A review of a book to film adaptation.
Michael Connelly's 2005 novel, The Lincoln Lawyer, garnered critical and commercial success. The film adaptation stays loyal to the novel, and is very entertaining. Matthew McConaughey portrays the main character Mickey Haller as a kind of lovable, bad boy. Haller is a lawyer who has made a career of representing criminals and outcasts. He runs his practice out of his old Lincoln, and drives around town looking for his next case. Early on in the film, we are introduced to his ex-wife, played by Marisa Tomei, with whom he has a young daughters. It is in these moments that we get to see the softer side of Haller.
The story really gets moving when Haller is called to represent Roulet, a high profile, Los Angeles playboy who is accused of murdering a prostitute. Despite a bad gut feeling, Haller knows that this case could be the high point of his career. With the help of his own investigator Frank Levin, played by a show-stealing William H. Macey, Haller soon finds a connection to a previous case that has haunted him for years.
Overall, the film is a great mix of action, intrigue and comedy. McConaughey's everyman persona really helps Haller to be relatable and an effective protagonist. Ryan Phillippe is surprisingly effective at staying in the grey area as Roulet. The real star of the movie is Macey, who's appearance is cut short way too soon. This movie effectively captures the essence of Connelly's novel while still adjusting to the new medium. While this adaptation is pretty black and white, it is still very entertaining.
Have you read the novel or seen the movie? If so, what did you think of it? What book adaptations would you like to see as a future Friday Flicks post?
