Christopher Gorham’s character Trevor Elliott in the movie The Lincoln Lawyer gets caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time, which leads to his arrest and detainment after two people turn up dead in his car (one accidentally, one intentionally). The movie follows Trevor as he fights to prove his innocence and struggles with the idea of being trapped behind bars for something he didn’t do. So, who exactly is this character? Read on to find out more about the man behind Trevor Elliott from The Lincoln Lawyer . Trevor Elliott – The Lincoln Lawyer
Table of Contents
Precious Metal
Trevor often works for his clients for free, knowing that he’ll be able to earn back his investment by getting them off with minimal jail time. This legal strategy—called precious metal because it is considered more valuable than money—has been done before, but Trevor is arguably one of its most successful practitioners. Why? Because if you lose your trial, he’s lost too much money; therefore, he’s got an enormous incentive to work hard to win cases. In addition, unlike a private attorney who charges a flat fee or negotiates a percentage of his client’s settlement as payment, Trevor typically gets paid an hourly rate by his client (about $750 per hour) which means that he has less financial downside if things go south.
Escalation
A process in which a conflict becomes worse by repeated attempts to conciliate. Escalation may be physical, but is more often rhetorical and can easily become an escalation of commitment. It is also referred to as an action-reaction cycle, a vicious circle or a downwards spiral. Escalation can be prevented by calm negotiation and maintaining a sense of perspective. One must remain open to persuasion from another side. Escalations should not be confused with other forms of escalation such as those in military contexts. There are no rules of engagement during escalations and logic may not apply in arguments within escalations; emotions are usually involved heavily.
Separation
A n example of our views on separation and divorce is that it’s always a situation where people hurt each other. When you get into a relationship, two people think they can somehow control how things will work out between them, but then it goes wrong. They stop being able to communicate, don’t feel loved or understood by one another and they begin to turn against each other instead of helping each other. It’s really sad because usually neither person wants things to go wrong, but if it gets that far there are so many factors at play like pressure from family or friends and lack of time for one another due to pressures at work. However once you have children together and have built a home together those kind of forces shouldn’t mean anything.
Manipulation
One of Trevor’s areas of expertise is his ability to ‘manipulate’ circumstances and people to his advantage. His gift at manipulation is only surpassed by his ability to compartmentalize a situation, presenting only that which he wants seen. This helps him use whatever he needs from another person in order to get what he wants. He commonly uses compliments as a way of manipulating a situation in his favor, though Trevor isn’t above using force if necessary. He appears unphased by death and is not afraid to use it as a means for advancement. All that said, there does appear to be some part of Trevor that fears being caught and going to prison; though whether it’s an actual fear or part of his act is yet unknown.
Revelation
Chris Gorham is not your typical killer. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him as he entered scene after scene on screen with a suit and tie. Then, I saw an opening. A sliver of light through which I might illuminate doubt about his guilt. Our only connection at that point was our eyes meeting as he lingered in a crowd of protestors outside of my apartment building, but there was something in them; compassion or perhaps sympathy.
What makes him suspicious?
I can’t talk about it without giving away what is a very good twist. And yet I suspect that there are some people out there who have seen such a twist before, and will be able to tell what it is even if I don’t say anything. Okay, so Christopher Gorham plays Trevor Elliot. He was brought in for questioning when his neighbors were found dead under suspicious circumstances, after which he had fled town with a valuable painting that they both wanted and which they claimed they had bought from him. He seems charming enough; but did he kill them? Or did he just sell them something? To find out we have to pay attention to everything that comes into play here: all of what Elliot says as well as how everyone else reacts to it.
How did he end up in jail?
Did Christopher Gorham die in The Lincoln Lawyer movie or did he just pretend to be a dead person? Let’s start with what we know. Both movies have roughly the same plot: there is a murder, and Christopher Gorham is somehow involved. In each movie, Gorham’s character (albeit for different reasons) finds himself in serious trouble with a ruthless prosecutor and does everything possible to get out of it. In both movies, Gorham works closely with a seasoned attorney played by Matthew McConaughey (who oddly enough won an Oscar for his portrayal of real-life defense attorney Ron Woodroof). And finally, in both movies Chris ends up fleeing town and becoming an international fugitive by faking his own death at sea.
Why do we suspect him?
This series will examine motive, opportunity and means in regard to Trevor Elliot, a local software developer. It is believed that Elliot drove over 100 miles from San Francisco to Pasadena on Thursday night with a handgun tucked into his carry-on bag. He checked into an $80/night room at a two-star motel near where he works around midnight. At about 4:30am he rented an aluminum baseball bat from his motel’s front desk and walked two blocks to 609 Wilson Avenue. There was no forced entry, so it appears he might have had a key or knew someone who did.
Is there evidence to back up our suspicions?
In most movies, defendants convicted of murder don’t usually get sentenced to a few hours in lockup and then set free to walk out of court. But, while it may not happen in real life, that’s exactly what happened in one scene from The Lincoln Lawyer. Does that mean he didn’t really commit a double murder? Or did his attorney really do such a great job defending him? Unfortunately for Trevor (and fortunately for viewers), he will probably be found guilty at his trial and spend many years behind bars. His old life is over and it is doubtful that he will ever get his record expunged so he will always have a hard time finding employment or housing.
Do we have any other suspects?
Before we execute my client, let’s at least consider that he may not be guilty. There are a lot of other ways to make money besides murder, and it seems fishy that two victims with no connection to each other were murdered on separate occasions using exactly the same method. I know my client is innocent, because I helped him plan both murders—he’s just not aware that I did. He had no idea what was going on or how things were being set up behind his back. To prove his innocence, we need only find another suspect who has committed at least one of these murders. And for convenience’s sake, let’s say that both victims have already been killed. That should make things easier! Now what?
Are there other reasons why he could be guilty?
Elliot is one of many primary characters who have a credible motive for killing two people, but isn’t considered a suspect. In fact, he has quite a few reasons to want them dead. First, he was sleeping with Sylvia Cross who happened to be married to Jerry Ruiz. Ruiz caught Elliot and Sylvia in bed together at his home and threatened him with physical violence if it happened again. Second, Ruiz was considering filing divorce papers against Sylvia and didn’t want her getting any of his money if their property was divided 50/50.
What will happen to him now?
As Christopher Gorham’s character, Trevor Elliot in The Lincoln Lawyer is charged with a double murder charge, one has to wonder what his future will be. Elliot was clearly manipulated by pretty much everyone he dealt with and now that he’s been caught, there is no one around to save him. He has even admitted to helping cover up some money laundering done by Maggie Gyllenhaal but that seems like it could help him rather than hurt him at trial. It will be interesting to see if his anger issues get in his way or if they are used as evidence against him at trial. And how does he wind up getting help from Mickey Haller?
