From director Gregory Hoblit, comes this excellent psychological thriller, featuring powerhouse performances from Academy Award winner, Sir Antony Hopkins and the twice nominated Ryan Gosling.

Hopkins plays Ted Crawford an Aeronautical Engineer and Gosling plays the successful assistant district attorney, Willy Beachum. The story is set in Los Angeles.

The plot begins on a familiar note, Jennifer Crowford is the much younger and unfaithful wife of Ted Crowford. She is carrying on an affair with police officer Rob Nunally. They usually have their rendezvous in Rob’s apartment. Rob does not know anything about her identity, and addresses her as Mrs Smith.

One day, Ted who has knowledge of the affair, confronts Jennifer at their home, when she has just returned from one of her trysts. He shoots her with a hand gun. As fate would have it, Nunally would be the officer sent to Ted’s home.

Realizing that Ted is armed, Nunally negotiates with Ted that both of them will lay down their guns. Ted admits to the crime just as Nunally discovers that the victim lying on the floor is his secret lover. Nunally loses his composure and physically attacks Ted as the rest of Nunally’s team pull him away.

William Beachum is a young, dashing and ambitious assistant district attorney. Beachum has just accepted an offer from a well-known legal firm and is about to join them as a corporate attorney. As Willie is in the process of making the transition, Ted Crowford’s murder case is assigned to him.

Willie is unperturbed. Despite Nunally’s warnings, Willie believes that this is an easy case for him, given Crowford’s confession at the scene of the crime.

Soon as the courtroom drama begins, Willie is in for a gigantic shock, as Crowford turns the tables on him. The fact that officer assaulted Ted at the scene of the crime, would render Ted’s confession inadmissible. Besides this, it is also revealed that the murder weapon was missing from the scene of the crime. The gun, which was apprehended from Ted’s home had never been fired and its shell casing did not match those of the bullets found at the scene of the crime. The bullet that was fired at Jennifer, is lodged in her head as she fights for her life, at a hospital.

Willie has to concede defeat to Ted, who is representing himself in his defense. This defeat would have a devastating effect on Willie. The new job that he has accepted, is now in jeopardy. To make matters worse, Crowford who has been pronounced not guilty, by the court, now has the authority to decide, whether or not Jennifer should say on life support.

Can Willie find a way to reopen the case? One more major stumbling block for Willie, is that Crowford cannot be retried for attempted murder as that would entail the principle of Double Jeopardy.

There have been many movies built around the case of double jeopardy. Fracture takes a unique approach on this legal principle. Sir Antony Hopkins puts in another great performance of Crawford. There are shades of Hannibal Lecter in Crowford’s personality This is an engaging movie. I recommend it.

Director: Gregory Hoblit

Cast:Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Billy Burke

Fracture is available for free streaming on Tubi.