The Lincoln Lawyer Blu-Ray Review

Movie Review

Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is a defence lawyer who works out of his Lincoln because of a previous DUI.  When a wealthy Realtor, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) is accused of raping a prostitute, Haller is asked to defend him.  The man claims that the woman is trying to get some money out of him but when Haller looks at the evidence against him, he learns that this case might be linked to an old case of his which someone is in jail for life over.  Can Haller figure out the truth and finally catch the right killer or will he be arrested for turning on his client?

This is a revelation of a film; if you’re into your courtroom dramas then you’ll love this film.  This genre has been a source of some stunning movies throughout the years, from ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’ to ‘Runaway Jury’, they have always been tense, rollicking rides that have thought provoking ideas as well as action beats.  From the opening moments of this flick you know that you’re in the cesspool of Los Angeles as Haller travels through the slums to the court.  Dealing and double dealing, with clients and lawyers alike, he has the gift of the banter and spins a good yarn to get him out of situations.  With this new client though he knows something is up from the start but investigates further to uncover some seriously dodgy dealings.  The film never dumbs down for the audience and we’re kept in the loop for all the goings on that happen. It has some twists and not everyone lives till the end while the finale doesn’t disappoint and is quite rewarding too.

The acting is fantastic right across the board, McConaughey hasn’t been this good since his debut in ‘A Time to Kill’, another courtroom drama, while Ryan Phillippe is just plain creepy and malevolent throughout and you really hope he gets his comeuppance whether he is guilty or not.  Marisa Tomei and William H. Macy are solid supporting characters which enrich the film while Josh Lucas and John Leguizamo make the most of their limited roles.

Director Brad Furman hasn’t done much of merit so far but this film is like his calling card to hopefully make Hollywood stand up and notice him, it also helped that it hit pay dirt at the US box office too.  The writing is solid being written by John Romano and Michael Connelly, the film is based on a series of books written by Connelly.  He has written tonnes of books but has done a series with Mick Haller as the main character so hopefully they make more of these movies with this character as this is a great jumping off start for a potential franchise.

Video Presentation

‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ will wow you with its visuals. It isn’t a flashy CG-animated movie throwing awe-inspiring visuals at you at every second.  Still, it’s one of the best looking dramas I’ve seen presented on the format this year.  What you’ll notice first about the 1080p AVC-encoded transfer is the brilliant detail involved in almost every scene.  Close ups on faces shine with stunning clarity, from the smooth beauty of Marisa Tomei, to the aged looks of William H. Macy, each actor comes away looking like a million bucks.  Intricate textures on Haller’s tailored suits can be seen and analysed. The shimmer of Haller’s impeccably washed Lincoln town car reflects the surrounding Los Angeles landmarks with precision. The detail here is just superb.  The movie captures the grittiness of LA.  The film’s lifelike colour palette accurately reflects the town’s dour look. Flashbacks are given an intentionally hazy feel as lights bend vertically to give us a dreamlike look.  Still, even then, the movie’s images are clear and concise.  Edges are easily defined and shadows are wonderfully delineated. ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ looks damn near immaculate on Blu-ray.

Audio Presentation

There are no explosions, gunfights, or action scenes that will rock your home’s foundation.  Instead ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’s sound design focuses on the minimal as ambient sound is always present, whether Haller is driving through LA’s surface streets, or in a crowded courtroom.  LFE is present during flashback scenes in clubs that are pumping out hip-hop music, or when he’s greeted by a cavalcade of roaring Harley engines from a friendly biker gang.  Directionality works wonders not only for off-screen dialogue, but for motorcycle sound effects that require the entire sound field to come alive with rumbling engines encircling Haller’s car.  Dialogue is never dulled, and is always intelligible as whispers and low talking characters are perfectly understandable.  It may seem a little overbearing for a drama to have a 7.1 mix, but once you hear it you’ll understand how much it adds to the movie’s overall feel.

Extras

Making the Case: Creating ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ — Author Michael Connelly, who wrote the novel this movie is based upon, talks about what it was like adapting his book into a movie.

Michael Connelly: At Home on the Road — Connelly joins us again on this featurette where he drives around and talks about different locations in LA.

One on One with McConaughey and Connelly — Here Connelly interviews McConaughey about what it was like playing Mick Haller.

Deleted Scenes — four very short deleted scenes are included here, just some extra footage with McConaughey and Marisa Tomei.

This is a very solid and riveting courtroom drama with a stunning turn from Matthew McConaughey and Ryan Phillippe, hopefully they’ll make more, definitely worth a look.

‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ is out to rent or buy on DVD and Blu-Ray now.