The Whole Truth (DVD) – Movie Review
Trials can get messy, especially when the case is about a murder with the son as the criminal. These type of cases surely are a tangled web of mysteries and it is hard to find the truth. Michael is in such a position, as he brutally stabbed his own flesh and blood. The question remains why he did it, as no one would do something like that without a real motive. The question rises if everyone is telling the truth of course.
You’re following the trial of Michael ‘Mike’ Lassiter (Gabriel Basso) who has confessed to have killed his father Boone (Jim Belushi). Since that specific moment, he stopped speaking. Even his mother Loretta (Renée Zellweger) can’t get through to him. She hired their dearest friend Richard Ramsey (Keanu Reeves) as their lawyer. They both hope to keep him out of jail, especially as he has a rather bright future ahead of him in the law system. Ramsey hires a new assistant, the lovely Janelle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), to help him with this case. From her new mentor, she learns some tricks of the trade while ploughing through the amount of work. Of course, with no talking client, it is hard to even make a case, especially when he already confessed and everything points in his direction. Eventually, some horrific things start to bubble and the whole truth is uncovered.
At the start of the movie, you might think that you’ve walked into a trap. Yet another lawyer movie with a cheesy plot and bad acting. Well, less is true. It might be a bit hard to get into the flow but the several aspects are shown beautifully. For instance, when witnesses are questioned, you can see flashbacks of what actually transpired. This gives a rather fun view of the case as you get a different point of view. Even more, the events that follow up surely have some unforeseen plot twist and at the end all pieces of the puzzle match perfectly.
It isn’t really clear how much time passed between the incidents and certain flashbacks. In general, you won’t really have a clue but it doesn’t really matter as the movie keeps up a nice pace. No dull, unnecessary fillers to get some extra minutes, but every little thing that has been added has its meaning and use. If you were hoping for some action, you are barking against the wrong tree as all you will get are shards of a murder trial and the emotions that come with it. Everything seems to fit together as it should be and will suck you right in.
Acting wise this movie has quite some power. Although some of the actors might not be that popular yet, they all do a splendid job. Gabriel doesn’t have an easy role as the silent murderer and he performs this role splendidly. Keanu Reeves takes his role as lawyer rather serious and although it sometimes reminds you of his previous roles, he’ll grab you and takes you into this story. It sure is hard for Renée as she has to undergo everything as the mother of a murderer while she also had to transform into an exhausted, wrecked woman.
It would have been nice if there were some extras on the DVD but the only things you can select, are the movie and the set-up. For instance, an idea would have been to show the process of getting into such a difficult subject. How did the actors get into their role? Did they have a lot of difficulties? Showing a gag reel or some action sequences wasn’t really possible here but there were some missed opportunities to say the least.
Conclusion
If you are into movies that revolve around murder trials, it might be a good idea to check out this film. The cast is great and will suck you right in, while the story has some surprises for you to keep you hooked. The Whole Truth doesn’t have much unnecessary scenes and has a good pace. It would have been nice if there were some extras added, but the movie itself should be sufficient.
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