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4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Review: THE LINCOLN LAWYER

Aug 14, 2017 Posted by in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Top Los Angeles criminal defense attorney Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) has found a way to streamline his business, working out of his 1987 Lincoln Town Car, and meeting with clients as driver Earl (Laurence Mason) makes his way through traffic and between the city’s various courthouses. While Haller is a great lawyer, he also has street smarts and can be a bit of a scammer/hustler—whether it’s convincing a client that he needs extra money to fly in a non-existant trial expert, or getting a client to pay for a fake paparazzi tape, he always seems to have some money-making scheme up his sleeve.

Haller is already juggling several clients when friend Val Valenzuela (John Leguizamo) tells him about a potential new case involving a young man, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), who has been accused of raping and murdering a woman he met in a bar. Louis maintains his innocence, claiming that he’s been set up by someone trying to exhort money from his wealthy family. Haller sees a chance to make some quick money, but after he takes on the case, he starts to discover that his client may have been less than honest about his motives, and soon finds himself embroiled in a dangerous situation of lies, deception and revenge that puts his life and those he loves in peril. Now Haller must put those street smarts to good use and get creative with the law in order to get justice…and escape this situation alive.

The film’s talented cast also includes Marisa Tomei as Maggie McPherson, Haller’s ex who works as a prosecutor for the state; Josh Lucas as Ted Minton, another prosecutor for the state; William H. Macy as Frank Levin, Haller’s private investigator; Michael Peña as Jesus Martinez, a past, convicted client of Haller’s; Frances Fisher as Mary Windsor, the mother of Louis Roulet; and Bryan Cranston as Detective Lankord, the cop looking into the case.

The Lincoln Lawyer is an exciting thriller. I had seen the film when it was first released 6 years ago, but I had forgotten many of the twists and turns, so it was like watching it again for the first time. The writers have done an excellent job of keeping you guessing as to who’s lying, what really happened, and what the motives are.

As the film opens, Haller is driving around meeting with all of his various clients. At first it seems like we are being introduced to an excessive number of characters. However, these characters all pop up later in the film, each serving a specific purpose to help move the story along. Also, in the process of meeting all of these clients, we get an excellent sense of Haller’s hectic day and the reason for his unique business arrangement. The rest of the film plays out as a mix of psychological and cat-and-mouse thriller. Just when you think you know what’s happening, there’s some sort of twist or event that changes everything, causing you to question things once again.

Matthew McConaughey is perfectly cast in this role. He has the charm and charisma to not only believable as a lawyer, but also as a guy who’s had a life full of experiences and acquired street smarts. He’s partnered up with an amazingly talented supporting cast, making this an engaging drama.

Lionsgate’s new 4K Ultra HD release includes both a new 4K UHD disc as well as a Blu-ray disc identical to the one from the original 2011 Blu-ray release. The original Blu-ray release already had impressive audio and near-perfect video presentation, and the new 4K version makes some slight improvements. There is enhanced detail in some of the darker scenes, as well as in the actors’ faces in most scenes. The only issue I had with the UHD picture was some brief pixelation in the bright background about 38 minutes into the film, which I didn’t see on the Blu-ray. The UHD disc contains a new Dolby Atmos audio track, which sounds great. Dialogue is clear, and the surround and stereo channels are well-utilized to bring the general atmosphere and the action scenes to life. However, I didn’t really notice any use of the height channel, and couldn’t really discern much of a difference between the new Atmos track and the 7.1 DTS-HD MA track from the original Blu-ray.

Both discs come packed in standard eco-friendly UHD keepcase with a rounded-corner slipcover. The case also contains an insert with instructions to redeem an UltraViolet Digital HD copy of the film. At the time of this review, Vudu was the only redemption option, and the code only redeems in HDX format, not 4K.

While there were no new bonus features created specifically for this release, all of the bonus features from the Blu-ray disc have also been ported over to the 4K Ultra HD disc as well. The supplemental material includes three behind-the-scenes/interview featurettes and four deleted scenes, with a total runtime of about 33 minutes.



What’s Included:

Film: (1:58:28)

4K Ultra HD:

  • 2160p / Widescreen 2.35:1
  • HDR
  • Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late-Night Listening, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
  • Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Blu-ray:

  • 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
  • Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
  • Subtitles: English, English SDH, Spanish

Digital HD (Redemption Deadline 8/15/2018):

  • Digital HD copy redeemable via Vudu
    Only redeems in HD, Vudu does not currently offer this title in 4K UHD

Extras:
The 4K UHD disc does not include any new supplemental material, but all of the Blu-ray features from the 2011 Blu-ray have been ported over.

  • Making the Case: Creating The Lincoln Lawyer (13:40)
    Author Michael Connelly talks about how he got the idea for the book, and putting his trust in others to bring his novel to life. The other participants talk about adapting the novel, the story, characters and world of the film, casting the movie, and finding the right director. Includes interviews with producers Tom Rosenberg & Gary Lucchesi, screenwriter John Romano, director Brad Furman, and actors Matthew McConaughey (“Mick Haller”), Ryan Phillipe (“Louis Roulet”), Josh Lucas (“Ted Minton”), Michael Peña (“Jesus Martinez”), William H. Macy (“Frank Levin”) and John Leguizamo (“Val Valenzuela”).
  • Michael Connelly: At Home on the Road (10:16)
    Author Michael Connelly gives viewers a driving tour of the Los Angeles, visting some of the locations from the movie while also discussing his own experiences and influences as a writer.
  • One On One with Matthew McConaughey and Michael Connelly (5:28)
    On the set of the film, author Michael Connelly interviews actor Matthew McConaughey about his character. Then the actor flips things and asks the author what he thinks about the actors’ portrayals of his characters.
  • Deleted Scenes (4:07)
    Collection of four short deleted scenes. Play All or select from “Check It Out”, “Good Night”, “The Car is Fun” and “Officer Maxwell”.
  • Also From Lionsgate (10:16)
    Trailers for “Conan The Barbarian”, “Warrior”, “The Next Three Days” and “The Conspirator”. (Blu-ray disc only)

 


Final Thoughts:

My Rating
Film:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Highly Recommended

The Lincoln Lawyer is an exciting thriller that is filled with twists and turns that will keep the viewer surprised and guessing till the end. Lionsgate’s new 4K Ultra HD release provides some slight enhancements over an already stellar Blu-ray presentation. While there are no new bonus features included on this release, all of the previous material has been ported over. If you’re looking for an entertaining thriller, hop into your Lincoln and head to the store to pick this up!