Matthew McConaughey on a red carpet.Image via mpi099/MediaPunch/INSTARimages
By
Chris McPherson
Published Feb 7, 2026, 7:00 PM EST
Chris is a Senior News Writer for Collider. He can be found in an IMAX screen, with his eyes watering and his ears bleeding for his own pleasure. He joined the news team in 2022 and accidentally fell upwards into a senior position despite his best efforts.
For reasons unknown, he enjoys analyzing box office receipts, giant sharks, and has become known as the go-to man for all things Bosch, Mission: Impossible and Christopher Nolan in Collider's news division. Recently, he found himself yeehawing along to the Dutton saga on the Yellowstone Ranch.
He is proficient in sarcasm, wit, Photoshop and working unfeasibly long hours. Amongst his passions sit the likes of the history of the Walt Disney Company, the construction of theme parks, steam trains and binge-watching Gilmore Girls with a coffee that is just hot enough to scald him.
His obsession with the Apple TV+ series Silo is the subject of mockery within the Senior News channel, where his feelings about Taylor Sheridan's work are enough to make his fellow writers roll their eyes.
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There was a stretch of time when a Matthew McConaughey movie felt less like an event and more like a coin toss you were probably going to lose. Rom-coms, half-baked adventures, and paycheck gigs piled up, often coasting on his grin and easygoing swagger rather than strong material. Then came The Lincoln Lawyer — the movie that figured out exactly how to weaponize that swagger, from the creator of Bosch.
In the 2011 legal thriller, McConaughey plays Mick Haller, a slick Los Angeles defense attorney who operates out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car. He’s not the kind of lawyer with a fancy downtown office, but he knows the system inside and out, greasing the wheels with clerks, bailiffs, and courtroom regulars who help keep his cases moving. Where The Lincoln Lawyer separates itself from your average courtroom procedural is in how it turns the legal system into a trap for its own hero. Mick prides himself on knowing every angle of the law, but that expertise starts to box him in once he realizes he may be defending a truly guilty man.
The cast also includes the likes of Ryan Phillippe as Louis Roulet, Marisa Tomei as Maggie McPherson, William H. Macy as Frank Levin, John Leguizamo as Val Valenzuela, Bryan Cranston as Detective Lankford, and Shea Whigham as Jesus Martinez.
Is 'The Lincoln Lawyer' Worth Watching?
Collider’s review stated that The Lincoln Lawyer succeeded largely because McConaughey finally found a role that played to his strengths, turning a familiar legal thriller into a slick, entertaining ride. As fast-talking defense attorney Mick Haller, who works out of the back of his Lincoln, McConaughey’s natural charm and swagger energized a story that might otherwise have felt routine.
"McConaughey owns the film, but the majority of the supporting cast is equally terrific. I can't believe it, but after MacGruber and now this, I'm starting to become a fan of Ryan Phillippe. He holds his own against McConaughey and clearly is having some fun playing the villain without chewing the scenery. McConaughey's giant grinning mug on a movie poster is usually a warning sign, but The Lincoln Lawyer finally offers him a character that suits his irascible persona in a way that feels fresh and exciting. Let's hope it doesn't take McConaughey another ten years to find a leading role that plays to his strengths."
The Lincoln Lawyer is streaming for free on Tubi.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Like Follow Followed R Crime Drama Thriller Release Date March 17, 2011 Runtime 119 minutes Director Brad Furman Writers Michael Connelly, John Romano Producers Gary Lucchesi, Richard S. Wright, Sidney Kimmel, Tom Rosenberg, Scott SteindorffCast
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Matthew McConaughey
Mickey Haller
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Ryan Phillippe
Louis Roulet
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The Lincoln Lawyer
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Matthew McConaughey
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