Fracture Review

Everything has a weak spot, a point at which its very integrity is threatened. That's the premise behind this decent little thriller which sees recent Oscar-nominee Ryan Gosling ("Half Nelson") as an LA District Attorney who finds himself matching wits with Ted Crawford, a structural engineer accused of shooting his wife (Anthony Hopkins). The case seems watertight - cops have the gun and Ted's even confessed - so why is he smiling and so eager to rush straight to trail? Could Ted have found a weak point in the prosecution?

Hopkins as you'd expect is excellent as Crawford; a calculating and manipulative killer who thinks he's cleverer than the system and those who police it while Gosling doesn't do his blossoming reputation any harm as Willy who, having served his time in the DA's office is looking to cash in and move into the private sector. In fact the cast, which also features David Straitharn and Embeth Davidtz, doesn't seem to have a weak point although it's a bit of a shame that Rosamund Pike is underused as Willy's potential boss and love interest.

Director Greg Hoblit ("Primal Fear") is no stranger to courtroom thrillers so he handles proceedings well and builds everything up to a tense showdown but its Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers script that really does much of his work for him. Too many movies in the genre end with a bit of a whimper but "Fracture" manages to avoid the usual pitfalls and will keep you guessing until the end.

In short, decent performances and a better than expected script means that "Fracture's" weak spot must be well hidden.