'Fracture'

"Fracture" shows that Hollywood can still produce a film with a plot.

It is a convoluted story about a young and arrogant district attorney traveling in the fast lane who is trying his final case before moving on to a lucrative corporate law career.

The case involves a man who attempted to murder his wife after discovering that she was having an affair with a police hostage negotiator.

There are several themes that are woven through "Fracture," many of which are driving forces in our modern society. There is the lure of the private sector and that heady smell of money.

Added is the imminent departure of a civil servant who is going to use his government experience to reap the rewards of the private sector. Intermingled is the perversion of justice by those who are clever enough to exploit the technicalities. All of this brings to life on the screen what often drives us to disbelief and disgust in the news.

Ted Crawford (Sir Anthony Hopkins) is the man who shoots his wife and is arrested for attempted murder. Hopkins steals nearly every scene in which he appears. He is a masterful actor at his best and in a polite and chilling way dominates this film as he did in "Silence of the Lambs." Although his actual screen time is almost minuscule, he has a presence that most actors could not achieve with a full leading role.

The protagonist is Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), whose performance is nothing short of exceptional. Beachum is the scheming and arrogant District Attorney who has manipulated his way into the private sector with dreams of milking the cash cow. He takes on his final prosecution case, the State versus Ted Crawford, in what he believes to be a crowning slam dunk for his prosecution career - complete with a signed confession.

The name and primary theme of the film comes from a tale that Crawford tells to Beachum. The story is about how he was sorting eggs on a farm when he was a boy and put aside 300 eggs that all had minute cracks or imperfections. The moral is that everything has a weakness, if you look closely enough. He then warns Beachum that he knows his fault and watches his arrogance bring about his downfall.

Director Gregory Hoblit is no newcomer to courtroom dramas with films like "Primal Fear" and "Hart's War" and has a rich TV history with "L.A. Law" and "Roe V. Wade." However, there is no electrifying courtroom drama between the defendant and prosecutor. Crawford and Beachum spend an insignificant amount of time together sharing the same scene and playing off each other's energies. This holds the chilling character of Crawford at bay, giving Beachum his day in the sun.

The spotlight is firmly set on Beachum as we see him impotently struggle against being continually outsmarted by his adversary. If it weren't for his arrogance, the viewer would almost feel sorry for the character. Beachum finally seeks redemption in doing what's right, even if the result yields a bitter fruit.

This superb thriller is marred only by a very contrived and politically correct ending, which thankfully the director did not allow much screen time. The film would have been all the more powerful had the need to vindicate Beachum and show the triumph of good over evil been dropped from the script. This is a small flaw that detracts little from a well-crafted thriller with a decent plot.