By: debbie lynn elias
Although he is no Lisa Scottoline, Michael Connelly has long been a favorite author of mine. Calling on his years covering the crime beat in the Los Angeles Superior Court, as a mystery/thriller writer, Connelly never ceases to create intriguing scenarios and situations involving criminal defense and the judicial system, as well as indelible characters both fighting for justice and ignoring justice, and all done with exacting attention to detail. One such character is Mick Haller, a charismatic, street smart and slick Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who runs his practice out of the backseat of his chauffeur-driven Lincoln Continental limousine, thus earning the moniker THE LINCOLN LAWYER. Even before Connelly’s novel was in print, it was on the road to the big screen with a screenplay adaptation by John Romano, direction helmed by Brad Furman, and Matthew McConaughey dusting off his courtroom best to fill the shoes of Mick Haller. The verdict: A dynamic, intriguingly complex film with an intelligently written script that delves ever deeper, exploring morals and ethics while building tension through use of the legal system and the discovery and investigation process, that is beyond compelling.
For the underbelly of Los Angeles, Mick Haller is the man to call when you’re in trouble. He’ll cut a deal, plead you out, take your money and get out. Despite your continual protesting of innocence, Haller always knows better and with oil slick smoothness and charm, he even convinces you that you should be grateful for whatever deal he gets as somewhere, sometime, somehow, you’ve probably done something to deserve worse than the deal he just cut. He excels at getting criminals off on technicalities. But there are those times when a lawyer’s sixth sense fails them and that time may have come for Mick Haller.
Always just this side of landing a money train defense case, like OJ Simpson, Haller is still waiting for his big pay day. With an ex-wife prosecutor and little girl to support, he wheels and deals, living on cash from case to case; that is until he meets up with Louis Roulet. A seemingly sainted filthy rich spoiled brat with a major attitude problem, Roulet is booked for murder. Turned on to Roulet by his slightly sleazy bail bondsman Val Valenzuela, Roulet could prove to be Haller’s cash cow. With one of the wealthiest women in Los Angeles as his mother, and a booming real estate business, money is no object when it comes to securing Roulet’s freedom.
But what Haller believes to be a simple open and shut case turns into much more; particularly when he learns that ex-client, Jesus Martinez, serving life in prison for a murder that Haller now learns Martinez didn’t commit (yes, the guy was innocent all along but Haller only wanted to cut a deal). With one man behind bars that Haller needs to find a way to free, and another he’s trying to keep free, the two worlds intersect and collide with danger, investigation and evidence mounting for both cases. And smack in the middle Haller must face the greatest challenge of all – his conscience and the Rules of Professional Conduct.
As we know from “A Time to Kill”, it’s as if legal blood flows through Matthew McConaughey’s veins. He plays the perfect attorney. And no wonder, while at the University of Texas, “it was my plan when going to college to [become a lawyer]…until he learned how much more education was required. But that inherent desire for justice and to ask questions and probe all sides of a story stayed with him and now, as Mick Haller, explodes not only with legal skill and aplomb, but with the internal emotional gravitas and crisis of conscience so many lawyers face. It’s taken a long time to see McConaughey back in top fighting form and as Mick Haller he has never been better. According to McConaughey, “This guy still has a real draw to the humanity, to the people that he represents, sort of bottom feeders in society who can’t really defend themselves. He’s not naive by any means. He still may have some ideology about defending these people who can’t defend themselves, but he’s pretty much a pragmatist and understands how the system works and understands you gotta know how the system works to work for you. So, he bends his own rules, he plays both sides of the law. It’s not really a moral or immoral question to him. I would say he’s more amoral. And he makes it work for him.” Oozing charm with a confident believability and great intensity balanced with a suave lightness, on seeing him argue in the courtroom, one would never question whether or not he belonged there. Likewise, in the back of a limo wheeling and dealing, he is equally as believable as a lawyer. Although he won’t name names other than to say that he did talk to a few criminal defense attorneys to prepare for this role and sit in on some Federal Court trials, “you see how these guys are performers, some of them good, some not so good”, I can think of at least 50 criminal defense attorneys that I know on whom McConaughey could have modeled Mick. His performance is that genuine. For McConaughey, “I quite enjoyed it [being Haller].”
But let’s look at Ryan Phillippe. Personally, I have never been that impressed with him, but as Louis Roulet, he has won me over as a fan. With a performance of cold indifference, one senses from the get-go traits of insincerity, dishonesty and trustworthiness within the character, only to then have Phillippe knock you on your ass with heart wrenching pleas of tearful innocence. He walks a tightrope of duality and has the ability to turn on a dime. Masterful to watch. And for Phillippe, “It’s so much fun to play the villain. It’s so much fun to be bad and sick. There’s so much license and your aim is to not be liked. It’s a lot of fun.” Then you put McConaughey and Phillippe together and you have the dance of the ages. The friction and conflict between the two is explosive. No likeability, camaraderie, even kindness between the two. The actors stay in character as attorney-client and do not let anything disrupt that dynamic, which only intensifies with each twist and turn. Key to this pairing according to Phillippe is undoubtedly the fact “that we didn’t rehearse much because we wanted to keep that vitality and freshness. We wanted to be able to surprise each other and catch each other off-guard the way the characters are attempting to do.”
