High Crimes (2002)

High powered lawyer Claire Kubik finds her world turned upside down when her husband, who has been living under a false name, is arrested by military police and placed on trial for the murder of villagers while he was in the Marines.

Director:

Carl Franklin

Writers:

Joseph Finder (novel), Yuri Zeltser (screenplay)

Stars:

Jim Caviezel, Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

death by gunshot | shot in the back | murder confession | ambidexterity | classified file | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

In early versions of the script, Ashley Judd's character was to be a Harvard law professor.

---

Goofs

In the hallway after the pre-trial hearing, Charlie Grimes adjusts his tie twice.

---

Quotes

[to Brigadier General Bill Marks]
Claire Kubik: I've already survived you once you smug son of a bitch. The question is: Will you survive me?

---

Connections

Featured in High Crimes: Together Again (2002)

---

Soundtracks

Young at Heart
Written by Carolyn Leigh and Johnny Richards
Performed by The 101 Strings Orchestra (as 101 Strings Orchestra)
Courtesy of Madacy Entertainment Group, Inc.

User Reviews

High tensions and mystery.

Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd, after starring in 1997's Kiss the Girls, reunite in this story about powerful attorney Claire Kubik (Judd), who finds her husband Tom Kubik (Jim Caviezel) arrested for the murder of Latin American villagers while he was in the Marines, with the name of Sgt. Ron Chapman. Claire teams up with Charlie Grimes (Freeman) to navigate through the military justice system in attempts to clear Tom, all while dealing with the deaths of key eyewitnesses.

Like Kiss the Girls, this movie is full of mystery and tension that will captivate an audience and keep the movie's pace going strong despite its simple and predictable plot. Freeman is a calm yet dynamic actor, which is perfect in his role as he teams up once again with Judd, who herself gave an energetic and dramatic performance in her attorney role. Jim Caviezel gave a strong and mysterious performance as the accused Tom, whose unknown background will leave the audience guessing.

With some good suspense and tension, it's a worthy courtroom drama for a popcorn movie night.

Grade B-

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

5 April 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

High Crimes

Filming Locations:

Bavispe River, Sonora, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,005,550, 7 April 2002

Gross USA:

$41,543,917

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$63,781,810

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, New Regency Productions, New Regency Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1