The Lincoln Lawyer

I have to say I really had a good time watching The Lincoln Lawyer. It's about a down on his luck lawyer named Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) who takes over a successful practice after the lawyer in charge is murdered and leaves his entire practice including all his clients to Haller. Haller mostly world out of his Lincoln town car (hence why he's called The Lincoln Lawyer). He takes on all Tyler's of cases, some big some small. Even though some of it's unbelievable, you'll still have fun watching this. This show did so well that it was quickly renewed for season 2. Season 2 just came out and so far it's just as good, if not better, than the first.

Very watchable The Storyline is perhaps a little predictable but none the poorer for this. A few twists and turns as is typical of the genre. I like the portrayal of the family and work dynamics.

For those that saw the movie, the TV series may seem somewhat lighter in delivery, however, it remains engaging ... well worth watching.

Very bold to give Manuel Garcia-Rulfo the lead... and it seems that it's hard for a lot of folks to take in... but his soft approach does the job and he's a great fit for LA. It seems that the entire character development was a gamble... I think one that will pay off in the long run. I should give it a 7... but it gets a 9 to counter balance the folks who are just plain wrong. I finished the series in 3 sittings... liked it a lot.

The Lincoln Lawyer was actually better than I expected. I never read the books this was based off of but I did watch the Matthew McConaughey movie and thought it was pretty good but not worth making a series over. I really expected this to be some low budget rip off. I couldn't have been more wrong. I actually enjoyed it more than the movie. I wasn't going to watch it until I saw all the great reviews and that it was one of the most watched series of the year for Netflix. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo does a good job as the lead and Becky Newton, Neve Campbell, Angus Sampson, among others all do a fantastic job in supporting roles. While it's not the best lawyer show you'll ever see, it's definitely still worth watching.

I enjoyed the movie, but I think I like the show better. You take a decent film like that, and to make an adaptation that surpasses it overall, that's a colossal undertaking. There is no doubt they spent a good fortune on this series. The backdrop, dialogue, the story - all top notch. Don't expect this to be just like the movie, because it's not meant to be, and don't compare this to the novels (apples to oranges).

I haven't seen the Lead actor (Garcia-Rulfo) actually play lead in anything that I can recall, although he has showed up in some extraordinary films over the past decade. He captures this role exceedingly well, and I believe we are witnessing a long overdue opportunity for him. Surprisingly, he embodies the hero lawyer essence that is required for this role (as well as McConaughey did). I believe the success of the series hinges on this factor alone. Neve Campbell is great as always. She can't not act. The rest of the supporting cast are satisfactory, IMO. At least, they don't necessarily detract from the experience.

It's been years since we had a spectacular law series like The Practice (David E. Kelley), Boston Legal (David E. Kelley), Ally McBeal (David E. Kelley), The Good Wife (not Kelley), now The Lincoln Lawyer (David E. Kelley). If this proves to stand the test of time like all of his previous courtroom dramas, it will transcend everything currently on the air (for this genre, of course). Within the first 30 minutes I got the same thrills I recall so many years ago. Back in the day, we could only watch one episode per week as they were released, but now in the age of binge watching, I get to absorb this all in a weekend. I spent a good portion of my life with all of David E. Kelley's creations/productions, and I don't regret a moment of my misspent youth. The only question I have is, why did they wait so long to birth another great one?

Do we have whiffs of **** the police, here? Of course, but that's part of mainstream these days, and whether we like it or not, the organism that is the entertainment industry is married to this "culture". Accept it, and move on, otherwise you deny yourself some of the indulgences you deserve, such as The Lincoln Lawyer.

Entertainment value: 9. Acting: 6. Writing: 7. Cinematography: 8. Average: 7.5.