Fracture (2007/I)

Director:

Gregory Hoblit

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Pyne (screenplay) and
Glenn Gers (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 April 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If you look close enough, you'll find everyone has a weak spot.

Plot:

An attorney intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he's trying to prosecute.

Plot Keywords:

Engineer | Firm | Court | Prosecutor | Trial

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Ted Crawford
Ryan Gosling	...	Willy Beachum
David Strathairn	...	DA Joe Lobruto
Rosamund Pike	...	Nikki Gardner
Embeth Davidtz	...	Jennifer Crawford
Billy Burke	...	Lt. Robert 'Rob' Nunally
Cliff Curtis	...	Detective Flores
Fiona Shaw	...	Judge Robinson
Bob Gunton	...	Judge Gardner
Josh Stamberg	...	Norman Foster
Xander Berkeley	...	Judge Moran
Zoe Kazan	...	Mona
Judith Scott	...	Resident
Gary Cervantes	...	Ciro (as Carlos Cervantes)
Petrea Burchard	...	Dr. Marion Kang
Garz Chan	...	Assistant Hotel Manager
Wendy Cutler	...	Gladys
Larry Sullivan	...	Lee Gardner
Valerie Dillman	...	Peg Gardner
Gonzalo Menendez	...	Uniform Cop
Vivica Genaux	...	Opera Singer
Cooper Thornton	...	Public Defender
Lyle Kanouse	...	Messenger
Sandra Prosper	...	Karla
Monica Garcia	...	Crawford’s Secretary
Joe Spano	...	Judge Joseph Pincus
Peter Breitmayer	...	NTSB Guy
Mirron E. Willis	...	Moran’s Bailiff
David Purdham	...	Burt Wooton
John Littlefield	...	Cop
Lou Reyes	...	SWAT Medic
Rainy Kerwin	...	Wooton Sims Receptionist
R.J. Chambers	...	Bailiff
Eugene Collier	...	Bailiff
Tom Virtue	...	Attorney Apley
Gunter Simon	...	Orderly
Frank Torres	...	Orderly
Payton Koch	...	Kid
Cooper Koch	...	Kid
Sophie Hoblit	...	Kid
Caroline Weinstock	...	Kid
Alexander Weinstock	...	Kid
Michael Khmurov	...	Russian Man (as Michael Khmourov)
Julia Emelin	...	Russian Woman
Yorgo Constantine	...	Public Defender for the Russians
Alla Korot	...	Russian Translator
Jeff Enden	...	Detective
Kaily Smith	...	Lobruto's Secretary
Retta	...	Evidence Room Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Don Abernathy	...	Courtroom Observer (uncredited)
David Keith Anderson	...	News Reporter (uncredited)
Kate Clarke	...	Mrs. Lee Gardner (uncredited)
Lucy Griffin	...	Barista (uncredited)
Kate Krystowiak	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Elizabeth Rivera	...	Lady in the court room (uncredited)
Noush Skaugen	...	Opera Goer (uncredited)
Klatann Thomas	...	Medical Technician (uncredited)
Zondra Wilson	...	Opera Goer (uncredited)
Rachel Zeskind	...	Dancer (uncredited)

Directed by
Gregory Hoblit

Writing credits (WGA)
Daniel Pyne		(screenplay) and
Glenn Gers		(screenplay)
Daniel Pyne		(story)

Produced by
Samuel J. Brown	....	associate producer
Michael Disco	....	associate producer
Toby Emmerich	....	executive producer
Liz Glotzer	....	executive producer
Beverly J. Graf	....	associate producer
Hawk Koch	....	executive producer
Louise Rosner	....	co-producer
Charles Weinstock	....	producer

Original Music by
Jeff Danna
Mychael Danna

Cinematography by
Kramer Morgenthau		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
David Rosenbloom

Casting by
Deborah Aquila
Jennifer L. Smith		(as Jennifer Smith)
Mary Tricia Wood		(as Trisha Wood)

