this film should be use a a training film for wannabe actor . anthony hopkins and ryan gosling and joe labruto all pull off stellar performance in this character drive how to prove who do it . the plot device be simple . engineer ted crawford ( hopkins ) shoot his wife . we saw him do it . he make very little effort ( apparently ) to hide it . surely an assistant da head into big time private law firm will have no trouble prove it . what the ada and willy beachum and do not realize be that one of the first responder to the apparent hostage taking and shooting at the crawford home be detective robert nunnally and whose affair with the shoot victim be what drive crawford to commit the crime in the first place . the cat and mouse between beachum and crawford game that ensue require strong act performance to carry the story along . fortunately and gosling be up to the challenge of appear alongside hopkins . the two men play off one another brilliantly and move the story along to it foreseeable twist end . the subplot concern beachum contemplation of the lucrative offer from the gigantic law firm and complete with romantic interest and be not so well do and but generally this be an entertaining film carry by the spell bind interaction of the two lead .