The Lincoln Lawyer

Mick Haller is a charismatic defense attorney who does business out of his Lincoln Continental sedan. Mick spends most of his time defending petty crooks and other bottom-feeders, so it comes as quite a surprise when he lands the case of a lifetime: defending a Beverly Hills playboy who is accused of attempted murder. However, what Mick initially thinks is an open-and-shut case with a big monetary reward develops into something more sinister.

A solidly entertaining courtroom thriller that critics mostly enjoyed without being dazzled by — the consensus settles around McConaughey's charismatic lead performance doing more heavy lifting than the formulaic plotting deserves. Audience enthusiasm ran noticeably warmer than critical opinion, suggesting the film plays better as unpretentious genre fun than as a serious legal drama.