Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1919 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-08-13
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Sir Anthony Hopkins trots out another psycho you'll hate to love in Fracture, a by-the-numbers legal thriller that's redeemed by electric performances from its two leads. Hopkins is on fine accent-bending, twinkle-eyed form as aeronautics engineer Ted Crawford, who has devised the perfect way to bump off his cheating wife. Ryan Gosling positively crackles as Willy Beachum, the cocky public prosecutor looking to add Crawford to his long list of successful convictions, before moving into the lucrative world of corporate law.

Despite the glossy look and audience-friendly pacing, it's Hopkins and Gosling's charisma-duelling that provides the film's biggest reward. Apart, they're enjoyable enough, but when they get together to butt intellects -- with Hopkins at his most impish -- things really come to life. Given that Crawford is a rich, sneering murderer and Beachum is a swaggering money-hungry upstart, you'd be forgiven for wondering why you should care at all. This is, after all, an alienating world of elite high-rollers. Not even Rosamund Pike, as Gosling's highly-strung legal eagle love interest elicits any sympathy. But Hopkins and Gosling imbue their characters with such undeniable charm that you could actually end up rooting for either. Without the chemistry, you'd be left with a clever, well-crafted but ultimately empty thriller. It hides its final twist well, but the true triumph is in the casting. --Luke Mawson

Synopsis
In director Gregory Hoblit's 2007 thriller, FRACTURE, one thing is clear--highly successful engineer Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins) has shot his wife (Embeth Davidtz). What is not clear, though, is how Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), an assertive assistant D.A. on the verge signing with a major law firm, will convict Crawford, since the calculating suspect is masterfully exploiting legal loopholes that may keep him a free man. As Beachum becomes more and more determined to beat Crawford at his own intricately setup game, he risks losing both his shot at the lucrative job and his new love, Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike).

Easily Hoblit's finest film since 1996's PRIMAL FEAR, FRACTURE benefits from a similar sense of suspense, which is heightened by the fascinating interplay between Hopkins and Gosling. While Hopkins verges on Hannibal Lecter territory, he never makes the leap to that villain's macabre persona, instead making Crawford a chillingly detached criminal who finds room for occasional moments of disarming humour. And as Beachum, Gosling embodies young, aspiring swagger, making his character the polar opposite of his lost, drug-addled Oscar-nominated role in HALF NELSON. Aided by a smart script (courtesy of Glenn Gers and Daniel Pyne), Hopkins and Gosling take what could have been a decent courtroom drama, and elevate it to the level of a mesmerising chess match.

Customer Reviews

A masterful fracture
I'd just finished reading Karin Slaughter's book of almost the same name when this dvd popped through my letterbox so I initially thought - obviously mistakenly - that some film producer was ahead of the game!

As a thriller the film works well but only because of Anthony Hopkins as the lead criminal (if proven guilty, of course) and the attempt by a young legal hotshot, Ryan Gosling, to do just that.

Frankly, this would have been a run-of-the-mill made-for-tv film but for these two. Anthony Hopkins is magnificent as an aircraft engineer turned wife-killer who is determined to beat the rap.

I puzzled throughout the film until the answer was revealed just what he had done with the gun he used to kill his wife. Except she didn't die but more than that would reveal the ending. I have to confess, I did work out how the legal eagle could convict the killer and was delighted to see that is what happened - but the gun? Excellent!

I lobbed a star because young Mr. Gosling mumbles and I missed understanding what he was saying quite a lot. Maybe the sound was bad or maybe he should have elocution lessons. Either way, it spoilt the film a little for me.

Okay film
Rented this film because it had Anthony Hopkins in it. It's a murder suspense with a twist. Hopkins has shot his wife but can he be convicted?

The film works reasonably. There's no bad acting (although Hopkins is patchily Irish- you'll see). The script is okay and the characters are reasonably well developed. It's just all a bit flat.

However on a warm Sunday evening the family watched the film and quite enjoyed it. My advice- watch it while doing something else (e.g. reading the paper) and don't expect a classic.

so boring it hurts
you know this film is going to be rubbish cause its got sir antony hopkins playing yet another variation of hannibal lecter.this is boring,bland,predictable, and so pointless