Production Design by
Paul Eads

Art Direction by
Mindy Roffman

Set Decoration by
Nancy Nye

Costume Design by
Elisabetta Beraldo

Makeup Department
Cynthia Barr	....	makeup artist (as Cynthia Barr-Bright)
Jane English	....	makeup artist
Susan Germaine	....	hair stylist: Mr. Hopkins
Susan Germaine	....	key hair stylist
Charlotte Parker	....	hair stylist
Christina Smith	....	key makeup artist
Christina Smith	....	makeup artist: Mr. Hopkins
Matthew Jorgensen	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)
Clinton Wayne	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Erik Holmberg	....	executive in charge of production
Hawk Koch	....	unit production manager
Jody Levin	....	executive in charge of post-production
Rick Reynolds	....	post-production supervisor
Louise Rosner	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steven F. Beaupre	....	second assistant director
Gregory J. Pawlik Jr.	....	second second assistant director
Brian Relyea	....	second second assistant director (as Brian F. Relyea)
Scott Andrew Robertson	....	first assistant director (as Scott Robertson)
Kevin Duncan	....	first assistant director: second unit (uncredited)

Art Department
Daril Alder	....	leadman
Mark Annis	....	propmaker (as Mark A. Annis)
Greg Apperson	....	propmaker foreman
Ellis J. Barbacoff	....	assistant property master (as Ellis Barbacoff)
Alicia Barber	....	construction auditor
Keith Bent	....	painter
Tony Bonaventura	....	property master
Eustacia Brossart	....	art department coordinator
Andrea Cantrell	....	assistant props
Saul Castro	....	laborer
Dennis DeGarmo	....	general foreman
Brad Denton	....	stand-by painter
Sean Farrell	....	on-set dresser
Ernesto Felix	....	set dresser
Jose Garcia	....	set dresser
Miguel A. Garcia	....	set dresser (as Miguel Garcia)
Ray Garcia	....	set dresser
Angelina Gram	....	painter
Wayne Gram	....	paint foreman
Jim Hanson	....	propmaker
Catherine Leyba	....	set dressing coordinator
Sal Licastri	....	painter
Abraham Malina Jr.	....	labor foreman (as Abraham Molina Jr.)
Henry Molina	....	laborer
Gregory Moore	....	set dresser
Elizabeth Morris	....	set buyer (as Libby Morris)
Steve Nelson	....	laborer
Rocco Passarella	....	tool keeper
Gregg Pierce	....	propmaker
David Ritch	....	propmaker
Joe Rystrom	....	construction medic
Stella Vaccaro	....	set designer
Ted Wilson	....	construction coordinator
Jory Alvarado	....	drapery foreman (uncredited)
Martin L. Mercer	....	storyboard artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Tom Bellfort	....	supervising sound editor
Joseph F. Brennan	....	boom operator (as Joseph Brennan)
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	digital assistant
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Hector C. Gika	....	sound effects editor (as Hector Gika)
Arda Gulesserian	....	additional sound
Daniel S. Irwin	....	dialogue editor
Daniel J. Leahy	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Dan Leahy)
Brian Magerkurth	....	dubbing recordist
James Moriana	....	foley artist (as James M. Moriana)
Margit Pfeiffer	....	dialogue editor
Bill Ritter	....	sound recording engineer
David M. Ronne	....	sound mixer (as David Ronne)
Ann Scibelli	....	sound effects editor
Christopher Sidor	....	dubbing recordist
Branden Spencer	....	supervising assistant sound editor
Frederick H. Stahly	....	dialogue editor
Gary Summers	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist
John Agalsoff Jr.	....	utility sound (uncredited)
Richard Bullock Jr.	....	utility sound: re-shoots (uncredited)
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer (uncredited)
Steven Morrow	....	sound mixer: re-shoots (uncredited)
Parker Randal	....	playbacks (uncredited)
Randolph Saucedo	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Larz Anderson	....	special effects coordinator
Gary D. Bierend	....	special effects (as Gary Bierend)
Larry DeUnger	....	special effects
Bart Dion	....	special effects
Mark Yuricich	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Patrick Clancey	....	digital opticals: EFilm
David Geoghegan	....	digital compositor
Thomas Mathai	....	data manager (uncredited)
Danita Slaughter	....	digital opticals editor (uncredited)

