HIGH CRIMES (**)
I dislike predictable movies, and Hollywood has become so commercialized that it produces safe, conventional fare that we've all seen before. HIGH CRIMES fits this mold, and has mediocrity painted all over it. You can find dozens of similar movies on cable with the same legalistic-thriller plots. This one just happens to occur in a military base. What surprised me was that this movie came from a very gifted director, and has very capable stars. The leads make this picture watchable, but hardly interesting.
The story revolves around Claire Kubik (Ashley Judd of KISS THE GIRLS), a high-profile defense attorney for a big firm, and her struggle to exonerate her husband Tom (James Caviezel of FREQUENCY) from a military crime (one of murder) he claims he did not commit. Since the case is to be tried in a military court, she needs assistance to learn the ropes. Tom's defense counsel Lt. Embry (Adam Scott) seems ill-equipped for the task at hand (the prosecutor is one of the best and he's never won a case), Claire looks for additional help, and she finds it in Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION), an experienced military legal mind (now a civilian) who has issues of alcoholism.
What can I say? Once again, I must emphasize that this film is completely predictable. It has nothing that will surprise you, make you tense, or make you wonder. You will discover that there has been a cover-up, and that Claire and her team will be against all odds. Lt. Embry will become the good 'ole sidekick, and Mr. Grimes will be the legal rock which they cling to in dire straits. And Claire will prevail against all odds to prevail against overwhelming chances, through her guts and determination. Along the way, you'll get doubts whether Tom really did the things he was accused of, and we'll get the usual plot twists and turns, along with a climax that involves a fistfight, and a gunshot that will end it all.
This sort of inevitability is usually quite annoying, but the movie actually becomes mildly interesting at best. And we can credit this salvation from complete failure to Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. This is the second time that they've collaborated on a thriller. Their first was KISS THE GIRLS, a wonderful exercise in tension. They dial down their sense of purpose here, though. You don't get the same awesome presence from Mr. Freeman or the tough grit of Ms. Judd, but they deliver just enough to keep your eyes transfixed on the screen. I just wish they had made more of James Caviezel, a very talented actor who has major leading man potential (evident in FREQUENCY and THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO). The film also makes little use of another clever actress in Amanda Peet. I guess there can only be one hellcat here.
Morgan Freeman is especially intoxicating (and intoxicated in some scenes) with his performance. Each sequence becomes better once he enters it. No actor emanates more dignity, and he can even pull it off by playing a drunk! He has such grace and gravitas, that no matter what he does, he always seems venerable. I was however, disappointed with Ashley Judd's character choice. Nobody plays tough smart women (Angelina Jolie can play more aggressive ones, but nowhere near as tough) like she can. She always picks strong female characters to play, but if only her choices could reveal characters that have more depth than just their tenacity. Her's here is as strong as usual, but It's time for her to pick more challenging roles, to give more dimensions to persons she plays.
The only thing shocking about this movie is that it was directed by Carl Franklin, who gave us the stylistic film-noir DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, a touching family drama ONE TRUE THING, and one of the all-time best crime movies in ONE FALSE MOVE. These are some of the most original and human stories of the past decade, and yet HIGH CRIMES is so familiar, so formulaic, so... ordinary. His movies are all about people, but this movie is more about gimmicks (plot twists, cheat scares, courtroom antics, and unlikely confrontations). I'm not going to even attempt to try and find logical holes in this story, because the movie feels like doesn't truly care about its implications. This picture is a big blot on a fine body of work.
These three stars, Freeman, Judd, and Franklin, are too good for this film. They don't belong in it. It's beneath them. Seeing Mr. Freeman and Ms. Judd work are the only subjects here that are slightly intriguing. There's nothing high about HIGH CRIMES, only its leads.
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at July 12, 2002 12:00 AM