Brad Furman directs Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe and Marisa Tomei in this courtroom thriller about an amoral defence attorney who picks up a client he soon wishes he hadn’t. 

Gritty and gorgeous but never all that gripping. A fine cast and a strong concept is leaned on a little too heavily for the sake of hurried storytelling. At one point William H Macy taps out of the film as an exposition spouter, only for Bryan Cranston to tag in for the same purpose the very next scene. While it is all very watchable, the rush through the bullet point plot never gives you that satisfying set piece or memorable face off that would justify all the machinations.

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