Stunts
John Ashby	....	stunts
LaFaye Baker	....	stunts
William H. Burton	....	stunt coordinator (as Billy Burton)
Cory Fleming	....	stunts
Dale Gibson	....	stunts
Paul E. Short	....	stunts (as Paul Short)
R.J. Chambers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom McComas	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Paul E. Short	....	stunt double: Anthony hopkins (uncredited)
Gunter Simon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank Torres	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Craig A. Brink	....	rigging gaffer
Michael Caparelli	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Gary Dagg	....	key grip (as Gary L. Dagg)
Gary Dagg	....	key grip
Don Devine	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Idit Dvir	....	camera intern
Charles R. Edwards	....	grip
Sam Emerson	....	still photographer (as Sam Young Emerson)
Gordon Tadd Eto	....	electrician (as Tad Eto)
David Eubank	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
David Eubank	....	first assistant camera: Steadicam operator
Danny Gonzalez	....	electrician
Bob Gorelick	....	Steadicam operator (as Robert Gorelick)
Bob Gorelick	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Robert Gorelick)
Patrick Hoeschen	....	electrician
Annika Iltis	....	camera loader
Steve Irwin	....	video playback operator: Playback Technologies
Brett Laumann	....	chief lighting technician
Ryan Louden	....	grip
Daniel L. Magat	....	electrician (as Daniel Magat)
Glen Magers	....	rigging gaffer
Frankie Martinez	....	electrician (as Francisco Martinez)
Peter McAdams	....	dolly grip: "b" camera (as Pete McAdams)
Johnny Medeiros	....	video assist intern
Matthew Morrissey	....	video playback operator
David W. Nims	....	dolly grip: "a" camera
Jesse Olivares	....	video assist operator
Ray Patrick	....	super technocrane operator
Rico Priem	....	grip
Kevin Richey	....	camera intern
Paul A. Rychlec	....	grip
Lee Schmicker	....	best boy electrician
Michael Shaw	....	grip
Kathina Szeto	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Tommy Tieche	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Rodney Veto	....	best boy grip
Thomas D. Wazney	....	rigging grip
Kevin Cadwallader	....	rigging electrician (uncredited)
Anthony Cobbs	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
John P. Fleenor	....	rigging electrician (uncredited)
Quinn Grove	....	best boy grip (uncredited)
Chris Hayes	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Lorna Leslie	....	second assistant camera: additional photography (uncredited)
Jerry L. Mandley	....	balloon technician (uncredited)
Jerry L. Mandley	....	lighting technician (uncredited)
Michael Nie	....	crane operator: Technocrane (uncredited)
Brian T. Pitts	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)
Jim Rose	....	rigging gang boss (uncredited)
Eddie Tucker	....	rigging electrician (uncredited)
Jeffery J. Tufano	....	additional camera operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Chris Bustard	....	extras casting coordinator
Samantha Finkler	....	casting associate
Eddie Mariano	....	extras casting coordinator
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	adr voice casting (as Caitlin McKenna)
Erin Toner	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
William A. Campbell	....	key costumer
Victoria DeKay	....	costume supervisor (as Victoria DeKay-Bodwell)
Kristin Einarsson	....	costumer
Tabitha Johnson	....	assistant costume designer
Jason M. Moore	....	set costumer
Ivanna Palance	....	costume production assistant
Faye Sevilla	....	key costumer (as Faye Sevilla Smith)
Greg Turnbull	....	costume production assistant
Leoisick Castro	....	additional costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Terra Bliss-Alvarez	....	digital intermediate supervisor: EFilm (as Terra Bliss)
Steve Bowen	....	supervising digital colorist: EFilm
Gary Burritt	....	negative cutter
Cassandra Crosse	....	post-production assistant
Kevin Lefler	....	first assistant editor
Devon Miller	....	digital intermediate editor: EFilm
Harry Muller	....	color timer
Gregory Plotkin	....	associate editor
Richmond Riedel	....	assistant editor (as Rich Reidel)
Jen Woodhouse	....	post-production assistant
Michael Hatzer	....	digital intermediate colorist: main title sequence, Efilm (uncredited)
Justin Worthington	....	assistant digital intermediate producer (uncredited)

