Sommerleigh Pollonais, Senior Writer
I’m not sure about you but I really enjoyed The Lincoln Lawyer movie, starring Mr. A’right A’right A’right himself, Matthew McConaughey. So it was a no-brainer that I would be checking out the series based off the novels by Michael Connelly. I even rewatched the movie first to make refresh my memory of Mickey Haller, the charming LA attorney who gains his nickname because of his penchant of working out of his classic Lincoln with its cheeky license plate that states, NTGLTY.
Quick side note—this character and his cases exist in the same universe as that of Harry Bosch of the series Bosch and if you were a fan of The Wire and are looking for a stellar series to replace it, I HIGHLY recommend checking out Bosch.
But we’re not here to talk that or about the 2011 film, instead I want to talk about the Netflix series based on the books. This time Mickey Haller is played by actor Manuel Garica-Rulfo possibly most well known in his role as Vasquez in the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven. I’m not going to lie to you, it took me an episode or two before I accepted Garica-Rulfo in the role. Let’s face it, everyone is going to compare him to McConaguhey and I did as well. Where the latter has that natural “southern” charm and swagger, Garcia-Rulfo’s version of Mickey Haller starts off a bit more reserved, almost shy in the role, but with a little time, and as the actor gains his footing in the role and in this world, his natural charisma shines through and it wasn’t long before this version of the Lincoln Lawyer had me by the heartstrings.
Joining Garcia-Rulfo is Neve Campbell of Scream fame as his first wife Maggie McPherson, Becki Newton as his second wife Lorna (I should mention he’s divorced from both women), Krista Warner as his daughter Hayley, Jazz Raycole as his client turned driver/friend Izzy Letts and one of my favourite character actors Angus Sampson as his investigator Cisco. Of course, being a series, there are a ton of other players and each one leaves their mark, which speaks volumes on how well the ten-episode season is written and executed.
I binged the entire thing in one sitting; considering each episode is almost an hour long, that should tell you how engrossing I found The Lincoln Lawyer. Not only was the case a complex and suspenseful affair, but they also build on the second season (which looks to be based off the same novel the movie was) without sacrificing the quality of their main story. I’m eager to see how they go about this since we’ve already seen that story play out on the big screen but then again, maybe there’s more to that one. And as any book fan will tell you, we miss so much when we don’t read the source material.
Either way, The Lincoln Lawyer’s first season is a solid one, chock full of likeable lead characters, suspense, drama and a lead who makes the role all his own. Whether you’ve seen the movie, are a fan of the books or are just looking for something new to watch, The Lincoln Lawyer is a binge-worthy delight.
Score: 8 out of 10
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes.
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