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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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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

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

5 April 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Crimen en primer grado

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, 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

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

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Goofs

As Claire is running, she thinks she being followed and runs to the nearest business for help. On the glass door there is a "Protected by ADT" sticker on the window, which appears and disappears as the camera angle change.

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Quotes

Salvadoran Man: Lawyers are a waste of oxygen.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood and the Muslim World (2003)

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Soundtracks

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Words and Music by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin
Performed by Lou Rawls
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Did He Do It, Or Didn't He?

This was an involving story of a military man accused of murdering civilians 15 years earlier and then going A.W.O.L. The whole story revolves around one question: did he do it or is he innocent?

That question keeps the viewer guessing for much of the film and provides some very good suspense. It's another film, however, in which there is a strong anti-U.S. military flavor, so typical in films since the 1960s.

Also, once you know the ending, I doubt if this would be a movie you would watch more than once. However, it's definitely worth a look and will entertain you for about two hours. Ashley Judd, Jim Caviezel and Morgan Freeman are three attractive lead actors, all interesting to watch, as usual.