William H. Macy easily handles the role of Haller’s investigator and best friend, Frank Levin. Affable, intense and slightly frenetic, he is everything a criminal investigator need be. And his chemistry with McConaughey is magnetic. Similarly for Marisa Tomei. No longer “Cousin Vinny’s” legal sidekick with smarts, as Maggie McPherson, Tomei is a full fledged prosecutor, and Haller’s ex-wife, in THE LINCOLN LAWYER. A strong performance, Tomei is one of the cogs in the litigation puzzle unfolding before us.
Joining the fray is Jon Leguizamo as bail Bondsman Val Valenzuela. Leguizamo is perfectly cast as the slightly seedy Valenzuela, but brings a likeable acceptability to the man. And one of my faves, Shea Whigham, is stellar as a jailhouse snitch pivotal to the Roulet case. Not to be missed is country singer Trace Adkins as a motorcycle-riding, hard-ass who always has the need for Haller’s services. Adkins just embodies the role of Eddie. As prosecutor Ted Minton, Josh Lucas goes toe-to-toe in the courtroom with McConaughey’s Haller. Problematic is that although both men give excellent performances, they look and sound so much alike that an audience could easily be confused watching them together. A real highlight in the cast is Frances Fisher as Mary Windsor, mother of Roulet. Ice Queen evil bitchiness just oozes from every pore. She is brilliant to watch.
THE LINCOLN LAWYER, like the book, is intricately interwoven with thrilling twists and turns. John Romano’s adaptation from the book is excellent, and should be given his experience writing for “Hill Street Blues” and “L.A. Law.” That background, plus the excellence of the original written material, makes him the perfect screenwriter for this film – and the end result is proof that the choice of Romano was the right one. Even McConaughey agrees, “The script was written well. There’s a certain vernacular that goes with the occupation. And it didn’t need much improvising.” While acts and actions set up the story, it is the conscience, ethics and morality of each character that then tells the story and fuels the subsequent actions. Very character driven and as a result, very much “an actor’s movie.” Thankfully, director Brand Furman gave his actors the room and freedom to breathe and explore their very integral characters. What I found interesting is the character of Mick Haller, who you know has goodness in him, but then you find yourself asking, does he lose that goodness at the courthouse door and become infected with the criminal conniving nature of his clients. Interesting emotional construction which just soars with the McConaughey’s performance.
What makes THE LINCOLN LAWYER such a fine “lawyer movie” are the underlying emotional issues of crisis of conscience with a sparkling showcase of what the essence of law is – bring the truth to light; this is beyond the slick talk, deals and selling clients out, taking cash, and not really wanting to do the job but rather do as little work as possible and just get the cash. Having been concurrently in the legal profession myself for 26 years, it’s very sad to see how the profession has changed and the lack of morality and ethics that often overruns it. THE LINCOLN LAWYER speaks to the very heart of that. Technically well done from a legal standpoint in terms of the accuracy of the courtroom and nature of a criminal defense attorney’s day, however, there are a few slip ups that caught my eye.
The vision of Furman (who grew up in a family of attorneys) is perfectly executed thanks in large part to Jeff McEvoy’s editing, which is beyond reproach. Notable is that the visual that accompanied the storytelling. In the mind’s eye, what was being seen was not what was coming out of the mouth which not only clues in the audience as to calculated deception, but gives one a stepping stone for thought, drawing you into the film to see when Haller will put the puzzle pieces together. The film is clean and crisp with a gritty polish to it that fits the essence of the story.
Shot entirely in Los Angeles, Lukas Ettlin’s cinematography showcases the grittiness of the “other Los Angeles” beyond the picture postcard glam. Interesting lighting and lensing angles give a real sense of heat, dust and dirt, while cool, flourescently lit greenish tones illuminate the dearth of the Lynwood jail.
After seeing the film “several times now”, author Michael Connelly is “extremely happy” with the result. “They really did a marvelous job of capturing that world in a gritty realism that I think is in the book and was probably most concerned it would be sacrificed when it went down the road to Hollywood. I really couldn’t be happier.”
The verdict is in. 12-0 in favor of THE LINCOLN LAWYER.
Matthew McConaughey – Michael “Mick” Haller
Ryan Phillippe – Louis Roulet
Marisa Tomei – Maggie McPherson
William H. Macy – Frank Levin
John Leguizamo – Val Valenzuela
Josh Lucas – Ted Minton
Frances Fisher – Mary Windsor
Bryan Cranston – Detective Lankford
Directed by Brad Furman. Written by John Romano based on the novel by Michael Connelly.