Music Department
Paul Broucek	....	executive in charge of music: New Line
Debbi Datz-Pyle	....	music contractor
Nicholas Dodd	....	conductor
Nicholas Dodd	....	orchestrator
Brad Haehnel	....	score recordist
Brad Haehnel	....	scoring mixer
Russ Howard III	....	electronic music programmer
Russ Howard III	....	musician: guitars
Tom Kramer	....	music editor
Russ Miller	....	musician: percussion programming
Kim Reese	....	music executive
Lori Silfen	....	music business affairs executive
Rob Simonsen	....	additional music arranger
Margarita Sullivan	....	music clearances
Stephen Wadsworth	....	opera consultant
John F.X. Walsh	....	music business affairs executive
Gina Zimmitti	....	music contractor
Tom Hardisty	....	score recordist (uncredited)
Sean Schafer Hennessy	....	assistant to composer (uncredited)
Jason Ruder	....	assistant music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Bart Allsup	....	transportation co-captain
Oscar Beguiristain	....	driver
Manny Demello	....	transportation captain
Steven Domingos	....	driver
Doug Dovichi	....	driver
Jason Hardman	....	driver
Kenneth L. Hardman	....	driver
Jeffrey F. Jones	....	driver
Myles Kimura	....	driver
Bob McCarthy	....	driver
Guy Michaels	....	driver
Michael A. Moreno	....	driver
William 'Scott' Pierson	....	driver (as William Scott Pierson)
Mark Scruton	....	driver
James Thornsberry	....	transportation coordinator
Sheila Thornsberry	....	transportation dispatcher
Jimmie K. Turner	....	driver
Roger Youds	....	driver
Christopher Weippert	....	driver (uncredited)
Gary 'Little G' Williams	....	driver: Mr. Gosling (uncredited)

Other crew
Tanner Almon	....	production office assistant
Cassandra Barbour	....	rights and clearances: Entertainment Clearances
Madeline Bell	....	assistant location manager
Bruce Benson	....	helicopter ground coordinator
Katherine E. Beyda	....	production executive
Robert Breech	....	technical advisor
Stephen Brenes	....	craft service assistant
Francie Brown	....	dialogue coach
Scott Brown	....	production assistant
Laurie Cartwright	....	risk management
Mike Cook	....	chef
Jon Davidson	....	production controller
Richard Davis Jr.	....	location manager (as Richard Davis)
Cris Dearce	....	production assistant
David Diamond	....	location manager
Judy Dickerson	....	dialogue coach (as Judith Dickerson)
Virginie Drouot	....	assistant: Mr. Hoblit
Jeff Egan	....	production safety
Alicia Emmrich	....	assistant: Mr. Weinstock
Kai Ephron	....	assistant location manager (as Amede Ephron)
Mike Fantasia	....	location manager
Eric Fieland	....	assistant to cast
Carey Field	....	set production assistant
Cliff Fleming	....	helicopter pilot
Jennifer Anne Franklin	....	assistant: Mr. Hopkins (as Jennifer Franklin)
Dave Fulton	....	set medic
Justin Giugno	....	production office assistant
Emily Glatter	....	supervising production coordinator
Gabriela Gutentag	....	unit publicist
Kristine Hrycun	....	assistant: Ms. Glotzer (as Kris Hrycun)
Matthew Humphreys	....	second assistant accountant
Colette Kadrnka-Abramson	....	production attorney
Steve Kesmodel	....	credits administrator
June Kim	....	post-production accountant
Anna Kochersperger	....	accounting clerk
Rob Koch	....	assistant to cast (as Robby Koch)
Matthew Loatman	....	assistant to cast
Cathy Marshall	....	payroll accountant
Marybeth Martin-Eck	....	first assistant accountant (as Marybeth 'MB' Martin)
Donny Martino Jr.	....	assistant location manager
Andrew Matthews	....	executive in charge of film investment
Leslie A. Morrow	....	assistant location manager
Evan Peller	....	assistant location manager
Sarah Platt	....	assistant: Mr. Koch
Rachel E. Prentiss	....	production accountant
Paul Prokop	....	executive in charge of finance
Joshua Ravetch	....	production resources
Lou Reyes	....	technical advisor
Ryan Robertson	....	main title producer
Stephen Roome	....	stand-in: Ryan Gosling
Barbara Rosing Hoke	....	production coordinator
Amy Russell	....	rights clearances
Suzie Sax-Horowitz	....	script supervisor (as Suzie Sax)
Susie Schelling	....	technical advisor
Romy Schneider	....	contract administrator
Julianna Selfridge	....	risk management (as Juliana Selfridge)
Laura Sevier	....	rights and clearances: Entertainment Clearances
Jessica Sonneborn	....	stand-in (as Jessica B. Sonneborn)
Hirotatsu Taniguchi	....	production assistant
Traci Tateyama	....	assistant production coordinator
Scott L. Treger	....	stand-in: Anthony Hopkins (as Scott Treger)
Mathew A. Villalobos	....	assistant location manager (as Mathew Villalobos)
Edith Viramontes	....	production office assistant
Dannon Walters	....	craft service (as Damon Walters III)
Peter Weireter	....	technical advisor: police
Gary Williams	....	assistant to cast
Brent Ekstrand	....	video and computer engineer (uncredited)
Cory Fleming	....	co-pilot (uncredited)
Andrew R. Gardiner	....	key assistant location manager/scout (uncredited)
David Henri	....	computer/video playback coordinator (uncredited)
Hiromi Marder	....	payroll accountant: re-shoots (uncredited)
Matt Miller	....	additional set production assistant (uncredited)
Parker Randal	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Erin Stern	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Scott Trimble	....	key assistant location manager: re-shoots (uncredited)
John Trujillo	....	layout board (uncredited)
Garson Yu	....	title designer (uncredited)

