Fracture (New Line) could hardly be more generic; its plotting and execution isn't that far removed from a run-of-the-mill CBS procedural. But as an acting showcase, it's a blast to watch. As a supremely arrogant man who murders his wife, confesses the crime, and still wriggles off the hook, Anthony Hopkins gives a performance that's like a monument to his own sense of intellectual superiority. He's matched toe-to-toe by Ryan Gosling, whose work as a cocky young prosecutor uses all the Method tics in his arsenal…
It's a shame that a smart neo-noir like The Lookout (Universal) didn't find much of an audience in theaters, because it should have been a breakout role for the remarkable Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who brings intensity and range to the part of a brain-damaged night janitor roped into a robbery scheme. Writer-director Scott Frank didn't put much originality into the script—it's basically a more streamlined version of Memento—but the film works beautifully as a character piece about a young man trying to assert himself through crippling guilt and disability…
Making his Hollywood debut, Kontroll director Nimród Antal brings impressive economy and speed to Vacancy (Sony), a tight horror film about a bickering married couple (Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale) who pull over at the wrong roadside motel. The early scenes with scene-stealer Frank Whaley as the creepy motel manager promise some sharp black comedy to go along with the scares, but the film settles into a more meat-and-potatoes thriller. Still, it's only 80 minutes long, which is a big plus…
David Lynch had complete creative control over Inland Empire (Absurda/Rhino), an epic descent into the dark side of Hollywood that feels as if it was ported from his dreams. It's alternately fascinating and intolerable, but even non-devotees will be impressed with Laura Dern's work in the lead role.
