Lügenspiel

Keanu reeves, renee zellweger. And a rare, more serious role for jim belushi. Ramsey is the attorney trying to defend a teenager being tried for murder, as an adult. But his client isn't talking, so this will make his defense so much more difficult than it might be. A lot happens. Surprises come out at the trial. It's the job of the jury to figure out who is telling the truth. And who is not. It's quite good. We skip over some legal points, and some presentation of evidence guidelines, but oh well. Minor details for the film, i guess. Written by nicholas kazan.. he was nominated for Reversal of Fortune. Directed by courtney hunt; nominated for Frozen River 2009.

The Whole Truth starring Keanu Reeves playing a defense attorney to a case of a teen accused of murdering his father. The case here works because Reeves character is portraying a defense attorney to a close friend of the son, and mother. Typically in courtroom dramas, there can be no close friend-type relationship.

The acting is very solid, and the film isn't too long which it doesn't drag on or become stale in several parts. It might have a slow build up but within each clue and piece of evidence, it pays off in the end.

The ending is offered in a slightly different tone, and may feature a unique twist (and I believe it works here). Looking back, now knowing the ending, there are several little clues along the way. here are some questionable motives of each characters, especially of the son Mike and his behaviour throughout (he is soft spoken and mostly mute throughout), but the answers come out in the end. Otherwise, the Whole Truth is a very solid and entertaining thriller. Worth the watch.

Courtroom dramas are interesting and this one is a fine addition. Nothing that fancy or over- stylish, it's basically very straightforward and has a simple style. But, that's OK because it works for this film. It doesn't try to be anything it isn't. The scenarios and the dialogue is all very well handled and thought out. It makes you think twice a few times as well.

Some scenes really work and have great tension and intrigue. Especially whenever there is a court scene. Some aspects would have been nice to have seen explored more like when they explain how to tell if someone is lying when testifying.

Keanu Reeves does a good job here and isn't so stale like some people like to say he usually is. There might be some truth in that for some films, but here you can see that he stepped up his effort. The role was originally set to be played by Daniel Craig, and I can definitely see how his acting style would have worked well for the character. It's a shame he dropped out last minute, but Reeves makes the character his own and you can understand his motivations.

The ending was unexpected and included a strange little twist which the movie could have done without and still worked well and perhaps in some ways been more effective.

The film is interesting if you want a mystery with some turns and it has some captivating courthouse scenes which are in some moments disturbing.

An easy watch, you don't have to concentrate too much and I was able to check my phone, make a cup of tea etc without missing anything important. It's not a bad movie and a kind of interesting storyline, but I felt there could have been more.. or it could have been longer. It ended a bit oddly, and as a mother reviewer said, it feels like it ended in the middle of the story.

All of the characters had potential for more development, and to dig a bit deeper into their background, lives and their future. Especially the Mother, and the son. Nobody really stood out as the main characters.

Perhaps the story could have been better as a short series. I expected a bit more intensity.

It's nice to see Keanu Reeves in a mature role. He's capable of great subtlety in his acting, and he does a great turn in this movie. Renee Zellweger, likewise. Gugu Mbatha-Raw was terrific, doing a lot with a not very sympathetic character. Actually, everybody did a good job, including Gabriel Basso. It's really Keanu Reeves' movie, though. It was kind of low-key, which I appreciated. I don't like court-room drama novels or movies, and was pleasantly surprised.