Legal thriller (not taken from a John Grisham novel or else it would have had a definite article at the head of its title) about a case of attempted murder in which the arrogant attempted murderer acts as his own attorney and the overconfident public prosecutor acts as a cat's-paw. The duel of wits is moderately diverting (until we have a moment or two to think it over), but one of the two duelists leaves a lot to be desired: the young Assistant D.A. with a ninety-seven-percent conviction rate and a cushy new job lined up in the private sector at an elite corporate law firm. In a role that demands self-confidence, Ryan Gosling can supply only self-consciousness. Ultra-casual, fidgety, mumbly, smart-alecky, he behaves like nothing so much as a college freshman intent on developing his own individual style after all the good styles have already been taken. He crinkles his brow, he bobs his head, he cocks an ear, he pulls his nose, he rubs his eyes, he squints, he snorts, he hunches his shoulders, he rocks on his heels, he chomps on a wad of gum-- he always has to be doing something, if simply to keep himself busy and get himself noticed. And any presiding judge or empanelled jury, witness to these antics, would be compelled to wonder privately, Who let Junior fly solo? Even at barely half-power, Anthony Hopkins, more or less playing Hannibal Lecter without the appetite, appears seriously undermatched against him. With David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, and Embeth Davidtz; directed by Gregory Hoblit. (2007) — Duncan Shepherd