Fracture

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Content: General

Plot: Ted Crawford, a wealthy Irish aeronautical engineer living in Los Angeles, discovers that his wife, Jennifer, is having an affair with police detective Robert Nunally. Confronting his wife, Crawford shoots her. Police are called, including Nunally, who enters the house cautiously, negotiating with Crawford for both to put down their guns. Crawford confesses he shot his wife. Recognising the victim, and being subtly goaded by Crawford, Nunally becomes enraged and assaults him. Jennifer, despite her injuries, is not killed, but left in a coma. Crawford is arrested for attempted murder.

Crawford is currently in prison, waiting for his trial. He's facing off against a young and ambitious deputy district attorney named William "Willy" Beachum, who believes the case is straightforward and is ready to go to trial right away. Beachum is getting ready to transition from criminal law to working as a corporate attorney at the prestigious law firm Wooton Sims, and he's also getting friendly with his future boss, Nikki Gardner.

During the trial, Crawford decides to represent himself, going up against a seasoned prosecutor. He reveals to the court that the arresting officer had a personal relationship with his wife, physically attacked him during the arrest, and was present during his interrogation. As a result, Crawford's confession is deemed inadmissible, described by the judge as "fruit of the poisonous tree." Beachum later uncovers that Crawford's gun couldn't have been the murder weapon, as it doesn't match the shell casings found at the crime scene and has never been fired. This revelation puzzles the police, especially since CCTV footage shows Crawford never left his house from the time of the shooting until his arrest.

End of Spoilers

Review: This is a fascinating who did it detective murder mystery all wrapped up in one. The trick is to watch the movie for clues. Making sure you don't miss the slightest detail as the scenes and story can get a little racy at times. Anthony Hopkins shines as the devious man who had motive, means and opportunity. His whole life is a calculated process of well measured out functions and processes. Try and keep track of the Magnus Opus or Rolling Ball Structure in the film. It can reflect the OCD nature of the Antagonist in the movie. This is one that really surprised me with how well it kept the secret until the very end.