Fracture (2007)-Summary
Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins), a wealthy aeronautical engineer in Los Angeles, confirms that his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), is having an affair with police detective Robert Nunally (Billy Burke).
Crawford confronts Jenifer and ends up shooting her. Police is called, including Nunally, who enters the house cautiously, negotiating with Crawford for both to put down their guns. Crawford confesses he shot his wife. Recognizing the victim, and being subtly goaded by Crawford, Nunally becomes enraged and assaults him.
Now in jail awaiting trial, Crawford engages in a battle of wits with rising star deputy district attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), who considers the case an open-and-shut matter and agrees to go to trial immediately. Beachum is preparing to transition from criminal law to a corporate attorneyship at well-known law firm Wooton & Simms, and flirts with his future boss, Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike).
At the trial, Crawford acts as his own attorney, thereby matching himself, an untrained litigant, against a star prosecutor. Crawford informs the court that Nullally was having an affair with his wife, assaulted him during his arrest, and was present during his interrogation. Crawford's confession is ruled inadmissible as evidence. Beachum discovers that Crawford's handgun could not have been used in the shooting because it does not match shell casings at the crime scene and in fact has never been fired. This baffles police, since CCTV surveillance was in effect during the shooting and until Crawford's arrest.
Nunally comes up with a scheme to plant false evidence to implicate Crawford, which Beachum rejects. With no new evidence to present, Beachum has to concede the trial, and Crawford is acquitted. Disgraced, Nunally commits suicide outside the court.
Beachum's future with the prestigious firm is now in scraps. However, he begins to see his D.A. job as a means to fight for justice for those such as Crawford's wife. Crawford himself observes the change, commenting sarcastically on it.
This motivates Beachum to continue searching for evidence, almost obsessively. Realizing that Crawford's plan is to dispose of the only eyewitness to the crime, Beachum obtains a court order to keep Jennifer on life support. He arrives at the hospital, but is unable to prevent staff turning off her life support.
A mix-up of cell phones causes Beachum to realize that Nunally and Crawford both used the same type of gun, a .45 caliber Glock 21. He figures out that before the crime Crawford must have switched his and Nunally's guns in the hotel room where Jennifer and Nunally secretly met.
Crawford had shot his wife with Nunally's gun, then reloaded it. The detective had arrived on the scene carrying Crawford's gun, and both had put down their weapons as a preliminary move in negotiations. When Nunally had recognized the victim, rushing over to Jennifer, Crawford had switched the guns again, retrieving his own, unused, weapon. When Crawford had reappeared brandishing his gun, Nunally had tackled and assaulted him, before Crawford's arrest. Nunally had then unwittingly holstered the murder weapon, allowing the unused gun be taken as evidence.
Beachum confronts Crawford with his deductions. With Jennifer now dead, the bullet lodged in her head can now be retrieved and matched with Nunally's gun. Crawford confesses, confident he is protected by the principle of Double Jeopardy. However, Beachum drily informs him that by allowing his wife to die, Crawford can now be prosecuted for murder, having previously been tried merely for attempted murder.
Crawford is arrested by waiting police.
The film ends with a new trial about to begin, with Beachum prosecuting and Crawford surrounded by a team of highly paid defense attorneys from Wooton & Simms.
