ARTHUR'S MOVIE RATINGS

I don't presume to tell you whether or not you're going to like a movie or not--people have different tastes and like different things. The main purpose with the ratings given for movies here is to give you an idea of whether or not you should see it in the theater, wait for it to hit DVD, or skip it altogether. So if you want to break it down...

*****: AMAZING! Everyone should see this as soon as they possibly can!
****: GREAT! Worth every cent to go see it in the theater.
***: GOOD! May or may not be worth seeing in the theater, but definitely a solid choice for a rental.
**: DECENT. Not a horrible movie, but it's not a bad choice for a rental.
*: BAD. Do not watch this movie. Well, you could, but I wouldn't advise it.

22 March 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer

RATING:*** (3 stars)

A defense lawyer takes on a high-profile client only to learn that this new client is responsible for an innocent man being convicted of murder.

The exciting thing about The Lincoln Lawyer is that while that little blurb might seem to give away the movie, the devil is really in the details. Matthew McConaughey plays Mickey, an attorney who quite literally conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car when he is not actually in the courtroom. The film is a very straight-forward drama/thriller, although exciting both in casting (lots of familiar faces like William H. Macy) and in that not all of the twists and turns are predictable.

I also have to give credit to both the director and to McConaughey for the focus throughout the film on the main characters eyes--or more appropriately, the emotion therein. Innumerable shots showing a full range of human emotion, and many of those shots are nothing more than close-ups on eyeballs, sometimes with signs of being tired, others with sweat, others with joy. Well done.

All-in-all, The Lincoln Lawyer is a good movie, but not necessarily one that you'll be itching to see in theaters. A solid rental that you won't want to miss, however.

Trailer