HIGH CRIMES
US, 2002, 115 minutes, Colour.
Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, James Caviezel, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, Bruce Davison, Tom Bower.
Directed by Carl Franklin.
This film plays liken one of those entertaining airport best-sellers that are engagingly page turning even though they may not be polished literature. High Crimes is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama and a military conspiracy drama. Its politics hearken back to more Clinton like years where writers and movie makers were comfortable telling stories of military cover-ups of botched raids (especially, as here, in Latin America). They are not the stuff of post September 11th American wars against terrorism.
The focus is on Ashley Judd, a successful lawyer who is forced to defend her husband (Jim Caviezel) who is accused of killing nine hostages in a raid. She enlists the help of ex-alcoholic expert, Morgan Freeman, which she needs because of the intransigence of the military court. When threatened psycholigcally and physically, she digs in, attempting to expose the truth unacceptable to authorities. As might be expected, there are a few twists before a violent climax - and a hopeful future. With veterans like Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman, there is a reasonable amount of strong interactions and some dramatic tension. For conspiracy theorists, there is plenty of grounds for 'I told you so'.
1.An interesting and satisfying murder mystery? Court-martial? Military background? The law?
2.The Los Angeles settings, the San Francisco settings? The episodes in Mexico? The musical score?
3.Crime and investigation? Murder mystery – identities, victims? Clues? Investigation by the law? Themes and more?
4.The prologue, El Salvador in 1988, the video, the repetitions, the viewpoints? What happened – and the different versions? The American students, the leader? The second raid? The killings?
5.The consequences of action versus policy? The mistake? Injury and the report, insurance? The second raid, the training, the killings? The killers training – and the polygraph? The witnesses? The accounts? The deaths of witnesses, Chapman on the run? Banks, his rank? Authority? The threats? The courts – El Salvador and the pursuit of the truth?
6.Claire, Tom? The romance, her pregnancy, happiness? The burglary? Their future? Claire and the rape case? The television in the pool? Christmas? The arrest and the change of life for her?
7.Claire and her having to cope, the partner and the resignation, prison and the handcuffs? Meeting the Latin-Americans? Embry and his reaction? Learning the ways of the military? The visit to Grimes, her arrival, talk, the motions?
8.Claire and Jacquie, the money, arrival, Embry and the relationship? The attack, support? The polygraph? Not believing Embry?
9.Claire as a person, her strength, beliefs, Charlie? The friendship, the advice? The neatness of the theories, the polygraph, the authorities and their disdain? Hernandez? His stand? The attacks, the phobias and the jogging? Fear in the house? Charlie, the information, the judge and the documents, the tape? Banks and the two meetings?
10.Embry, insurance? The documents, the car crash?
11.Charlie, the drinking, work, his systems, the tapes and the witnesses, going to Mexico and discovering the truth?
12.The judge, Waldron? Banks and the discussion?
13.Tom as a character, his identity as Tom, the relationship with Claire? Nice? His identity as Ron Chapman? The polygraph? His lies, the uncovering of the truth? The phone call, the attack? His being killed?
14.Claire, the experience? Disillusionment? Love and betrayal? Family relationships, Jacquie? The friendship with Charles Grimes?
15. Satisfying thriller, mystery, conspiracy theory?
