Fracture is a 2007 legal thriller film, starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling, and directed by Gregory Hoblit.[1] It is the story of a man who shoots his unfaithful wife, and then engages in a battle of wits with a young assistant district attorney.
Worth noting, but the definition of a fracture is the breaking of a hard object or material - we'll get back to this later.

The choice to cast Gosling and Hopkins in this film together gives life to one of the most powerful aspects of this viewing; the tense chemistry between these two characters is so strong it is almost palpable. Hopkins is very cunning and stays true to his reputation as a "mad genius", whereas Gosling is dripping with his typical "young blood" energy. These differences alone lend a hand to the antagonist nature that their characters have throughout the entire movie, and in doing so make the plot that much more interesting.

The success of a legal film is dependant on a lot of storytelling elements, but one that is almost necessary is the use of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony works to immerse the audience in to the story by revealing information that the other characters in the film do not know or are unsure of. The aforementioned murder is shown on screen (the entirety of that single event), so the audience shouldn't be surprised that the mystery of it all isn't whether the murder did or did not occur, but it's a matter of waiting for Beachum (Gosling) to finally figure it out. With that said, the way in which William discovers the truth is withheld and used as a "plot twist", so the audience is both pleasantly surprised and satisfied by the time this film is due to be concluded.

This last point isn't really a criticism of the film itself but more of an observation - so, take this with a grain of salt if you will. There is a romantic subplot that simmers in the background of this entire movie that isn't necessary in addition to not making any sense. Early on William's entire case is dismissed because (SPOILER ALERT) the victim was having an affair with one his key witnesses, so it seems illogical for him to pursue a relationship that could also have a negative impact on his career. Is this an attribute that makes the entire movie lose its value? Absolutely not. It is just something worth complaining about. . . .even if just a little.

An engaging story that will keep you guessing.
I would recommend!

I've seen this four or five times - it's just that good. I saw this film the first time in a first class seat between Seattle, and Minneapolis - I mention that because I was so intrigued I did not want the plane to land before the end. I got to the end just in time, and what a great ending. Anthony Hopkins, and Ryan Gosling have an incredible chemistry in this film. We see the genius (the character Hopkins plays) slowly tear down the sharp over-confident prosecuting attorney - played by Gosling. These two actors facial expressions alone in this film are worth the watch. "Willie" cannot let it go - he cannot let this guy get away with murdering his wife, so he stays on it beyond all reason. The results are a great ending - with a twist that I still find fun to watch even after many viewings. There are other very good performances in this film - including all the secondary actors. This one is worth your time if you like courtroom, psychological thrillers.

As a huge fan of Sir Anthony Hopkins, I must say that this film is one of my favorites. Hopkins plays wealthy engineer Ted Crawford who we watch in the opening minutes of the film approve of a new design with confidence before going on a sunny drive to a hotel where he watches his wife participate in an affair with Lt. Rob Nunally. We then see his wife come home where he tells his wife he love her to which she replies "I know." And of course, then, Crawford shoots her in the face. Her lover, Nunally, shows up on the scene to work the case, realizing at the last second, that Mrs. Crawford is his lover!

Ryan Gosling plays attorney Willy Beachum. While Beachum works for the District Attorney's office, he has a big opportunity around the corner with the prestigious law firm Wooten Simms. He just has one last little case to work before he heads off into the sunset- the state vs. Ted Crawford. Representing himself, Crawford insists he wants Willy to work the case. Beachum, seeing that he has a signed confession, accepts with ease but Lt. Nunally warns him that he is up against a very worthy opponent in Crawford.

This film intrigued me and excited me. Hopkins' acting is superb as always. Gosling does excellent as well. I wouldn't mind seeing these guys have another film together as they seem to work well off one another. If you are a fan of either of the actors along with legal thrillers, this is definitely a film you will enjoy.

I don't know how I ever missed this one in theaters, but it is outstanding! Of course, it goes to say that if you hate murder movies or murder/mystery movies, then you won't like this one because that's what it is.

