Welcome to another movie review from my blog, but this time I will be doing something quite different and new. I want to do a character analysis of two criminal lawyers from two of Netflix's hit TV series:
- Mickey Haller from The Lincoln Lawyer and
- Annalise Keating from How to Get Away with Murder.
They are both renowned criminal attorneys known for getting their clients off murder charges, no matter the situation; whether their client is guilty or innocent is irrelevant to them. So here is the question that crossed my mind: who am I going to call if I find myself facing murder charges, Haller or Keating?
It boils down to first evaluating their legal approaches in winning legal cases.
Legal Approach
Mickey Haller strives to exploit certain loopholes in the case and sometimes even in the law. He can take advantage of the fact that the timing of the evidence has been doctored to best fit the narrative of the opposing side. He is even willing to go the extra mile, questioning the facts and even the mental stability of a witness as he did in season 1 of The Lincoln Lawyer, where he was defending a client who had just committed murder.
Well, at the early stage of his defense, he was operating on the sole notion that his client is completely innocent, which makes sense why he is willing to question everything submitted into evidence by the opposing counsel. Mickey Haller can do all these because he understands the law well, so he can exploit the loopholes.
While Annalise Keating is a well-experienced criminal attorney with years of teaching criminal law as a professor, a course she titled How To Get Away with Murder. Keating is proficient in manipulating people to get what she wants, no matter the cost, and one can see that in season 1 with how she makes use of Frank to do her dirty deals even without asking, while she keeps her hands clean from whatever it may require.
She is completely ruthless and stops at nothing to win, even going the extra mile just to win. She is even willing to break the law if the need arises, and she does not look back while doing it.
So, on the grounds of legal approach, I would say Mickey wins this round, as he has proven to be a well-calculated player working under the law. Mind you, when push comes to shove, I am not entirely sure Mickey is willing to get his hands dirty for your case. On the other hand, Annalise is willing to do whatever it takes.
Determination to Win
The next metric for my comparison on who I will pick as my attorney is Determination to win. Who is more determined to win when the stakes are high? Let's say we are looking at life in prison if found guilty. Surely, we need to pick someone more than willing to do what it takes to win the case.
At this point, it is obvious I am going for Annalise Keating. They are both good attorneys, and depending on how deep my pockets are and their willingness to collaborate, I will hire them both. But it is not the case at the moment.
From the series How to Get Away with murder, Annalise goes on to break the law on a couple of grounds just to get that win, because when she comes to the courtroom, she comes with all she has and a mindset for war. Later on in the series, you will see how she even plays the race card in court, completely changing the whole dynamics of the case to herself by highlighting how the court judge is being racist towards her, thereby affecting the judgment of her client's case.
Now that is the person you want in your corner when push comes to shove and you are facing life. Whereas Mickey Haller tends to be emotionally connected to the case while defending his client, which you will get to see in season 2 of The Lincoln Lawyer.
Getting involved with a client
Know this: Mickey is good, but he still knows how to draw the line when the case comes into effect with his personal life, thereby comprising his moral compass. He is good, but he is not ready to break his moral ethics all in the name of saving you from prison.
And lastly, are you Guilty or Innocent?
Deep down in your conscience as a person, did you actually commit murder? Your answer to this determines who you need, in my honest opinion.
If I am innocent of the crime or I am being framed, then Mickey Haller is my go-to guy. This is because nobody is good at disproving facts and taking advantage of events like Mickey. He does this so well that he even clears your conscience when he wins the case. He clears you of all reasonable and unreasonable doubt. When salvation is your option, Mickey is your guy.
But if I am guilty of the crime, my go-to person has to be Annalise Keating because at this point, I need somebody ready to bury evidence, burn down the world, and do whatever it takes to make sure I do not see the four walls of prison. At this point, damnation is my only option, not the salvation of my soul.
That is my conclusion of the character comparison on who I would pick for my case. I would like to know who you will be going for and why in the comment section.
I am 
♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟
Thanks For Reading!