In “Fracture,” Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) is an Assistant District Attorney in Los Angeles with one foot out the door on his way to a bigger, better position in corporate law at a prestigious firm. In his final weeks at the D.A.’s office, Willy, whose impeccable record speaks for itself, is handed a case that shouldn’t present a problem for the rising legal star.

Anthony Hopkins stars as Ted Crawford, the man Willy is charged with prosecuting. Ted shot his wife after discovering she has been having an affair. Upon his arrest, Ted freely admits to the hostage negotiator that he shot his wife. So, the case shouldn’t take much effort on Willy’s part, right? That’s what Willy thinks, but not so fast. As it turns out, the arresting officer, who was also witness to both Ted’s verbal and written confessions, was the man with whom Ted’s wife was having an affair.

With the confession thrown out, Willy must find a way to make the charges stick. The one piece of evidence that Willy can pin to Ted, the weapon, has not turned up, and time is running out. If Willy fails to keep Ted behind bars, his job at the law firm is gone and his future in law will become questionable.

Hopkins, a three time Academy Award nominee and one time winner, hits the screen with the heavy punch audiences have grown accustomed to seeing during his 40 year career. His cool, calculated portrayal of mastermind killer Ted Crawford is chilling and fascinating at once. His confident assumption of the killing character is further evidence of Hopkins total mastery of his profession.

Gosling nails the role of the charming and slightly over-confident assistant D.A. Though he is best known for his role in the teary romantic film “The Notebook,” it was his portrayal of a drug addicted urban teacher in “Half Nelson” that earned Gosling an Oscar nomination this year.

Gosling’s natural talent and attention to detail (Gosling is responsible for rewriting the ending of “Fracture” after it was decided that the original ending wasn’t the best possible conclusion to the film), bode well for the young actor. Comparisons have been made to the likes of Sean Penn and other notorious actors, but Gosling seems to be making a name all his own, with his consistently powerful performances.

The supporting cast isn’t much to sniff at either, and includes veteran David Strathairn, Embeth Davidtz, Rosamund Pike and Cliff Curtis. While Hopkins and Gosling are clearly the stars of “Fracture,” the film is rounded out by the supporting cast.

The film does well in balancing the human emotions that go along with the cat-and-mouse suspense of the story.

With a solid story and a brilliant cast, “Fracture” delivers on what so many films have tried and failed to do with the crime thriller genre.

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