However, if you love a good murder/mystery/drama/surprise movie, this one is 5 strong stars! Anthony Hopkins is BRILLIANT as the super-wealthy, highly-intelligent private jet engineer and designer. He has the best of the best of everything. But there is one thing in his life that is missing, and it is tearing him to pieces. His wife. He is deeply in love with her, but the feeling is definitely not mutual. She is having an affair with some guy, but she insists on not using their real names----so neither of them knows who the other is or where they come from/what they do. The man who is sleeping with Hopkin's wife ends up meeting her during the course of his work, and that is a huge surprise (but not the big surprise of the movie). I would love to review it more, but if I go beyond this point, I'll be giving things away and I don't want to ruin it for the folks who will rent or buy this movie. This is the type of movie at the very end (ANOTHER huge surprise) that makes you think, "This movie had to win an Oscar for Best Picture as well as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor". Hollywood puts out a huge pile of garbage these days, but this movie is a diamond in the middle of all of their stupid "message" movies. No message here, except to be entertained! I watched it twice, two days in a row. It's fun watching what happens now that I know where things will eventually be heading. WATCH THIS MOVIE! It's a great one!

Great movie that keeps you on your toes. I'd like to think of this as a modern remake of the movie Double Jeopardy (Tommy Lee & Ashley Judd).

The best analogy I can come up with is the law concept of double jeopardy is water and the difference between Double Jeopardy (the 1999 movie) and Fracture is like adding a slice of lemon to your water. Double Jeopardy (1999 movie) is a little more straight forward with it (I mean its the title of the movie so it is not trying to hide the fact that the movie is about the law concept of double jeopardy) and Fracture adds a slice of lemon, trying to hide the taste of water (double jeopardy) but as you drink more of it, you realize its just a glass of regular water (another movie about double jeopardy).

If you liked Double Jeopardy or if you like the "make you think / twist at the end" style of Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal Lecter then you will probably enjoy Fracture as well.

One of my favorite movies. Too bad I had to pay to rent it. Since it's from 2005 you'd think it would be included in Amazon Prime free to watch.

Everything was great up till the end. When he was telling the murderer about how he had switched guns and how they had, at that point, gotten the bullet out of the murderers wife's head, and that matched the police detectives gun who committed suicide, that scenario fell apart for me.!
No detective who had a gun that he never fired, would not have helped but noticed the smell of the gun that had been fired especially that quick after it had been fired.! nor would he have not cleaned his gun for several days or more.! IMHO.!!

FRACTURE (USA/Germany-2007 is one of my favorite Anthony Hopkins movies, one in which he's a calculating, cold-blooded killer who plays an elaborate courtroom game with hotshot Asst. DA Ryan Gosling.

Knowing his younger wife is having an affair with a police detective, Hopkins awaits her arrival home and shoots her in the left cheek. The bullet travels through her brain and lodges against the skull, but she doesn't die.

The cop boyfriend arrives to investigate a reported shooting, not realizing who the victim is. Naturally he's upset when he sees his lover lying near death. Hopkins cooly admits to shooting her, has the weapon nearby. At the police station he willingly signs a confession.

Meanwhile, Gosling is a lawyer on the way up. He likes nothing better than to win in court, and his 97% success rate shows he's good at it. After destroying in trial the case of a top-notch defense attorney, Gosling is hired by the loser's law firm, the most prestigious in L.A. He's given his two weeks notice at the DA's office, but has a chance to rack up another courtroom victory before leaving the City's employ, an open-and-shut case of a man who's confessed to the attempted murder of his spouse.

Hopkins takes legal procedures in a most cavalier manner, even acts as his own lawyer. At one point before the trial he offers Gosling a great deal of cash if he will defend him, with a warning that things will become messy if he remains prosecutor. These words of caution go unheeded by the young DA who has, in his mind, already moved on to a new career with that big money firm. Besides, this case is a slam dunk, right? He's got the weapon, a verbal confession and a signed one. The trial will be over before it starts.... or will it?