Register  |   Log In  |  
Sign up to our weekly newsletter    
Search   
Empire Magazine and iPad
Follow Me on Pinterest
Empire
Trending On Empire
Two free posters with Empire magazine
Subscribe: Get Dead Island: Riptide
Empire's Soundtrack Celebration
90 Years Of Warner Bros.
Your chance to win a Blu-ray every day!
Cannes Film Festival 2013
News, photos and more from the Croisette
Reviews
STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED
Unmissable 5 Stars
Excellent 4 Stars
Good 3 Stars
Poor 2 Stars
Tragic 1 Star

FILM DETAILS
Certificate
15
Cast
Matthew McConaughey
Marisa Tomei
Ryan Phillippe.
Directors
Brad Furman.
Screenwriters
John Romano
Michael Connelly.
Running Time
119 minutes

LATEST FILM REVIEWS
A Haunted House
1 Star Empire Rating
Iceman, The
3 Star Empire Rating
Behind The Candelabra
4 Star Empire Rating
Before Midnight
4 Star Empire Rating
Everybody Has A Plan
3 Star Empire Rating



5 STAR REVIEWS
My Neighbour Totoro
5 Star Empire Rating
Gatekeepers , The
5 Star Empire Rating
Stoker
5 Star Empire Rating
In The House
5 Star Empire Rating
Lincoln
5 Star Empire Rating

The Lincoln Lawyer
No, not Abe trying his hand at courtroom drama


Plot
Michael Connelly (McConaughey) runs a law office out of his car, but things get interesting when rich guy Louis Roulet (Phillippe) needs defending.

Review
After a few dull rom-coms and the self-indulgent Surfer, Dude, Matthew McConaughey washes up in a film that suits his easygoing charm. Based on the book by Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer finds him as Mick Haller, a smooth talkin’ shyster-with-a-heart who takes meetings with clients from his car. Director Furman smartly knows when to change gears, however, and Haller’s latest case, defending the privileged Louis Roulet (Phillippe) is a thorny chunk of criminal business. Such is the mesh between man and role that McConaughey easily slips from smarmy to something deeper and darker when his dysfunctional family (including Tomei as the prosecutor ex-wife he still hooks up with) is threatened. It’s all part of a solid little thriller, which, if there’s any justice, will lead to more cases for Haller.


Verdict
A solid thriller with McConaughey doing what he does best.


Reviewed by James White

Write Your Review
To write your review please login or register.

Your Reviews

Average user rating for The Lincoln Lawyer
Empire Star Rating

The Lincoln Lawyer: Review

The Lincoln Lawyer is a very good film. The story is just enjoyable to learn about and the actors did a solid performance for their characters. My only problem with this film is there isnt really any twists with the film on the predictable courtroom thriller formula. I would recommend to go see this film. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by Edward9630 at 02:42, 08 August 2011 | Report This Post


Good but not Excellent

Apart from the odd moments where he tended to overact (a hard nosed lawyer hitting the bottle so soon? It was before his mate was shot, as well) It's refreshing to see Matthew McConaughey in something good for a change. I was hoping his streak of crap films would come to an end sometime, and they have. This was a slick, entertaining, stylish thriller with an awesome opening. Maybe next time they could perhaps straighten out the plot a bit next time, to get the most out of it. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by TheMovieAddict101 at 11:04, 17 July 2011 | Report This Post


RE: The Lincoln Lawyer

this movie is great, a real movie, with matthew mcconaghey giving his first real performance in a long time. ... More

Posted by myduilaw at 20:20, 16 April 2011 | Report This Post


RE: The Lincoln Lawyer

true grit was pulled early from our local cinema so went to see LL instead, didt have high hopes for it but was pleasantly surprised, genuinely didnt know how the film was going to finish, was mentioned above this it has a 90's vibe to it - have to agree, was a bit of a throwback, good stuff ... More

Posted by bid red mcneil at 11:17, 12 April 2011 | Report This Post


SOLID STUFF

MCCONAUGHEY ON FORM......A DIFFERENT ANGLE IN THAT THE MOVIE'S MAIN CRIME IS AROUND A SERIOUS ASSAULT, RATHER THAN A MURDER (AS WITH EVERY OTHER THRILLER OF THIS TYPE).... ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by chrisdagnall at 18:14, 07 April 2011 | Report This Post


Very enjoyable but instantly forgettable. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by blindlemonpie at 04:19, 03 April 2011 | Report This Post


