Gregory Hoblit
Il Caso Thomas Crawford

Anthony Hopkins plays the role of a wealthy aerospace engineer and creator of fanciful structures on which he loves to roll marbles. A seemingly calm man, who after a day behind the desk goes home and shoots his charming wife in the face, guilty of having betrayed him. A crime of passion, therefore, but also lucidly premeditated. The director then presents a showcase of the world of district attorneys in the county; one of whom, a rising and carefree assistant at the same time (Ryan Gosling), finds himself assigned to a case that he will accept only to fill the time before joining an important corporation... If it weren't for the fact that the apparent simplicity of the case, as well as the condescension towards the accused considered insane even for the choice to represent himself, are suddenly shattered by the revelation that the inspector who proceeded with the arrest and interrogation was the lover of the victim. All this is skillfully captured by Gregory Hoblit's direction, which suffuses each modern and luxurious shot of Los Angeles with twilight, pleasantly intertwining shadows and reflections of light.

The film then moves onto the trial track, where Hopkins gives his best, acquiring a streak of immodesty in addition to the arrogance of roles that have made him famous, albeit less over-the-top. The challenge is open; the clash is between two individuals, but also between good and evil; a challenge from which the young man can no longer retreat, despite it forcing him to risk his career and his romantic relationship with his boss. But is it enough to have justice and good feelings on your side against an opponent capable of making the murder weapon vanish just before the police arrive?... Before reaching the answer, there is still room for a race against time for the victim's life, miraculously survived, thus leading to a finale that has the great merit of not watering down the excellent premises of the film by revealing strategies too complex to be believable or, conversely, too trivial: the solution to the enigma is within reach of everyone, just difficult to see. Finally, it is impossible not to praise the performances of both protagonists in this film with Hitchcockian reminiscences, to which are added the performances of the supporting actors.