Big Screen Blurb: The Lincoln Lawyer

There’s really just one thing to say: “Hooray for Hollywood”. I say this for two reasons. First, I know a few attorneys and none of them look like Matthew McConaughey; and second, The Lincoln Lawyer may be one of the best legal flicks since Michael Clayton.


Mick Haller (McConaughey) is a defense attorney who has swapped a skyscraper office in downtown LA for a black Lincoln. Mick is slick. He’s in good with the right people and knows how to work the hellions, all while getting way more than his fair share. Yeah, I know, typical attorney, right? But there might be a smidgeon more to Mick Haller. He might actually care a little bit; that is, as long as there is something in it for him. What did you expect? After all, he is an attorney.

Haller takes on a high profile assault case. His client, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe…yes Hollywood continues to deliver) is accused of battering a prostitute—a situation the wealthy Roulet family would just as soon keep low profile. Soon, however, this case is about much more than assault as Mick quickly moves from behind the defense desk and is close to snuggling up next to his client on the stand. Many twists and turns ensue and yadayadayada we’re witness to a very entertaining cerebral collision.

I’ll go with 4.0 Stars. I love a movie you have to think through—especially when the ride is as entertaining as this one. The Lincoln Lawyer is chock full of good twists with characters that augment a good storyline. Yes, this flick contains thoroughly interesting characters from Mick and Louis to Mick’s wife and LA District Attorney Maggie (Maria Tormei) and his investigator, Frank (William Macy). Fair warning, however, it is a plot that requires you to dig in and hold on tight to follow—infrequent bathroom breaks at best if you want to follow a pretty intricate plot. Don’t get me wrong. It’s follow-able…after all, I managed to keep up and that should tell us all something.

The Lincoln Lawyer is based on Michael Connelly’s novel and something tells me it’s not a one and done production. I think we’ll be seeing more of Mick Haller (and McConaughey) in a few years.

See it and, if you like hard-hitting legal dramas and have a couple of hours to kill, go ahead and see it BIG. If your philosophy is more along the lines of “life is for thinking and movies are for pure fun-sies”, well you might want to skip it altogether. Back to March Madness for me!

True…OUT!