Andy Summers 🤠’s review published on Letterboxd:
I've got a bit of a soft spot for courtroom dramas. From A few Good Men to Runaway Jury, 12 Angry Men to To Kill A Mockingbird, there are a lot of powerful and interesting movies in the genre. The Lincoln Lawyer may not quite be in the two latter movies class, but it was a welcome return to form for Matthew McConaughey.
It may have taken a crash diet and a huge pay-cut for McConaughey to finally get that Oscar under his belt, but this was a fairly good start getting away from those horrible romantic comedies. This is clever and quite thought provoking and although nothing entirely original is helped by stand out turns from both McConaughey and Marisa Tomei who have a surprisingly good chemistry together. William H Macy also lends support and while Ryan Phillippe's accused doesn't set the heather on fire, there is still much to appreciate here.
There are twists and turns aplenty here as McConaughey's defense attorney gets a high-profile rich client to defend against an attempted murder charge. All is not as it seems and he soon finds himself the victim of blackmail and circumstance. McConaughey plays the part to perfection and even if the plot is predictable, it's done with a touch of class. Engaging probably for the cast more than the story, it's nevertheless pretty entertaining stuff.