"A lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills." That is one of the descriptors for the new movie by Brad Furman, based on a novel by Michael Connelly.
Um, why? Why would anyone need to conduct business out of the back of a car? It really is a unique premise if there was a great reason for why he has a town car office and not a typical law office. Unfortunately, there isn't a good excuse why our protagonist Mick (played by Matthew McConaughey) is being chauffeured around Los Angeles. All we know is that he lost his driver's license quite a while ago. It is never clear on why he just doesn't work out of his home. There is something missing here that the director and screenwriter had failed to tell us.
Mick is a fast-talking "Slick Willy" lawyer. "High-end ambulance chaser" comes to mind when I think of his character. He knows how to work a clever bribe to the bailiffs so that he can move his clients up on the docket. He can also negotiate with tough motorcycle gang members without showing the least bit of fear.
After establishing his cocky attitude and sleazy ways Mick is hired by a high profile real estate client, Louis (played by Ryan Phillippe), who is being accused of assaulting a high-class prostitute. Even though Louis' family has a lawyer on retainer Louis wants Mick for reasons that will be explained later. The family lawyer has no qualms with hiring Mick and paying a hefty retainer fee (it seems that if you are the best sleaze ball that no one, not even lawyers and gang members, will try to negotiate with you).
Mick starts his work on Louis' case with help from his private investigator, Frank (played by William H. Macy) who is one of his only two friends, the other being Mick's chauffeur. While working on the case we find that Mick also has a daughter and an ex-wife (don't worry about paying attention to the daughter she only shows up to establish that Mick isn't a sleaze all of the time).
As an audience we are required to do a few things from this point forward.
1) Forget the fact that whole premise of the movie is about a lawyer that operates out of his car. We do see his home office quite a bit.
2) Be on board with the idea that Louis is a potential murderer in another of Mick's cases. In a city of millions, Mick had a previous client who is in prison for a murder that Louis was tied to earlier.
3) Accept another coincidence that Mick has yet another client who is in rehab center with a key witness so that she can get a very important message to this witness. Real easy to believe (I wish that my computer had a sarcastic font).
The film does deliver a lot of snappy dialogue and intense courtroom scenes. One courtroom scene was very effective taking into consideration that the director didn't use dramatic music to build the tension. He relied on the actors' ability to set the edgy situation through their dialogue. In the end, there is credibility that even though Mick is a sleaze he does have a desire to up hold the law and keep innocent people out of prison.
Should you see this movie? Maybe. If you do go, check your analytical instincts at the door. The film relies heavily on the audience's lack of questioning ability. All that aside, if you want a straight up entertaining judicial film, this would be a good pick for you.
Um, why? Why would anyone need to conduct business out of the back of a car? It really is a unique premise if there was a great reason for why he has a town car office and not a typical law office. Unfortunately, there isn't a good excuse why our protagonist Mick (played by Matthew McConaughey) is being chauffeured around Los Angeles. All we know is that he lost his driver's license quite a while ago. It is never clear on why he just doesn't work out of his home. There is something missing here that the director and screenwriter had failed to tell us.
Mick is a fast-talking "Slick Willy" lawyer. "High-end ambulance chaser" comes to mind when I think of his character. He knows how to work a clever bribe to the bailiffs so that he can move his clients up on the docket. He can also negotiate with tough motorcycle gang members without showing the least bit of fear.
After establishing his cocky attitude and sleazy ways Mick is hired by a high profile real estate client, Louis (played by Ryan Phillippe), who is being accused of assaulting a high-class prostitute. Even though Louis' family has a lawyer on retainer Louis wants Mick for reasons that will be explained later. The family lawyer has no qualms with hiring Mick and paying a hefty retainer fee (it seems that if you are the best sleaze ball that no one, not even lawyers and gang members, will try to negotiate with you).
Mick starts his work on Louis' case with help from his private investigator, Frank (played by William H. Macy) who is one of his only two friends, the other being Mick's chauffeur. While working on the case we find that Mick also has a daughter and an ex-wife (don't worry about paying attention to the daughter she only shows up to establish that Mick isn't a sleaze all of the time).
As an audience we are required to do a few things from this point forward.
1) Forget the fact that whole premise of the movie is about a lawyer that operates out of his car. We do see his home office quite a bit.
2) Be on board with the idea that Louis is a potential murderer in another of Mick's cases. In a city of millions, Mick had a previous client who is in prison for a murder that Louis was tied to earlier.
3) Accept another coincidence that Mick has yet another client who is in rehab center with a key witness so that she can get a very important message to this witness. Real easy to believe (I wish that my computer had a sarcastic font).
The film does deliver a lot of snappy dialogue and intense courtroom scenes. One courtroom scene was very effective taking into consideration that the director didn't use dramatic music to build the tension. He relied on the actors' ability to set the edgy situation through their dialogue. In the end, there is credibility that even though Mick is a sleaze he does have a desire to up hold the law and keep innocent people out of prison.
Should you see this movie? Maybe. If you do go, check your analytical instincts at the door. The film relies heavily on the audience's lack of questioning ability. All that aside, if you want a straight up entertaining judicial film, this would be a good pick for you.