As a smart, dressy, but not upscale lawyer whose main office seems to be his Lincoln (a very L.A. touch), Matthew McConaughey has a career high. He defends a pretty-boy heir (Ryan Phillippe, having his own peak) who is into sordid kinks with prostitutes. That torques into an old murder case. Brad Furman directed for speed and hard grit, and John Romano scripted from a novel by Michael Connelly, a savvy disciple of Raymond Chandler. This neo-noir has humor, good lines, and punchy moments of impact, and McConaughey is the engine that drives it. With Marisa Tomei, Josh Lucas, Frances Fisher, John Leguizamo, William H. Macy. (2011) — David Elliott
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