Fracture ***
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Embeth Davidtz, Billy Burke
Director: Gregory Hoblit
Running Length: 1:55
MPAA Classification: R

Ted Crawford (Hopkins) shoots his wife Jennifer (Davidtz) in the face. He loves her, but knows that she is having an affair, and cannot allow that to continue. She is in a coma, and he is arrested. But, Crawford has planned ahead, and what looks like an open and shut case – there is a confession and a weapon – is not. Assistant D. A. Willy Beachum (Gosling) is a hot shot who is not used to losing and is on the brink of a new job. He takes the case, and soon finds he may be in over his head as the case falls apart around him.

“Fracture” is an entertaining and engaging film. 95% of that is due to Hopkins and Gosling who both bring their A game. Hopkins’s Crawford is cold and calculating, Gosling’s Beachum is arrogant and cocky, and yet both characters are likeable in their own way. The plan to beat the charge is clever, and there is no real sense of how everything will turn out until the final few minutes. “Fracture” is an enjoyable thriller that succeeds due to the talent of the lead actors. I recommend it.