This movie doesn't work on several levels. Spoilers to follow. If you haven't seen Fracture, don't read this review. And Spoilers for Ocean's Eleven to follow, come to think of it. So if you haven't seen that movie, don't read this review. But back to Fracture: <br /><br />Here we have a brilliant man who has thought of everything to get away with murder. Let's believe that he actually can see the weak point in everything and everybody. Let's believe that he predicts what seems like random behavior and coincidences. Let's believe that he was lucky and even the unpredictable factors played to his advantage. Why would he miss the obvious hole in his plan? It just doesn't make sense. Either he's infallible, then he would have wiped his fingerprints off the bullets in Nunally's gun and he would have let his wife live... OR he's not and his whole plan wouldn't have gone as far as it did in the first place. But having him set up as the man who could beat the devil himself in a chess game - only to let him stumble over such a stupid detail... that's just sloppy screen writing.<br /><br />On another level, the casting works against the movie. Anthony Hopkins plays the role with diabolical delight. He is by far the most charismatic actor in the whole film, and his character is the most intelligent person as well. And in letting the victim have an affair with the unlikable lieutenant, the audience has a hard time not to identify with Hopkins. In a way, the film makes it seem like he deserves to get away with murder. Especially in contrast to the arrogant young lawyer, a cocky young a-hole that would sell his own mother to get that high-paying job at a soulless law firm. Now nothing against Ryan Gosling, I think you need a lot of talent to intentionally be that unlikable. But it should be consistent. The film didn't need a Saulus-to-Paulus change. Beachum had his chance to come out as the winner (actually, he had that chance twice), but he blew it out of arrogance. Letting him win kind of defeats the purpose.<br /><br />The first 80 minutes are a wonderful film. The arrogant young lawyer loses his job, the betrayed husband gets away with murder thanks to his superior intelligence. And he should. But then the film continues. And the whole thing falls apart. Imagine Ocean's Eleven if George Clooney and his gang got caught in the end? It just wouldn't work. And neither does Fracture.