Watched on Netflix

Courtroom films are always a thing in themselves. In "Fracture" the courtroom remains a sideshow and, although the important decisions are made there, the real battle is fought outside, which makes the psychogame exciting and versatile.

Although "Fracture" is actually about a murder, the trial very quickly becomes a hard-hitting duel of extremes: on the one hand, the arrogant and ambitious young lawyer Willy (Ryan Gosling), who is used to winning and, if he ever loses, cleverly pushes this to another lawyer. On the other hand, the obscure big businessman Crawford (Anthony Hopkins), who is scarred by life and ice-coldly leads the whole court by the nose. These two build up a tremendous tension over the course of the film, in which the young lawyer is mercilessly brought to his knees and then comes back purified and much stronger. Great language duels, which almost do justice to "The Silence of the Lambs", characterize the plot. At the same time, the trial is expanded by more and more subplots that illuminate additional facets of Willy's life. The house of cards that has been built, however, collapses inexorably when Willy loses the case against Crawford, who slowly but surely destroys Willy's future.

As for the actors, all that can be said is that Anthony Hopkins once again shows why he is one of the greats and young Ryan Gosling is great in portraying the breakdown from arrogant lawyer to emotional wreck. Ryan can definitely stand up to Hopkins, whose sly visage fits perfectly.

"Fracture" is a thriller of quiet tones that - although it is actually only about a murder - cleverly expands the story by more and more layers, which allows it to offer a very dense plot and permanent suspense. The duel between old master Anthony Hopkins and young actor Ryan Gosling remains clearly in the foreground, which is very cleverly threaded and always offers interesting twists. Recommended for all who like to watch thrillers with excellent actors and intelligent structure.