Although Ted Crawford's (Anthony Hopkins) crime in Fracture is murder, it's Hopkins theft that will captivate audiences. Whether sparring with hotshot lawyer Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling) or showing zero emotion after pulling the trigger on his own wife, Hopkins steals every scene he's in. He can switch from naïve old man to cold-blooded murderer in a wink of an eye.

Fracture isn't your average whodunit, because well ... they tell you who did it at the very onset of the film. Motive is given as well, since it's evident that his wife is cheating on him. The real suspense lies in how Ted Crawford will get away with shooting his wife after admitting his guilt.

Beachum is the wrench in the mix as a lawyer with one foot out of the door of the Los Angeles district attorney's office and one into the world of private law. He expects the case to finish quickly as the defendant was found at the crime scene and confessed to the murder.

Beachum is hooked on finding a way to convict the killer, despite discovering certain extenuating circumstances that void the confession given by Crawford.

Since the audience knows Crawford is in fact is guilty, they're bent on Beachum's success.

While there are some pacing issues and unnecessary scenes, director Gregory Hoblit hits the mark many times in this film. By allowing for little character development, he blurs the lines between good and evil.

While there might be very little depth to some characters, they each have their purpose. Rosamund Pike's role as Beachum's new boss seemingly shows pure intentions to help Beachum in his struggle, but by the end as she refuses to help him, we discover she's ingrained into her own corporate advancement.

The nuances of Gosling and Hopkins bounce off each other with relative ease.

They don't try to outdo one another with their individual personalities and instead the actors take the shell of a character they've each been given and create a palpable rivalry.

Its obvious Gosling and Hopkins had as much of an enjoyable time in their roles as their characters did digging proverbial knives into each other.

Each actor pulls every punch they can to entertain in the same way each character strives to cut down each other's egos to win their game of cat and mouse.

Grade: A-

-- Reviewed by Jim DiGiuseppe