Entertainment
Matthew McConaughey’s ‘Bosch’-Inspired Thriller Is the Free Streaming Hit Nobody Predicted
There was a stretch of time when a Matthew McConaughey movie felt less like an event and more like a coin toss you were probably going to lose. Rom-coms, half-baked adventures, and paycheck gigs piled up, often coasting on his grin and easygoing swagger rather than strong material. Then came The Lincoln Lawyer — the movie that figured out exactly how to weaponize that swagger, from the creator of Bosch.
In the 2011 legal thriller, McConaughey plays Mick Haller, a slick Los Angeles defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car. He’s not the kind of lawyer with a fancy downtown office, but he knows the system inside and out, greasing the wheels with clerks, bailiffs, and courtroom regulars who help keep his cases moving. Where The Lincoln Lawyer separates itself from your average courtroom procedural is in how it turns the legal system into a trap for its own hero. Mick prides himself on knowing every angle of the law, but that expertise starts to box him in once he realizes he may be defending a truly guilty man.
The cast also includes the likes of Ryan Phillippe as Louis Roulet, Marisa Tomei as Maggie McPherson, William H. Macy as Frank Levin, John Leguizamo as Val Valenzuela, Bryan Cranston as Detective Lankford, and Shea Whigham as Jesus Martinez.
Is ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ Worth Watching?
Collider’s review stated that The Lincoln Lawyer succeeded largely because McConaughey finally found a role that played to his strengths, turning a familiar legal thriller into a slick, entertaining ride. As fast-talking defense attorney Mick Haller, who works out of the back of his Lincoln, McConaughey’s natural charm and swagger energized a story that might otherwise have felt routine.
“McConaughey owns the film, but the majority of the supporting cast is equally terrific. I can’t believe it, but after MacGruber and now this, I’m starting to become a fan of Ryan Phillippe. He holds his own against McConaughey and clearly is having some fun playing the villain without chewing the scenery. McConaughey’s giant grinning mug on a movie poster is usually a warning sign, but The Lincoln Lawyer finally offers him a character that suits his irascible persona in a way that feels fresh and exciting. Let’s hope it doesn’t take McConaughey another ten years to find a leading role that plays to his strengths.”
The Lincoln Lawyer is streaming for free on Tubi.
- Release Date
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March 17, 2011
- Runtime
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119 minutes
- Writers
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Michael Connelly, John Romano
- Producers
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Gary Lucchesi, Richard S. Wright, Sidney Kimmel, Tom Rosenberg, Scott Steindorff