>>REVIEW
FRACTURE
STARRING Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling
DIRECTED BY Gregory Hoblit
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Intricate, meticulously crafted contraptions populate the life of structural engineer Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) in director Gregory Hoblit’s (Primal Fear) latest film, Fracture. Similar to something you might have found in the waiting room of your doctor’s office as a child but far more pristine, these rollercoaster-shaped stainless steel tracks send a shimmering glass ball continuously through a gratuitously elaborate course, propelled entirely by the weight of its own momentum.
Designed by Crawford himself, these elegant displays of engineering perfection are a running motif in Hoblit’s film – intended as a metaphor for the mind and crime at the centre of this tale. However, the unintended irony here is its application as a metaphor for the film itself.
Also starring Canada’s hot new export Ryan Gosling as L.A. district attorney Willy Beachum, Fracture, a cat-and-mouse legal drama, cuts to the chase with an opening sequence that has Crawford coldly shooting his unfaithful wife in the face before surrendering and subsequently confessing to police.
It would appear to be an open-and-shut case and the ideal final prosecution for Beachum who has just been offered a lucrative job as a defence attorney with a high-profile private firm. Beachum is more focused on furnishing his new office than being a dutiful public servant. That is, until Crawford (who earns a lucrative living identifying structural flaws in airplanes) pleads not guilty to the crime despite his confession and the overwhelming evidence against him. Soon Beachum’s soundproof case against Crawford begins to disintegrate and it becomes increasingly apparent that Crawford has in fact orchestrated the perfect crime – a crime that now threatens to completely destroy the young prosecutor’s promising career.
There is no denying the dexterity of Glenn Gers and Daniel Pyne’s adeptly structured script, which glides along in smoothened shifts and turns, propelled by a central deceit that (despite its heavy reliance on assumptions) is actually grounded in a surprising simplicity. Gosling’s protagonist is also refreshingly malignant. It’s a treat to watch him play against the wisdom of Hopkins. Crisp sound design adds to the film’s hypnotic appeal.
That being said, despite the lure of its polished, appealing structure, Fracture has little resonance beyond its shiny surface. Much like those perpetual contraptions designed by Crawford, Hoblit’s film is captivating to the eye but, ultimately, to little or no end.
Enjoy your popcorn. |
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