Mixed Reviews of New 'Lincoln Lawyer' Movie: 'Poorly Directed Yet Surprisingly Watchable'
A number of individuals who have seen the new movie The Lincoln Lawyer have liked it.
Reviewer Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune is not among them.
Under a headline that describes the drama about Los Angeles defense attorney Mickey Haller as “truly a trial” for the viewer, he contends that The Lincoln Lawyer “plays like the pilot for a TV series that would die after three weeks.
“The script is legal boilerplate bolted to mundane characters, the acting is baked-ham buffet, and the direction is basic cable mediocrity incarnate,” the review continues. “It’s the most unrewarding two hours you could spend in a theater, short of a total power outage.”
However, Neil Rosen, in a NY1 review, calls the movie a well-acted, “intelligent mystery” about an unconventional attorney, albeit one that doesn’t break any new ground. The review includes a link to a clip from the film for those who want to see for themselves.
“In a season of dumbed-down films,” Rosen says, “it was refreshing to be engaged in a courtroom crime thriller that, for a change, made some sense.”
The Boston Globe (reg. req.) also gives the movie a favorable review, calling it a “a poorly directed yet surprisingly watchable mystery.”
The “Lincoln” in the move title refers to the Town Car with the “NTGUILTY” license plate that star Matthew McConaughey uses as his law office, not the famous president.
It is based on the first of a series of books by Michael Connelly.
Additional and related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Matthew McConaughey to Star in Legal Thriller”
ABAJournal.com: “Big-Firm Alumni Have Van, Will Practice”
