00s Movie Review - High Crimes

Director: Carl Franklin
Genre: Crime/ Thriller/ Mystery/ Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Jim Caviezel, Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Bruce Davison, Emilio Rivera, Michael Shannon

Description: A successful lawyer’s (Ashley Judd) husband (Jim Caviezel) is arrested for murdering 9 villagers in El Salvador in 1988 as US soldier under a different name. She defends him in military court and investigates. Framed?

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 22: A MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK
 
Review: The first scene in “High Crimes” shows us a battlefield in El Salvador. Not your typical start for a courtroom drama. But “this film isn’t your typical courtroom drama.

Claire Kubik is a successful lawyer in Marin Country. She is married to Tom, a self-employed entrepreneur. They seem to be living a very happy life. But this happiness is brutally disturbed when one evening the F.B.I. arrest Tom. The accusations against Tom are shocking: He is accused of killing 9 people in El Salvador, 15 years ago, when his name was still Ron Chapman and he was in the military. Tom goes to jail and might be looking at the death penalty, but Claire believes in his innocence. Because the lawyer appointed to Tom is still a rookie, Claire wants to work the case herself. Because military law is different from what she knows, Claire calls the help of the experiences Charlie Grimes.

It sounds like your standard story about a man being accused of a crime which he didn’t commit, but there is much more to it. It has some interesting twists and reveals, which made the film pretty exciting. You’re constantly wondering if Tom really committed this crime or not, you’re never really sure until the very end.

The movie is based on the book by Joseph Finder and it’s clear that the story is very strong. I never read the book, so I can’t compare. I enjoyed the cast, Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman teaming up again after “Kiss the Girls”, which was an even better thriller. But I highly enjoyed “High Crimes”.

Rating: 3,5/ 5