|
Review by Harvey Karten
No Rating Supplied
Americans opposed to the bombings in Afghanistan point to
the some 3,000 innocent civilians allegedly killed there during
recent months. Since the statistic might be written off as
collateral damage that cannot be helped, no military tribunals
are to be expected to indict Americans for their role in that
mishap. Not so the case of Lt. Calley, who during the Nixon
administration was indicted, tried and convicted for the
senseless massacre of innocent villagers during the Vietnam
War. Calley was portrayed as a cold-blooded, racist fighter who
had no use for Vietnamese on either side.
In its progression of events, Carl Franklin's "High Crimes"
recalls the Calley case. Based on Joseph Finder's novel, which
was set in Boston, "High Crimes" takes place in San Francisco,
a military base in Oakland and in the Mexican state of Morelos
standing in for a village in El Salvador where in 1988, during the
American advisory role in that small country's civil war, nine
innocent people were butchered by an American. Why the case
was even brought up some twelve years after the murders is not
explained, and several actions of the plot are difficult if not
impossible to believe but that's the name of the game with the
genre of films that portray high American officials as corrupt,
eager to cover up their mistakes even at the expense of
innocent Americans.
"High Crimes" is a fairly conventional story revolving around
the court-martial of a loving guy living the good life in
California's Marin County. As is typical there are twists, though
the principal one can probably be figured out by fans of the
genre. What makes the movie absorbing throughout is the
strong performance of Ashley Judd in the role of successful trial
lawyer Claire Kubik, a woman not only familiar enough with the
law to get her clients off on technicalities if need be but one who
is forceful enough to persist until she gets her way. She'd have
to be that sort to pursue her latest case, given the many times
she is beaten up, in one case almost dying when a bad guy
succeeds in plunging her with her car over a cliff. Then again,
Claire is defending her husband, Tom Kubik (Jim Caviezel), a
loving family man who is in full agreement with Claire's desire
for a baby. He's the sort of man-next-door, possibly given to
stuttering or looking at his feet when he talks, that we want to
see cleared of a difficulty he now finds himself in.
While Tom's court-martial is the focal point of the movie, most
of the action, fortunately, takes place outside the judicial
chambers, beginning when Tom is arrested by a contingent of
military police on a busy San Francisco street and charged with
the murder of nine Salvadorians a dozen years before. When a
wimpy young attorney who has never won a case, Embry (Adam
Scott), is assigned to defend Tom, Claire realizes that some
intervention is needed, particularly since she may have seen
enough movies to realize that military justice is an oxymoron.
While Embry is busy being seduced by Claire's good-time sister
Jackie (Amanda Peet), Claire locates crackerjack lawyer Grimes
(Morgan Freeman), who has lately been out of the action
because of his fondness for the juice.
"High Crimes" could not have been better cast. Ashley Judd
looks better than even with a short haircut, the snappy attire of
an advocate bucking for partner, and her give and take with
Morgan Freeman displays all the chemistry we'd want from such
a team. A supporting cast includes Bruce Davison as Brig.
General Marks and Juan Carlos Hernandez as Major
Hernandez, two bureaucrats of the sort that we in the audience
have learned to hate knowing, as we do, how power corrupts
the honchos in the FBI, the CIA, and the heads of the various
divisions of the armed forces. "High Crimes" is good, escapist
entertainment, at times too predictable, but more than
watchable because of its stellar bunch of performers.
Copyright © 2002 Harvey Karten
|
