A husband is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, in what is seemingly an open/shut case for the ambitious district attorney trying to put him away. However, there are surprises for both around every corner, and, as a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse is played out, each must manipulate and outwit the other.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.7/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.40/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
Metacritic: 68
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Gregory Hoblit
Production
M7 Filmproduktion, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment, Weinstock Productions
Cast
Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Embeth Davidtz, Billy Burke, Cliff Curtis, Fiona Shaw, Bob Gunton, Josh Stamberg, Xander Berkeley, Zoe Kazan, Judith Scott, Gary Carlos Cervantes, Petrea Burchard, Garz Chan, Wendy Cutler, Larry Sullivan, Valerie Dillman, Gonzalo Menendez
Curator Review
Verdict
A slick, old-school courtroom cat-and-mouse thriller powered by strong star chemistry and a delightfully smug villain performance. It’s more entertaining than deep, but the twists, procedural gamesmanship, and polished pacing make it an easy watch for thriller fans.
Best for
legal-thriller fans
viewers who enjoy verbal sparring and strategic mind games
fans of charismatic villain performances
people looking for a clean, mid-2000s studio thriller
Skip if
you want a highly realistic legal drama
you dislike twist-driven plotting
you prefer a darker or more intense thriller tone
you need especially rich character development
Overview
Fracture is the kind of studio thriller that knows exactly what it is: a polished duel between a cocky prosecutor and an almost perversely composed suspect. The pleasure comes less from surprise and more from watching each man try to stay one move ahead, with the film leaning hard on courtroom tactics, loopholes, and psychological baiting.
Worth noting
Anthony Hopkins has a field day as the accused husband, turning arrogance into a weapon and making every scene feel like a challenge. Ryan Gosling plays the ambitious young prosecutor with enough impatience and vanity to keep the conflict lively, even when the script is clearly more interested in clever reversals than emotional nuance.
Bottom line
It’s not a great legal thriller in the sense of being airtight or especially profound, but it is an efficient one. If you like glossy suspense, sharp exchanges, and a villain who seems to be enjoying the whole process a little too much, this delivers the goods.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Chris 🍉 (4.5★) · 1890 likes
"My dick has evidence" and "My dick is good" are two real lines that anthony hopkins says in this movie and you bet your ass i loved every second of it
With a better director this would have been 5 stars
Mohammed 🕸 (4★) · 1335 likes
Anthony Hopkins could play the devil himself and you will still cheer for him, the power this man has on people is scary, maybe he is really the devil.
Arman (3★) · 1056 likes
When you have Rosamund Pike in your movie, you don't limit her character to only the love interest. It's unacceptable.
Chloe Worthington (4★) · 753 likes
Anthony Hopkins is my all time favourite murderer
𝚮𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖉𝖊 🙏🏻 (3★) · 744 likes
I really like him but witnessing Ryan "baby face" Gosling get bitchslapped by life always makes me laugh. Watching him interact with Rosamund Pike was like watching a puppy interact with a cheetah. I thought she was going to eat him alive.
I too would bang hot cop dad from Twilight even if it meant I'll get shot in the head.
1993 · Drama, Mystery, Thriller · 2h 34m · R · Curator 4.3/10 (284.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
A glossy legal thriller with corporate menace, procedural momentum, and a protagonist out of his depth.