"Fracture": B

Take Hannibal Lecter's character, give him a young counterpart in the form of a hot shot prosecuting attorney and put them amidst a murder mystery and you have the essence of "Fracture." Not to mention there's a twist ending, and while it doesn't rank with classic twists like "The Usual Suspects," it's still clever.\nWhile the film has the feel of a mystery flick, it is not a mystery by any means. In fact, early in the plot we see Ted Crawford (Hopkins), a brilliant and wealthy engineer, shoot his unfaithful wife in the face. Coupled with a hand-signed confession, this should make for an open-and-shut case, right? \nEnter detective Rob Nunally (Billy Burke), the first officer on the crime scene, who happens to be having an affair with Crawford's wife. Crawford uses this discreet knowledge to his advantage when acting as his own legal defense in trial. His opponent is a young and nearly unbeaten assistant D.A., Willy Beachum (Gosling). Because Beachum is weeks away from a new life in corporate law, he is not on top of his game when hastily assigned to the seemingly slam-dunk case. \nIt immediately turns into a game of cat and mouse between the seasoned Hopkins and the recently Oscar-nominated Gosling ('Half Nelson'). For the most part, their encounters are witty, and a particular scene is quite reminiscent of Lecter's psychoanalyses of Clarice Starling. Based on the simple fact that Crawford has inexplicably managed to conceal the murder weapon, the case against him is weak (this movie does well at exposing the flaws in our legal system). \nThough in general the acting is quality, the stars of the film hardly attempt to explore new territory. Hopkins delivers a more expressive version of his Oscar-winning role and Gosling is his same charming, wise-guy self. But the performances are secondary to the intelligent, albeit sometimes silly, plot. \nMore of a court room crime drama than what appears in the trailers, director Gregory Hoblit follows in the vain of his well-known film "Primal Fear" (1996). Nothing groundbreaking but packaged with an ending that pays off.