Shannon and I had a rare Monday night date to go to the Alamo Drafthouse to see the new legal thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Austin’s Matthew McConaughey. As a criminal defense attorney, I’d been excited about seeing this film about my profession, and McConaughey nails the role.
Audiences expect the stereotypical sleaze from a criminal lawyer, and McConaughey adds just enough through his character’s money-grubbing tricks and LOL one-liners. During his infamous bongos incident, McConaughey was represented by my mentor, Joe Turner, and I detected Joe’s subtle influence on the actor when he quotes fees in the film. His overall portrayal is really funny stuff, and I found myself smiling from ear-to-ear during much of the first half of the film. McConaughey was also great as a criminal defense attorney in A Time to Kill, so you have to wonder if the razzle-dazzle appeal of the profession would’ve attracted his interest if acting hadn’t worked out.
Ryan Phillippe plays the high-profile defendant
I’d definitely want his character, Michael Haller, by my side if I was accused of a crime. Haller’s based in Los Angeles, but he doesn’t have a traditional office, as he instead jumps between courtrooms in his mobile workplace, a Lincoln. Haller’s always on the go, trying to hustle his next paycheck, until he’s hired in a high-profile aggravated assault case. His rich, arrogant, young client (played by Ryan Phillippe) insists that he’s innocent, and Haller sets out to convince a jury in a riveting yet realistic trial.
However, Haller learns information that implicates his client in another one of his cases from years back, pulling Haller into a conspiracy that implicates an impossible ethical dilemma involving the attorney-client privilege. Haller’s in a business where his clients are almost always guilty, so he’s understandably devastated when he faces the prospect that he may have convinced an innocent former client to accept life imprisonment. If you can’t believe your one innocent client, then what kind of defense lawyer are you?
Despite his sleazy ways, Haller has the moral compass that’s necessary to be a great criminal attorney. The film’s triumph is in showing how Haller retains his dignity and soul while avoiding any decisions that violate the ethics of his profession.
My one complaint about The Lincoln Lawyer is that the plot twists are often triggered by loose evidentiary details that don’t quite merit the logical jumps that the characters make. But if you put aside expectations for complete realism, you’ll definitely enjoy the movie’s mix of humor, suspense, and courtroom drama. McConaughey steals the show, and his portrayal alone is worth the price of admission.
