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Most modern-day thrillers have fallen prey to a constant game of one-upmanship with the others in their genre. When it comes to plot twists and dramatic turns, it's probably fair to say that your average moviegoer is as paranoid as ever. We are hyper-concious of any effort a film might make to fool us. Everything is viewed as possible misdirection.
Enter Fracture, a thriller that surprises the audience by being less surprising. The film is not without its revelations (there are several), but none of them exist for their own sake, and none of them seek to manipulate the audience. They are as deliberate and thought-out as the crime the film is centered around.
That crime is the murder of Jennifer Crawford (played by Embeth Davidtz) by her husband, Ted Crawford (played by Anthony Hopkins). The film takes an unusual route by simply showing us the murder, thus eliminating any potential suspense as to whether or not someone else may have committed it. Fracture isn't a whodunnit; it's about finding out what Hopkins' character has up his sleeves, and watching the other characters react to it. Hopkins' Crawford is an expert at detecting weakness -- both in people and in institutions -- and watching him veil his character's cunning with a thin layer of faux naivety in the early going is great fun.
There's more here than just Ted's criminal machinations, however. Ryan Goslin plays up-and-coming public prosecutor Willy Beachum, whose modest southern twang belies his boundless confidence. Rosamund Pike plays Nikki Gardner, an established private attorney at a firm set to offer Beachum a lucrative position. Pike's Gardner seems like a cliche at first as a wordly, tough-as-nails professional, but shows more vulnerability and depth as the film goes on. All of the film's primary and secondary characters act reasonably and avoid falling into any sort of thriller stereotype. And all of the actors portraying those characters turn in solid (though not stellar) performances.
One of the things that sets this film apart from the rest of the pack is its pacing. There are moments of intrigue and tension throughout. Most of its brethren would introduce us to the characters, set the premise, have everyone go through the motions for awhile, and then hit us with its twist. Fracture doesn't fall into this trap. It does not build to one all-important revelation; there are many minor revelations throughout.
While other thrillers feel like one long setup followed by a sudden punchline, Fracture opts to unravel slowly, and is ultimately a superior film for it.
Enter Fracture, a thriller that surprises the audience by being less surprising. The film is not without its revelations (there are several), but none of them exist for their own sake, and none of them seek to manipulate the audience. They are as deliberate and thought-out as the crime the film is centered around.
That crime is the murder of Jennifer Crawford (played by Embeth Davidtz) by her husband, Ted Crawford (played by Anthony Hopkins). The film takes an unusual route by simply showing us the murder, thus eliminating any potential suspense as to whether or not someone else may have committed it. Fracture isn't a whodunnit; it's about finding out what Hopkins' character has up his sleeves, and watching the other characters react to it. Hopkins' Crawford is an expert at detecting weakness -- both in people and in institutions -- and watching him veil his character's cunning with a thin layer of faux naivety in the early going is great fun.
There's more here than just Ted's criminal machinations, however. Ryan Goslin plays up-and-coming public prosecutor Willy Beachum, whose modest southern twang belies his boundless confidence. Rosamund Pike plays Nikki Gardner, an established private attorney at a firm set to offer Beachum a lucrative position. Pike's Gardner seems like a cliche at first as a wordly, tough-as-nails professional, but shows more vulnerability and depth as the film goes on. All of the film's primary and secondary characters act reasonably and avoid falling into any sort of thriller stereotype. And all of the actors portraying those characters turn in solid (though not stellar) performances.
One of the things that sets this film apart from the rest of the pack is its pacing. There are moments of intrigue and tension throughout. Most of its brethren would introduce us to the characters, set the premise, have everyone go through the motions for awhile, and then hit us with its twist. Fracture doesn't fall into this trap. It does not build to one all-important revelation; there are many minor revelations throughout.
While other thrillers feel like one long setup followed by a sudden punchline, Fracture opts to unravel slowly, and is ultimately a superior film for it.