RE: The Lincoln Lawyer

L: robcas20 How come here it gets four stars, yet in the magazine it gets 3??? noticed this as well . . . frankly I think 3 is more accurate though, the review in the mag is also shorter ... More

Posted by musht at 17:35, 02 April 2011 | Report This Post


RE: The Lincoln Lawyer

How come here it gets four stars, yet in the magazine it gets 3??? ... More

Posted by robcas20 at 09:05, 01 April 2011 | Report This Post


RE: The Lincoln Lawyer

Just watched it, not too bad, although going from the trailers I was expecting something a bit more thriller-esque. I thought Philleppe's character would end up being more menacing, whereas sadly he just kept coming across as a mild inconvenience now and again, rather than any sort of serious threat. Worth a gander, although it could be enjoyed equally as much watching it at home when it hits DVD. 3/5. ... More

Posted by captainrentboy at 18:57, 27 March 2011 | Report This Post


RE: old school thrills

Had nothing to see this weekend, so went to see this yesterday evening. Boy, am I glad I did. A really fun, entertaining thriller, that is not always predictable. Reccomend. ... More

Posted by nhassell at 14:04, 27 March 2011 | Report This Post


RE: old school thrills

The Lincoln Lawyer was ok. It is just something about McConaughey that is repetitive and anoying at times. However, I think that he has raised the bar a bit in this movie. A ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by AlanCJ at 16:31, 21 March 2011 | Report This Post


RE: old school thrills

could have been a better adaptation of a book which I would thoroughly recommend but a solid enjoyable film all round and McConaughey was perfect casting for Haller ... More

Posted by musht at 12:18, 21 March 2011 | Report This Post


RE: old school thrills

Yeah, it would be nice to see more cases for Haller, whether on TV or in the cinema - but then I'd have happily watched a few more adventures of ghey Pitt and the gang from /b] too. coln Lawyerod stuff - if not particularly cinematic. It was breezy, clever and satisfying. JEDI BOBSTER ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by JediBobster at 23:15, 20 March 2011 | Report This Post


old school thrills

Oh, how refreshing. Cracking stuff. McConaughey is the man. Also, nice to see a LA based thriller that only sees a gun fired twice. Why don't they make more like this?! Has a old-school 90's vibe to it. ... More

Empire User Rating

Posted by tysmuse at 21:02, 20 March 2011 | Report This Post


RE: The Lincoln Lawyer

"McConaughey doing what he does best", doesn't he take his shirt off in EVERY movie? Looking forward to seeing this, just finished the book and I can that it should be easy enough to make into a film ... More

Posted by musht at 18:03, 18 March 2011 | Report This Post



CURRENT HIGHLIGHTS
The Hangover Part III Cast & Crew Interviews
Cooper, Galifianakis, Helms, Jeong, Bartha, Graham and Phillips!

Edgar Wright's Essential Movie Music Playlist
Listen to the seventeen tunes and cues of the World’s End director’s life

Cannes Film Festival Videblogisode #4
With Alec Baldwin and James Toback plus longstanding videblog-guest Stephen Woolley

Empire's Great Gatsby Video Interviews
Leonardo DiCaprio! Carey Mulligan! Tobey Maguire! Joel Edgerton! Baz Luhrmann!

The Biggest Doctor Who Jaw-Droppers
The Time Lord's biggest surprises over 50 years of TV

Quicksilver & Scarlet Witch: A Beginner's Guide To The Avengers 2 Newcomers
Your primer on the brother and sister joining the A-team

Clint Mansell On Making Requiem For A Dream
'Darren had to edit at night because he could get access to the studio for free then.'

Subscribe For Only £20
Get Dead Island: Riptide and six issues of Empire for only £20! Subscribe now
Steven Spielberg iPad App
Hollywood's most beloved director in this unique iPad special. Download now
Empire iPad Edition
The world's biggest movie magazine available on iPad Download now
Home  |  News  |  Blogs  |  Reviews  |  Future Films  |  Features  |  Interviews  |  Images  |  Competitions  |  Forum  |  iPad  |  Podcast  |  Magazine Contact Us  |  Empire FAQ  |  Subscribe To Empire  |  Register
© Bauer Consumer Media  |  Terms And Conditions  |  Our Data Promise To You  |  Bauer Entertainment Network
Bauer Consumer Media. Company number 1176085 (England). Registered Office: 21 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2DY