The Omnibus

Issue date: 9/7/07 Section: Gallery

Media Credit: www.david-strathaim.com "Fracture" was released on DVD Aug. 14. Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling keep audiences guessing during a suspenseful court case.

"Fracture", released on DVD Aug 14, stars Anthony Hopkins as Theodore Crawford, a brilliant engineer who discovers his wife Jennifer (Embeth Davitz) having an affair, provoking him to shoot her, putting her into a coma. Crawford then follows with the perfect cover-up, making it impossible for District Attorney Willie Beachum (Ryan Gosling) to find justice, while his obsession with the case tears his life apart.
Beachum starts out as a young lawyer just trying to get ahead, who only cares about winning. His drive to win is a downfall causing him to become lazy, believing the evidence is solid. When he realizes that he is a pawn in Crawford's game, he starts to face the internal battle of wanting justice to prevail.
The movie did a good job of involving a small love story without taking away from the context of the plot, and the love story actually provided a way to show Beachum's struggle with choosing between justice and his potential future.
While Hopkins character is designed to be hated and easy to scrutinize, the film creates an almost sympathetic feeling for his character. His intelligence is fascinating and hard to understand while his lack of emotion is odd and confusing.
The musical score for the movie is intense and very well timed. Paired with the unusual lighting, the score leads the audience to feel Beachum's emotions throughout the movie.
The lighting often involved scenes shot in red or blue with low lighting causing the audience to concentrate harder on the details.
The movie involves a lot of thinking and many unexpected twists. It would be a good watch for anyone in the mood for something intense and out of the norm.
The disc features seven deleted scenes including two alternative endings and two versions of the deleted love scene. The first and fifth deleted scenes add some insight into Beachum's character, and while they are not necessary, they are helpful.
This is the movie for a suspense and mystery lover.
It provides enough action to keep the plot rolling and causes the audience to ask questions of themselves.

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