Not All It's Cracked Up to Be

All the pieces are in place for Fracture to be a solid, great popcorn thriller. There's an interesting premise — a guy shoots his cheating wife and confesses to it, and yet, not all the pieces are in place for a conviction — and a great acting duo in the lead roles. There's even the director of such films as Primal Fear and the underrated Frequency. And yet, despite a crackling first half, filled with some fun lines of dialogue, the wheels somehow come off and Fracture turns boring and somewhat predictable. I guessed the film's twist (one of them anyway) pretty early on, for example. It's enjoyable to see Anthony Hopkins chewing scenery, and Ryan Gosling (so good in Half Nelson) tries hard, but ultimately Fracture doesn't make a strong enough case. And that's why I'm only giving it a B–.