Lecter schtick with an added Irish accent. Hopkins plays Ted Crawford, an aeronautics expert who concocts a scheme to murder his wife, who's having an affair with a hostage negotiator, and get away with it. Unfortunately, he's reckoned without Ryan Gosling's hotshot young lawyer, who's determined to crack the case even if it costs him a high-powered corporate law gig.

Slow moving, and powered by a twist so eminently guessable that you have to restrain yourself from yelling it at the screen, Fracture doesn't have much to offer in the way of thrills. It compensates with a pair of highly entertaining performances and slick, colourful cinematography. Hopkins, as usual, brings an impish sense of humour to the villainous Crawford, throwing wisecracks in the court and ringing his nemesis from prison to tease him about his lack of progress. Gosling, meanwhile, is a spinning jenny of sullen energy, forever clashing with his peers and casually romancing Rosamunde Pike's legal ice queen. Poor Rosamunde. Will she ever play anyone messy and warm-hearted?

"HIGHLY ENTERTAINING PERFORMANCES"

Courtroom thrillers have been thin on the ground of late, and it's nice to see some money spent on such a handsome mounting of the old "perfect murder" chestnut. Hoblit and his DP, Kramer Morgenthau, transform the interiors into visons of ravishing plushness. The film is reminiscent of the kind of wealth-porn peddled by Adrian Lyne, and if you get bored with the plot, you can always pass the time picking out home furnishings.

Fracture is released in UK cinemas on Friday 20th April 2007.