Guys in suits: "The Lincoln Lawyer" and "Limitless"

Two movies come out this weekend about serious guys in suits, “The Lincoln Lawyer” and “Limitless.” They couldn’t be more different in concept, but are surprisingly similar in tone and execution. Both star capable – not to mention handsome – actors who are more than able to carry the movie.

Matthew McConaughey stars as Mick Haller, a defense attorney whose shady dealings happen mostly out of the back of his chauffeur driven Lincoln. Hence the “Lincoln lawyer” moniker. He’s on good terms, sometimes quite good terms, with his ex-wife, the criminally underused Marisa Tomei, who is a district attorney. The two share an adorable daughter. Mick picks up what may be the case of a lifetime, a scared rich boy named Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe). Accused of beating and attempting to kill a women, Louis just oozes panic and money, two of a defense attorney’s favorite things. Louis insists the whole thing was a set-up by the woman and her boyfriend and/or pimp to extort money out of him. Mick suspects he just might be innocent, unlike the Hell’s Angels types he usually represents. Once Mick starts representing him, he is bound by certain ethical and professional obligations, boundaries which become his prison as he discovers sinister patterns to the attack on Mick’s supposed victim.

It’s a great legal quandary that turns into a thriller. McConaughey is just the fellow for the role, all blond charm and smooth talking with an subtext of relentless determination. The movie plays like a souped-up version of a TV legal show, which is meant to be a compliment. It’s intelligent and interesting and becomes satisfying as you follow all the twists and turns. Marisa Tomei, as always, is radiant. The world has been robbed that she hasn't appeared in more roles. If you like legal puzzles, you’ll like this movie.

The second film, “Limitless” stars new heartthrob Bradley Cooper in his first dramatic lead. He proves he’s more than sparkling blue eyes. He’s particularly good in the beginning of the film, as a self-destructive writer named Eddie who is about to lose his girlfriend, job, and apartment. Cooper is not afraid to play a man who looks as bad as he feels, someone who cannot summon the energy to accomplish even the most basic tasks of hygiene and house cleaning. When a street dealer gives him a magic pill, all that changes. Instead of leaving him babbling to himself about flying monkeys, as so many drugs do, this one connects sleeping synapses in his brain. He’s better in every way: smarter, faster, more perceptive, and more confident. He quickly scales the ladder of fortune and success. Like all shortcuts, however, this one comes with a cost. He begins to suffer blackouts and health problems. Trying to kick the drug is harder than kicking heroin. That’s nothing, however, compared to the assorted thugs, Russian mobsters, and corporate henchmen who are hot on his tail. Plus, he’s got to win back his girlfriend.

The film is best when it’s exploring its premise, but too often gets sidetracked into chase scenes and violence. The final fight is especially disturbing. The main problem, however, is with the film's self image. The film does a good job of presenting the character as a loser and a bit of a cad, and the drug as a shortcut, setting up the movie to be an psychological flick full of insight. Then, suddenly, it decides it wants to become a thriller. It drops the character development and the question of the drug. At one point, Eddie’s boss, played by Robert De Niro, tells Eddie he isn’t ready to compete because, although undeniably brilliant, he hasn’t put in time learning to read people and getting a sense of the business. In other words, shortcuts can only take you so far. The film then drops this philosophical debate all together, leaving us wondering if the shortcut is the way to go and where we can get our hands on that pill.

Cooper played the loser so well, we were hoping for a bit more from the winner.

Still, it’s an interesting movie and worth a little intellectual tickle. I’d give it a B, which is also what I’d rate “The Lincoln Lawyer.” Take your pick of great looking guys in suits in mindbending tangles.