Thanks
Michael Barbulescu	....	thanks
David M. Ronne	....	in memory of (as David Ronne)
Burt Rutan	....	thanks

Production Companies

• New Line Cinema
• Castle Rock Entertainment
• M7 Filmproduktion
• Weinstock Productions

Distributors

• Applause Entertainment (2007) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Eagle Pictures (2007) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Entertainment Film Distributors (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• FS Film Oy (2007) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Karo Premiere (2007) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• New Line Cinema (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• SF Film (2007) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• SF Norge A/S (2007) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Canal Film (2009) (Norway) (TV)
• FS Film Oy (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• RTL Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL4)

Special Effects

• Pacific Title (opticals)

Other Companies

• Film Art  art consulting
• AON/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  insurance
• BeBee  night lights
• Cast and Crew Entertainment Services  payroll (as Cast and Crew Entertainment Service)
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• DeLuxe Laboratories  prints
• EFilm  digital intermediate
• Entertainment Clearances  rights and clearances
• FotoKem Laboratory  digital previews (as Fotokem)
• FotoKem Laboratory  high-definition dailies (as Fotokem)
• Glenwood Place Studios  score mixed at
• J.L. Fisher  camera support
• Jo Anne Kane Music Services  music preparation (as JoAnn Kane Music Services)
• Limelight Catering  catering
• Los Angeles Center Studios  sound stages
• New Line Records  soundtrack
• Night Lights By BeBee  equipment furnished by
• On Set Security  security
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Panavision Remote Systems  remote cranes and heads
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Playback Technologies  video playback
• Rockbottom Rentals  cell phone rentals
• Rockbottom Rentals  walkie rentals
• Scarlet Letters  end titles
• Silva Screen Records  soundtrack
• Soundelux  post-production sound services
• TM Equipment Rentals  grip and lighting equipment
• Todd-AO Scoring Stage  score recorded at (as Todd-AO Scoring Stage, Radford)
• Todd-AO Studios  re-recorded at (as Todd-AO/Hollywood)
• Wilshire Stages, The  ADR recording facility
• yU+Co.  main title design

Also Known As:

Das perfekte Verbrechen (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violent content.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Singapore:PG | USA:R (certificate #43317) | Hong Kong:IIA | Finland:K-13 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Argentina:16 | Netherlands:12 | Denmark:15 | Brazil:14 | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Italy:T | Malaysia:U | Australia:M | New Zealand:M | Norway:10 (TV rating) | Norway:15 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Dijon Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Near the end, the case Beachum reviews regarding double jeopardy is People v. Bivens, 282 Cal. Rptr. 438, 231 Cal. App. 3d (Cal. Ct. App., 1991). Under Bivens, California can prosecute Crawford for murder, even though it arises out of the same transaction as a defendant's prior case.

