Fracture - Murtumaton

I shot my wife. Prove it. This is a slogan that promises an interesting storyline. Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling. These are names that indicate quality acting performances. Gregory Hoblit. This is a director from whom one can expect at least quality craft, if nothing else… Fracture undoubtedly has the potential to be a really good thriller. In essence, it did not fail in any of the above areas. Although the subject is not explored to its fullest extent, the plot is still interesting and suspenseful enough. Neither actor plays the role of his lifetime here but their performances are sufficient. The movie’s greatest asset are the joint scenes where the actors play “face to face". Hoblit shot it all technically well (albeit somewhat unimaginatively), but the camerawork and music skillfully enhance the impression. Overall, Fracture is probably not worth a second viewing, but it has enough enjoyable moments in the course of the movie to make it feel like it wasn’t a waste of time watching it. That’s not too bad for another of the endless series of court dramas, is it? (11.08.2007)

The atmosphere is excellent, Hopkins is simply brilliant as a rich man and Gosling is very believable. The highlight of the film are the dialogue scenes between the two mentioned acting sensations, which have a very addictive charge and brilliantly sharp lines. Unfortunately, the basic structure of the story is already a bit cliché, and even though the director tried to skate around it by adding some unpredictable and unusual element, he didn't succeed. Despite its hints of uniqueness, I’d label this film as pleasantly watchable, just don't expect anything new. (24.12.2008)

Gosling and Hopkins's scenes together are an absolute treat, you could almost cut that tension. The rest is wadding, with one completely useless character (Gosling's boss/girlfriend Nikki) whose only "role" is to stretch the time to at least 112 minutes, the plot itself and the verbal duels of the two main protagonists barely making it to half the runtime. The film has some strong moments that stem from the acting skills of the two leads, but as a whole it is forgettable and mediocre. (23.10.2007)

The beginning promises to be a very well-made film, but it fades a bit as time goes on. Anthony Hopkins has incredible charisma and I was rooting for him until the very end. Ryan Gosling could have given more of himself, but he was still watchable. This is definitely an above average film, but it falls short of perfection due to a lack of suspense and the ability to engage the viewer. Exactly 4 stars. (11.12.2011)

The clash of two generations of actors was excellent in terms of their roles. Hopkins dominates everything again and even in a supporting role is clearly the biggest asset of the film, but Ryan Gosling also has a lot to say and handles his lawyer part with great ease. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the screenplay, which suffers from trying to enrich an interesting central plot with a minor and ultimately completely unnecessary and boring storyline – kind of like if a friend would tell you a suspenseful horror story and at some point during the climax he would inexplicably digress to how the main character had a great time fishing the other day. At the same time, not only in terms of acting, but also in terms of craftsmanship, the film is very well executed, in the conversations between the protagonists we can almost see Dr. Lecter and both characters have a clear motive in their actions, which the viewer must understand, even if it’s quite morbid. Too bad about the drawn-out mush in the form of the otherwise very handsome Rosamund Pike and the entire middle part, where the film loses its pace and lacks some plot twists that would take the viewer out of the lethargy. I'm sure we were set for a lot more than we got in the end. 70% (23.02.2013)