The Lincoln Lawyer – review

Here is the week's unexpected treat: a terrific LA noir thriller based on a novel by Michael Connelly. It stars Matthew McConaughey, who gives a career-best performance as Mick Haller, a fast-talking criminal lawyer who has just regained his licence after some unspecified peccadillo; unable to afford an office, he does business on the move, from the backseat of his chauffeured Lincoln car. Haller catches a break when he's retained by super-rich-kid Louis Roulet, played by Ryan Phillippe, who's accused of rape and assault. John Romano's smart, savvy script motors along as we see how Hallet knows all the angles and how to work the system. It's a world of cynical lawyers cutting deals, careworn cops and cons brooding over sinister secrets. How about letting director Brad Furman adapt something by Carl Hiaasen or Elmore Leonard?