Repeat offender

>>Anthony Hopkins mimics himself in the overheated thriller Fracture

by MARK SLUTSKY

Anthony Hopkins doesn’t technically play Hannibal Lecter in the new thriller Fracture, but he comes about as close as he possibly can in his portrayal of the brilliantly murderous Ted Crawford, a man who laughs at his captors from behind bars, a cold-blooded, manipulative genius.

Here’s the deal: having caught his wife (Embeth Davidtz) in an adulterous clinch with a police detective (Billy Burke), Hopkins shoots her, allows himself to be arrested—by Burke—and confesses. But his seemingly easy capture is just the beginning of our villain’s deadly game. Hopkins offers to represent himself in court, much to the amusement of everyone, including cocky young D.A. Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), who’s on his way out the door to join a prestigious L.A. law firm. Oh, you better believe he thinks this is going to be an open-and-shut case—but what he doesn’t count on is getting played by the homicidal genius, who quickly turns things around to his advantage.

Like last week’s puzzling Perfect Stranger, Fracture is a B- or even C-grade thriller with a cast that’s strangely above its pedigree (David Strathairn also appears, as Gosling’s boss). Don’t expect Oscar-worthy performances from these guys, though. Gosling offers up about 10 per cent of the intensity he showed in last year’s Half Nelson, Strathairn is whatever, and Hopkins, as mentioned above, is pretty much a low-budget Lecter. At one point, he even delivers a threatening, animal-husbandry-themed monologue to Gosling, unflatteringly reminiscent of the “lambs are screaming” scene from Silence of the Lambs. Except while the Lambs scene dealt with the ritual slaughter of innocents, this one is about... egg candling. Egg candling?

It’s a sweaty, overheated thriller that seems weirdly out of time. With its cheesy cinematography and licentious lawyers, its old-fashioned courtrooms and torrid affairs, it seems like it should have been made in 1989 and set in the Louisiana bayou. It’s exactly the kind of movie you expect to show up on TV late at night, and watch for about 10 minutes before passing out on the couch. The only really compelling mystery here is what Hopkins and Gosling are doing in it.

Fracture opens THis FridaY, April 20

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