La Défense Lincoln

Bien que j’aime beaucoup la lecture et que je n’exclue pratiquement aucun genre, surtout pas les thrillers et les policiers, je n’ai pas encore eu l’honneur de découvrir la littérature de Michael Connelly. Je suis convaincu que le livre dont ce film est tiré doit être nettement plus riche, mais ce dernier est vif, offre une intrigue joliment ficelée et il m’est difficile de contredire castor : sa coiffure fait un effet bœuf ! (16/12/2011)

Une soirée détendue avec les stars des années 90, en particulier avec McConaughey, qui revient avec le rôle le plus marquant de cette période (l'avocat dans Le Droit de tuer ?). Dommage que le scénario de cette œuvre simplifie et allège la présentation de certains retournements et de leurs liens avec une intrigue autrement captivante, préférant être le plus cool possible. Cela enlève un peu de l'impact final du film, le rendant moins intense en tant que thriller, enterrant complètement sa dimension dramatique et le transformant simplement en « divertissement cool ». (11/08/2011)

A pleasant surprise and sheer pleasure from a smart film, and I'd say there have been few legal dramas of the same quality as this since Coppola's magnificent The Rainmaker. Matthew McConaughey has finally shed the jaded skin of the sunny boy on the surfboard, and after years (since his role in Schumacher's A Time to Kill) he has returned to what he does best: a passionate advocate who evokes ambivalent feelings – you want to kick him for his cockiness, but you're rooting for him at the same time. The clever script contains so many plot twists that they would be enough for three other films, and I nod my head in approval and highly recommend it. (31/05/2011)

I’ve been telling myself recently that it’s a shame that there haven’t been many good pure thrillers in the last few years. The Lincoln Lawyer fits this category perfectly, it’s very well made, with a smart story and several interesting twists, good performances – overall, a very nice dose of thriller tension. My only quibble is in the script, some of the events don’t move forward in a very clear way. Otherwise, it exceeded my expectations. (04/06/2011)

This deceptive courtroom drama, in which no one acts honestly, was based on Michael Connelly’s popular novel of the same name. The corrupt nature of most of the characters, not excepting the protagonist, does not serve the film as an object of criticism. On the contrary, The Lincoln Lawyer gently convinces us that it can’t be any other way today. What’s important is to have something on everyone and if you don’t know more than the other, you at least pretend that you do. Naturally, the outer shell ultimately gives way to an uncorrupted core, a “nice” story with a lesson about decent behaviour at the end, but I enjoy the fact that traditional values are called into question in a film about law and justice. What’s even more surprising is that I also liked how Matthew McConaughey conceived his character of yet another arrogant hotshot, which – unlike a dozen of his previous roles – actually makes sense this time. You get the feeling that he is hiding something more behind his behaviour. If he didn’t show off, he would be either a zero or pushing up daisies. This dramaturgically complete, though somewhat long, film is held up from the side by excellent actors in supporting roles (Bryan Cranston, William H. Macy). Its lack of functionality as a thriller is a problem of viewer expectations rather than a problem with the directing. It would need more unrevealed cards, more suspense and more reasons to worry about someone’s wellbeing. But I had no problem with the film as a drama. 75% (10/08/2011)