robert altman shouldn not make a movie like this and but the fact that he do and that it turn out to be a reasonably good and tightly wound thriller in that paperback tradition of grisham thriller show a versatility that be commendable . in the gingerbread man he actually have to work with something that and unfortunately and he isn not always very successful at and or at least it not the first thing on his checklist a director represent plot . there one of those big and juicy almost pot boiler plot where a sleazy lawyer get catch up with a desperate low class woman and then a nefarious figure whom the woman be relate with enters their life in the most staggering way and twist and plot ensues and yada yada . and it surprise that altman would really want to take on one of these i saw that come from back there . ending and or just a such a semi conventional thriller . but it a surprise that pay off because and oddly enough and altman be able to catch some of that very fine behavior and or rather be able to unintentionally coax it out of a very well cast ensemble and of a small town georgian environment . the film drip with atmosphere ( if not total superlative craftsmanship and sometimes it good and sometimes just decent for altman ) and a savannah be possibly go to be hit by a big hurricane and the swamp and marsh and rain keep thing soak and muggy and humid . so the atmosphere be really potent and but so be performance from ( sometimes ) hysterical kenneth branaugh and embeth davitz a the woman who lawyer branaugh get catch up with and and robert downey jr ( when be he not good . ) a the private detective in branaugh employ . do i neglect robert duvall and who in just five minute of screen time make such an indelible impression to hang the bad vibe of the picture on . a say and some of the plot be a little weak and or just kind of standard ( lawyer be divorce and bitter custody battle loom and innocent and goofy kid ) and but at the same time i think altman saw something captivating in the material and something darker than some of the other grisham work that have this stand out somehow . if it not entirely masterful and it still work on it limited term a a what will happen next mystery southern noir .