By Jessica Mitchell

A smarter thriller

In 1991, the Academy Award for Best Actor went to Anthony Hopkins for his iconic portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” His new film, “Fracture,” cashes in on Hopkins’ uncanny ability to embody a complete psychopath.

In “Fracture,” Ted Crawford, played by Hopkins, is an aeronautical engineer who discovers his wife is cheating on him. The discovery drives him to murder her in an unmeditated act of passion.

Willy Beachum, the prosecutor on the case, played by Ryan Gosling, believes he has a conviction in the bag: he has the murder weapon and a signed confession. But not everything is as it seems in this supposedly open and shut case.

The film quickly turns into a cat and mouse game. However, the pace moves too slowly to keep the viewer attentive to the twists; there are at least 20 minutes of dispensable dialogue between each new development.

Things get increasingly bogged down by a completely unnecessary romantic subplot involving Gosling’s character and his implausibly young and attractive boss. Once the plot finally reaches its climax, the film’s inevitable twist ending is more subtle than expected, but still disturbing enough to leave an impact.

The film is carried by the performances of the two leading men. Gosling delivers an understated, but gripping performance as the prosecutor who becomes increasingly obsessed with the case. Hopkins executes his role with a shrewd and calculated air; his nonchalant attitude concerning his crime is palpable throughout the movie and this makes his character all the more terrifying.

The high points of the film are the interrogation scenes between the two characters. They are well-written and perfectly acted, often darkly funny and always clever. In one of the best exchanges in the film, Willy tells Ted he won’t give into his mind games. Hopkins replies, in his signature deadpan, “I’m afraid you have to, old sport.”

Directed by Gregory Hoblit, who mainly works in television, “Fracture” surprises audiences with interesting cinematography and slick directing. Some of the imagery is breathtaking, and unexpected camera angles add to the suspense.

The faults of this film are overshadowed by the great performances and the suspenseful and clever plot. As Hopkins’ character says in an interrogation scene, “Look closely enough and you’ll find everything has its weak spot.”

If more of the film had hit the cutting room floor, it is possible “Fracture” wouldn’t have had a weak spot. While the film probably won’t reach the iconic status of “Silence of the Lambs,” it is a pleasant surprise in a sea of recent disappointing attempts at thrillers.

Comedy not worth the wait

You’ve probably never heard of “The Ex,” which was originally slated to come out in 2006 under the title “Fast Track.” It was delayed six months, presumably to re-edit and rework the script, and the title was changed.

The production company shouldn’t have wasted its time; even after the delay, “The Ex” is still a terrible movie.

“The Ex” stars Zach Braff as Tom, a soon-to-be father who has just been fired from his job. His wife, Sofia, played by Amanda Peet, convinces him to move to the suburbs and take a job at an advertising company where his father-in-law works.

Sofia fails to mention that her ex-boyfriend Chip, played by Jason Bateman, also works there. Chip is a “handi-capable” advertising executive who seems to run the company and is still in love with Sofia.

The film, which starts out as a story of a man trying to come to grips with adulthood and his new family, quickly turns into a predictable battle of wits. Or in the case of “The Ex,” a lack of wit.

Chip and Tom begin a battle royale for supremacy at work and for Sofia, and it is a battle filled with pointless and implausible gags, including an incredibly violent wheelchair basketball game, pornography put on Tom’s computer and a huge fight about yogurt.

The antics fall flat, every other line has pointless vulgarity and there are too many physical jokes that don’t succeed. Also, the script is inane and relies too heavily on jokes based on Chip’s disability and Tom’s ridiculous business failures. The entire film comes off as desperate, as though the writers and actors would try anything to force even a few laughs out of this mess.

The plot becomes more twisted and contrived as Sofia moves out, his father-in-law loses his job and Tom is about to lose everything he loves. Despite all of this, it is difficult to feel sympathy for the insipid, idiotic characters. Tom is ineffectual and stupid, Chip is incredibly deranged and Sofia is boring and annoying simultaneously.

It didn’t matter who ended up happy and who ended up alone.

Clocking in at only 89 minutes, “The Ex” feels like it lasts an eternity. The resolution of the film is only satisfying because the film ends. With such a talented cast, it is a shame that this film couldn’t live up to its comedic potential. Instead, “The Ex” is mean-spirited, distasteful and pointless.