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Laramie Movie Scope:
High Crimes

High Crimes (no misdemeanors)

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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April 6, 2002 -- "High Crimes" is a military courtroom-conspiracy drama along the lines of "A Few Good Men." It reunites the winning "Kiss the Girls" team of Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. The chemistry still works.

Judd stars as Claire Kubik, a very successful criminal attorney who discovers after her husband Tom (played by James Caviezel of "Angel Eyes") is arrested for murder that he has a secret identity. Claire decides to defend her husband in the murder case, but it is a military trial and she is unfamiliar with the rules. She hires former JAG attorney Charles Grimes (Morgan Freeman of "Along Came a Spider") to help with the case, because he knows the ropes. Grimes, a maverick and an alcoholic, lives an unconventional lifestyle. He likes to think of himself as a wild card.

Claire does not know what to make of her husband. She finds out that his real name is Ronald Chapman and that he allegedly murdered nine civilians in a remote South American village during a secret military mission. She doesn't know if she can trust her husband because he never told her about any of this prior to his arrest. Grimes is equally enigmatic, a seemingly good lawyer down on his luck, his courtroom tactics are unusual and he has a weakness for alcohol that could be costly. The officer assigned to defend Claire's husband is Lt. Terrence Embry (Adam Scott of "Star Trek: First Contact"). He is still wet behind the ears and has never won a case. Of course, the prosecuting attorney is one of the best. Claire's wayward sister, Jackie Grimaldi (Amanda Peet of "The Whole Nine Yards"), also shows up to complicate Claire's life.

The story's drama is not limited to the courtroom. Claire and her sister are attacked, and so is Grimes. They are followed, spied on, threatened and intimidated. Evidence is doctored and witnesses are killed. Someone very high up in the military is trying to rig the game. There is more to this murder case than meets the eye. Grimes and his operatives are determined to get to the truth. Claire seems more interested in winning the case than in finding the truth. There are some twists in the plot, but seasoned filmgoers will not be fooled. There are more than enough clichés in the plot to telegraph the film's ending. One of the clichés is a mysterious guy who shows up about halfway through the film to provide crytic clues and timely intervention.

Director Carl Franklin ("Devil in a Blue Dress") is adept at making suspense films and he pushes the right buttons. It even seems as if he is playing the clichés for camp humor value at times. Judd and Freeman really click on screen. Caviezel does a fine job, and Peet is at her ditzy best. Peet and Freeman provide much of the humor in the film, with Judd and Adam Scott playing it straight. Freeman's droll one-liners are delivered perfectly. One of the bad guys in the film is Brig. General William Marks (Bruce Davison of "The X-Men"), a brass with someting to hide. "High Crimes" is a fairly predictable thriller, but well acted and executed. It rates a C+.

Click here for links to places to buy this movie in video and/or DVD format, the soundtrack, books, even used videos, games and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2002 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)