Fracture DVD Review
Posted by Tony Farinella on 08.15.2007
Ryan Gosling and Anthony Hopkins battle it out in Fracture!
At first glance, Fracture might look like another Anthony Hopkins vehicle for him to show off his creepy side that was made famous in Silence of the Lambs. If you look deeper and pull away the clouds of discontent, you'll notice a nuanced and well-crafted performance by Mr. Hopkins, who is at the top of his game. Hopkins is also aided by one of our generation's finest actors, Ryan Gosling, who is incapable of giving an uninteresting performance. The film is also directed with style and class by Gregory Hoblit, the director of Frequency and Hart's War. I'll just say this: When David Strathairn is only the third best actor in your film, you're in pretty good shape! All of this and more makes Fracture one of the best films of 2007. You'll be hard pressed to find better performances in any film this year. Hopkins and Gosling bring out the best in each other. It's a human chess match between the two of them. At the end of the day, we're the winners. We get to sit back and enjoy two of America's finest actors in a sharply spun thriller.
Fracture opens up following Ted Crawford, a structural engineer in Los Angeles, who is every bit as smart as he is crazy. He leaves work early one day and spies on his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), having an affair with Rob Nunally, a local police detective. When Jennifer arrives home, Ted is waiting for her. Ted doesn't exactly want to talk to his wife and work out their issues. He wants to kill her. After Ted kills his wife, the police arrive with a lot of questions. First of all, why is Ted so calm? Also, why did Ted sign a confession? There's definitely something not right about this guy. He's way too calm about the whole situation. Not only that, Ted agrees to be his own lawyer. You know that old expression? I think it goes something like this: "A lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client." It doesn't apply to Ted. He's actually extremely intelligent, which makes him all the more dangerous.
We also meet Willy Beachum, played by Ryan Gosling, a hot-shot district attorney who wins 97 percent of his cases. That's pretty good! In Willy's eyes, the case should be pretty easy. I mean, the guy signed a confession, right? It should be an open and shut case. Willy is also planning to move onto a bigger firm and make more money. He's basically got one foot out the door already. He just needs to wrap up this final case, and he's ready to move on to greener pastures. Unfortunately for him, the case is not as simple as it appears. Ted is one step ahead of the usually prepared Willy, which causes extreme tension at his new job, as they wonder if they hired the right man. Willy was preoccupied and forgot to cover all his bases. He's now forced to battle the smart and sly Ted in order to gain respect at his new job and keep face. Ted even hand picked Willy. It appears that Willy might have bitten off more than he can chew. He's never faced anyone like Ted before in his life. But, then again, who has? Ted is not just some serial killer with mommy issues. He's smart and meticulous.
What I admired most about Fracture was its ability to keep me guessing. As soon as I thought I had all the answers, Fracture was changing the question. The screenplay, written by Glenn Gers and Daniel Pyne, is extremely layered and complex. The film does use a lot of twists, but that's okay. They don't feel forced or unnecessary. In today's movie world, twists seem very popular. If they're done right, they feel authentic and genuine. The key is making it feel part of the story. If not, it just seems random and lazy. The screenplay is also wise in giving us smart characters. When you have two smart characters battling it out, it's anyone's match. They're both equals. It also helps when you have two great actors like Hopkins and Gosling. Gosling really benefits from working with Hopkins in this film. It raises his game to a whole new level. Hopkins is still amazing after all these years. He never phones it or goes on automatic pilot. He does so many little things right. I could watch him all day. He really creates this character from the inside out.
Fracture could have been a predictable mess with too much noise and not enough substance on screen. Instead, it relies on great performances by Hopkins and Gosling to carry the load. Thankfully, they're working with a fantastic screenplay. The director also gives both actors plenty of room to show off their acting chops. This is smart film-making. When you have great actors and a great screenplay, you just have to step back and let the actors do their thing. If you try and do too much, you're going to ruin things. Fracture is a film with brains. I enjoy films that don't insult my intelligence. Fracture wants us to think and keep on thinking after the credits roll. It wants us to expect the unexpected and be ready for anything.. It also wants us to be entertained. When the filmmakers are trying to do all of the above, you know their heart is in the right place. With Fracture, everyone goes home happy.
Special Features: The only special features on this DVD are two alternate endings and a couple of deleted scenes. As far as the endings, I thought the ending in Fracture was fine. I'm glad they stuck with it. The deleted scenes are forgettable. The film runs at just under two hours, and there's no need to make it any longer.
The 411: I really hope that people are able to separate Ted Crawford from Hannibal Lecter. They're two completely different characters. You should just enjoy Fracture as a stand alone film. Speaking of Hopkins, he's on a roll lately. I thought he was amazing in The World's Fastest Indian, and he's equally entertaining here. Hopkins is STILL one of the finest actors working today. He just seems to have his pulse on the movie world. He always finds different characters that are just perfect for him. As far as Gosling, he's also on a roll lately, too. He can do no wrong. Between this and Half Nelson, he's due for an Oscar win. I know he was nominated before, but he deserves to win. I can't wait to see what he does with his career in the future. I only see it going up. As stated above, Fracture is one of the best films of 2007. You owe it to yourself to check it out.