Goofs:

Continuity: Towards the end when Beachum calls on Crawford, Crawford looks in a security monitor. Under the monitor there is a security panel for an alarm system. When the shot changes, the panel is gone, then appears again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Crawford's Secretary: The NTSB guys are here about that bulkhead problem.
Ted Crawford: OK, thanks.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Look Closely: The Making of 'Fracture' (#14.9)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Nite Becomes Day

A Modern Noir Which Does Not Disappoint

This is a most successful thriller. In terms of performances, the most outstanding is certainly by Rosamund Pike. She has made a big impression in Britain by appearing in classic television dramas, at which she has a natural talent, and for which she is suited without expending a great deal of effort. Here, however, she shows what stuff she is really made of. She delivers an impeccable noir performance in the very best 1940s-1950s Hollywood style, and if the opportunities were frequent enough, she could readily establish a niche for herself as a chilling lead femme fatale in countless big budget films. She has a cold, distant, exquisite beauty, a perfect neck. and eyes like dark mirrors with disturbing supernatural qualities. Because she is a bit of an intellectual offscreen, well-read and bookish, she has the intelligence to put a brooding mystery into her gaze, and is best at doing this as someone powerful or knowledgeable. She also knows how to convince us that she may be off her rocker, simply by wobbling her irises. She would not make a good 'Big Brother' participant, and could not successfully play an oaf, I daresay. (Oafs are in big demand these days, and Ryan Gosling plays one, appearing not to be able to hold a fork properly at dinner.) Pike should team up with Audrey Tautou ('the Elf'), as Pike-and-Elf would be an irresistible combo on screen, as their big eyes full of mysterious things would go so well together, and they would enhance one another. As for the rest of the film, there is also Embeth Davidtz, a fascinating actress who made such an impression in the admirable 'Junebug' (2005), and it is such a shame for such a beautiful creature to get shot so soon in the story. One weakness of the story is the total lack of back-story, and why a man old enough to be Davidtz's grand-father happens to be her husband, but I guess if you are determined to cast Anthony Hopkins, you just have to close your eyes and go ahead. The acting of Hopkins has improved immeasurably since the days when he was so mannered and chewed so many of his words that he drove me crazy, and I found him one of the world's most irritating actors. He has somehow miraculously purged himself of all those terrible acting faults he used to have, and now plays it straight, with a terrifying intensity of an 'in your face' challenge. At last, Anthony Hopkins has come of age, and about time, too. Finally, he has become the master of his craft that everyone wrongly imagined him to be earlier. (Maybe this is a classic example of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Shall we grant him retrospective absolution for his technical sins in so many earlier films?) Ryan Gosling is, I suppose, very good at playing his unsympathetic and arrogant character, and it works, but just by a whisker. Kramer Morgenthau as the cinematographer has come out of television and has been having fun playing with light on a big budget. He gets a lot of interesting shots by sunlight at an angle, and well done for that. He avoids the worst perils of excessively dark shots which have been so fashionable in recent years (as irritating as actors who insist on mumbling), so that when he shoots dark shots, which he does repeatedly and too much, they are not as irritating as in most contemporary films, because he somehow redeems himself for these excesses by a sensitivity to light which just saves him, time and time again. He is a natural-born tightrope walker. The director Gregory Hoblit has also come out of television and proved effortlessly that he is a very good big budget director, no prob. The story by Daniel Pyne and screenplay by Pyne and Glenn Gers are most ingenious and top quality, although lacking in wisecracks and witty asides, and hence a shade too earnest. (Try to pepper your next script with some spicy one-liners next time, fellas. Watch some old movies and learn how it is done.) There are two central enigmas to this story, and I was so pleased with myself that I figured them both out (the missing gun riddle and a legal point). However, you have to have seen a lot of thrillers before you can hope to do that. This really is a nail-biter, a first-rate mystery and a modern noir classic.