The Lincoln Lawyer

The Lincoln Lawyer

Netflix has adapted a novel called The Brass Verdict into a television show. It stars Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Becki Newton from How I Met Your Mother, Neve Campbell from the Scream franchise, Christopher Gorham, Angus Sampson from the Insidious franchise, Jazz Raycole, and Lana Parrilla from Once Upon a Time.

In 2006, Michael Connelly published his first novel out of six books, based on Mickey Haller. 2011, sees Connelly's first book The Lincoln Lawyer get adapted into a movie. Years later, in 2022, Netflix released a television show, called The Lincoln Lawyer. This is based on the second book in the series, known as The Brass Verdict.

After another lawyer mysteriously dies, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia Rulfo) inherits all of his unfinished cases. On top of needing to learn his cases, he starts to investigate the sudden death of his colleague, while trying to repair his relationships in his personal life.

It's not hard to see why The Lincoln Lawyer is so popular on Netflix. All the storylines, and likable characters make the show intriguing to watch.

Rulfo is charming and personable as Haller. He makes the audience as well as the court laugh with his one liners. Previously having substance abuse issues, he has compassion for other people in similar situations, which is what leads him to hire Izzy Letts (Jazz Raycole) to be his driver. She is a great supporting character. They care and hold each other accountable to insure they both stay on the right path. Gorham does a good job portraying Trevor Elliott, a billionaire who plays the victim in his wife's murder. Newton plays a positive and caring Lorna Crane, she is Haller's secretary as well as friend. In addition, to all the people assisting Haller, he hires a private investigator named Cisco. Sampson works well together with the team in order to insure Haller's success.

The multiple storylines creates interest in the show. Most episodes there is a smaller case that Haller must win, but there also is a big case he has to solve along with other plot points. My verdict for The Lincoln Lawyer is if you like legal dramas, you will like this show.

The Lincoln Lawyer was actually better than I expected. I never read the books this was based off of but I did watch the Matthew McConaughey movie and thought it was pretty good but not worth making a series over. I really expected this to be some low budget rip off. I couldn't have been more wrong. I actually enjoyed it more than the movie. I wasn't going to watch it until I saw all the great reviews and that it was one of the most watched series of the year for Netflix. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo does a good job as the lead and Becky Newton, Neve Campbell, Angus Sampson, among others all do a fantastic job in supporting roles. While it's not the best lawyer show you'll ever see, it's definitely still worth watching.

I enjoyed the movie, but I think I like the show better. You take a decent film like that, and to make an adaptation that surpasses it overall, that's a colossal undertaking. There is no doubt they spent a good fortune on this series. The backdrop, dialogue, the story - all top notch. Don't expect this to be just like the movie, because it's not meant to be, and don't compare this to the novels (apples to oranges).

I haven't seen the Lead actor (Garcia-Rulfo) actually play lead in anything that I can recall, although he has showed up in some extraordinary films over the past decade. He captures this role exceedingly well, and I believe we are witnessing a long overdue opportunity for him. Surprisingly, he embodies the hero lawyer essence that is required for this role (as well as McConaughey did). I believe the success of the series hinges on this factor alone. Neve Campbell is great as always. She can't not act. The rest of the supporting cast are satisfactory, IMO. At least, they don't necessarily detract from the experience.

It's been years since we had a spectacular law series like The Practice (David E. Kelley), Boston Legal (David E. Kelley), Ally McBeal (David E. Kelley), The Good Wife (not Kelley), now The Lincoln Lawyer (David E. Kelley). If this proves to stand the test of time like all of his previous courtroom dramas, it will transcend everything currently on the air (for this genre, of course). Within the first 30 minutes I got the same thrills I recall so many years ago. Back in the day, we could only watch one episode per week as they were released, but now in the age of binge watching, I get to absorb this all in a weekend. I spent a good portion of my life with all of David E. Kelley's creations/productions, and I don't regret a moment of my misspent youth. The only question I have is, why did they wait so long to birth another great one?

Do we have whiffs of **** the police, here? Of course, but that's part of mainstream these days, and whether we like it or not, the organism that is the entertainment industry is married to this "culture". Accept it, and move on, otherwise you deny yourself some of the indulgences you deserve, such as The Lincoln Lawyer.

Entertainment value: 9. Acting: 6. Writing: 7. Cinematography: 8. Average: 7.5.

Very bold to give Manuel Garcia-Rulfo the lead... and it seems that it's hard for a lot of folks to take in... but his soft approach does the job and he's a great fit for LA. It seems that the entire character development was a gamble... I think one that will pay off in the long run. I should give it a 7... but it gets a 9 to counter balance the folks who are just plain wrong. I finished the series in 3 sittings... liked it a lot.

Very watchable The Storyline is perhaps a little predictable but none the poorer for this. A few twists and turns as is typical of the genre. I like the portrayal of the family and work dynamics.

For those that saw the movie, the TV series may seem somewhat lighter in delivery, however, it remains engaging ... well worth watching.