High Crimes (2002)

High powered lawyer Claire Kubik finds her world turned upside down when her husband, who she thought was Tom Kubik, is arrested and is revealed to be Ron Chapman. Chapman is on trial for a... See full summary »

Director:

Carl Franklin

Writers:

Joseph Finder (novel), Yuri Zeltser (screenplay),

Stars:

Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Jim Caviezel

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ashley Judd	...	Claire Kubik
Morgan Freeman	...	Charles W. Grimes
Jim Caviezel	...	Tom Kubik / Sgt. Ron Chapman
Adam Scott	...	Lt. Terrence Embry
Amanda Peet	...	Jackie
Bruce Davison	...	Brig. Gen. Bill Marks
Tom Bower	...	FBI Agent Mullins
Juan Carlos Hernández	...	Maj. James Hernandez
Michael Gaston	...	Maj. Lucas Waldron
Jude Ciccolella	...	Col. Farrell
Emilio Rivera	...	Salvadoran Man
Michael Shannon	...	Troy Abbott
John Billingsley	...	Lie Detector Coach
Dendrie Taylor	...	Lola
Paula Jai Parker	...	Gracie

Storyline

High powered lawyer Claire Kubik finds her world turned upside down when her husband, who she thought was Tom Kubik, is arrested and is revealed to be Ron Chapman. Chapman is on trial for a murder of Latin American villagers while he was in the Marines. Claire soon learns that to navigate the military justice system, she'll need help from the somewhat unconventional Charlie Grimes; meanwhile, Claire's sister, Jackie, is falling in love with wet-behind-the-ears Lieutenant Embry assigned as the official defense lawyer. And most of the eyewitnesses have rather too conveniently died.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | villager | murder | defense lawyer | marine | 

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Taglines:

Everything you trust. Everything you know. May be a lie...

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

20th Century Fox [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

5 April 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crimen en primer grado

Filming Locations:

Alameda, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$490,529 (Italy) (9 May 2003)

Gross:

$490,529 (Italy) (9 May 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One element of the novel is inexplicably changed: the characters "Chapman" and "Kubik" have their names exchanged.

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Goofs

When Claire examines Hernandez's classified medical document, the paper says the date is 3-15-88, but when Claire talks to General Marks, she said the medical document is dated 3-14-88.

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Quotes

Claire Kubik: Agent Mullins! I just need a minute of your time!
FBI Agent Mullins: Somehow I'm confident it's not my rugged good looks to which I owe the honor of this visit.

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Connections

References I Love Lucy (1951)

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Soundtracks

"Gris Gris Gumbo Ya Ya"
Written by Dr. John (as John Creaux)
Performed by Dr. John
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Formulaic story saved by strong performances

Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd (`Kiss the Girls') team up again in this courtroom thriller, which is entertaining despite its worn plot and obvious ending. The reason it doesn't descend to a level consistent with the screenplay's unoriginality is the superior acting by the three principal performers.

Claire (Ashley Judd) and Tom (James Caviezel) are living an idyllic and romantic married life, trying hard to have a baby. Everything is going swimmingly until one day Tom is arrested and charged with murder and war crimes dating back to his military service and raid in El Salvatore years earlier. It seems Tom's entire identity is a lie and his name is really Ron Chapman, a former Special Forces commando.

Claire, who is conveniently a prominent defense lawyer, takes up his case determined to prove he is innocent, choosing to believe his denials despite the fact that everything she knows about him is a fabrication. She hires Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman) to assist her because until he became a broken down alcoholic, he was once one of the top lawyers in the military.

The film is paced well and balanced between courtroom drama and other related storylines like constant death threats, a dirty general and a mystery man. It is fairly standard fare, but the presentation is engaging.

Morgan Freeman is such a terrific actor, that even a trite script can't keep him down. He is wily and insolent as the washed up lawyer with a few tricks left up his sleeve. Freeman projects an unassuming power in his work, full of dynamism yet highly amiable. His interaction with Judd is wonderful, treating her with avuncular kindness and intellectual respect.

Ashley Judd is a fine dramatic actor, who returns to serious drama after an ill advised detour into romantic comedy (`Someone Like You'). Judd is razor sharp in this film, coming across as bright, energetic and passionate. She is tough as nails and doesn't back down to pompous military officers or thugs trying to intimidate her.

Jim Caviezel rounds out the cast with a strong performance as the accused. This is a tough character because he is so mysterious and duplicitous. Caviezel delivered a strong portrayal of an enigmatic character in `Angel Eyes', so he had some experience with this type of role. He handles the part well, appearing utterly sincere whether his character is telling the truth or not.

Amanda Peet gives her standard performance as Claire's hair brained and sex obsessed sister. Peet is no serious dramatic talent, but she has this character down and comes across as believably ditzy and concerned about her sister despite their obvious sibling rivalry.

This film doesn't fool anyone with its surprise ending, but it does deliver good suspense, a tried and true formula and some excellent performances. I rated it a 7/10. It's worth a look for viewers who like mysteries.