High Crimes

Plot synopsis:
Claire Kubik (Ashley Judd) is happily married to her husband, Tom [Jim Calviezel]. The movie opens with her having sex and becoming pregnant.Claire is a high profile lawyer who is pretty famous. While Claire and Tom are strolling along the street, a SWAT team swoops down on them and takes Tom away.He is charged with murder while serving in the army. Apparently, three American students were killed in a cafe in El Salvador. A terrorist was suspected of the killings, and Kubik's battallion was sent to a remote village where the terrorist may be hiding. Their search was fruitless; but, apparently, a soldier lost his cool and killed nine civilians. The Government is accusing Kubik.Claire has no experience in a military tribunal, so she enlists the services of Morgan Freeman.Tom Kubik claims another member of the platoon named Hernandez shot the civilians in a fit of rage and convinced the rest of the platoon to lie and say he (Tom) did it.Freeman tracks down another former member of the platoon and gets him drunk. Freeman tapes the ex-soldier admitting he was bribed into accusing Kubik. The tape is not allowed in court because the man mysteriously vanishes. Apparently, there is a huge conspiracy because many of Claire's associates are attacked many times during the course of the movie, and Claire is attacked by a Mexican man.Claire confronts the Mexican man and he tells the real story: Hernandez threw the bomb into the cafe because the head terrorist was really there and was really killed. The Army didn't know there were Americans in the cafe. As a cover up, the Army claimed the head terrorist did it and sent in the platoon to look for the terrorist in that remote village. Clarie verifies this because Hernandez had a patch in his eye from when the Mexican dude claimed Hernandez got cut from the debris from the blast. Medical records prove this.Later, for some reason not known, the case is just thrown out. Apparently, Freeman has dug up some dirt and found out that two witnesses were murdered in Texas and Mexico. Tom happened to be in both towns on the day of the murders. We then learn that Tom was also involved in this whole conspiracy.That blew me away because all this time, they were trying to prosecute him....Tom finds out that Claire found out about him attacks her, and Mexican dude comes in at last second to save her.End of movie.

Tags: violence, murder, sadist, flashback

Review:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ashley Judd, Jim Caviezel and Morgan Freeman are three attractive lead actors, all interesting to watch, as usual..
It has enough actors that we love that there is something you will enjoy.Besides Judd and Freeman, it has Jesus (James Caviezel) as the husband who is hiding his past, Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards) as the slutty sister, and it is directed by Carl Franklin (Out of Time, Devil with the Blue Dress).Anyone who has watched more than a dozen movies can easily predict what comes next as the film unfolds, maybe even the ending, although that is the most illogical part for me, so it's not going to tax your brain.
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.
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-.
Fortunately, Judd manages to hold this less than sterling film together as it worms and squirms its way through the story of a happy wife and trial lawyer who finds her husband might not be who she thought he was and has to try to wrest him from the clutches of a military courtmartial, a possible death sentence, and a coverup conspiracy.
KISS THE GIRLS stars Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman reunite in HIGH CRIMES, a movie that turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting.
It seemed to drag on a little, and the genre seemed to be more like a courtroom drama instead of a crime thriller.Morgan Freeman is OK as the lawyer Claire hires.
Claire has been kept in the dark about her husbands past, but despite her doubts she still believes his innocence and takes it upon herself to act as his defence attorney with the help of a disgraced military lawyer (Morgan Freeman) The film is both suspenseful and intriguing, with very fine performance from all the cast.
The film draws many parallels with Robert Zemeckis's What Lies Beneath, but lacks both the subtle art and spirited nature of that movie.Claire Kubik (Ashley Judd) is a high-profile lawyer who lives as part of an idyllic marriage.
Near the end the crudely typical vengeful South American character stands valiantly at a doorway, reversing his role from throughout the film, and you almost expect him to say que pasa?'Dialogue in the movie is unoriginal and contrived, but is not poor enough that it stands out, and overall is utterly unremarkable, Ashley Judd exhibits an excellent performance in playing a confused, loving, strong woman, and in her skill highlights the lack of acting ability in James Cavizel, who is ill-matched with her.
Despite its faults, it is an entertaining ride, and the surprise ending (so necessary to complete the movie that it is half-predictable) will act as redemption in the eyes of those who would otherwise leave with a bad taste in their mouths.`High Crimes' is rated PG-13.
This movie is a  remake in disguise of Costa-Gavras 's "Music Box".Ashley Judd takes on Jessica Lange's part.In the eighties work,Lange was defending her father ,accused of high crimes during WW2 .Take San Salvador and the hubby instead and the job is done.Besides,both ending are almost the same,"high crimes" being more nervous and more "moral" so to speak.Freeman investigates in San Salvador as Lange did in Hungary,to come to the same final conclusion.Needless to say,Judd's brilliant brave  attorney and Freeman's alcoholic character have been seen by the average viewer a thousand times or more..
This film features Ashley Judd as an ambitious female attorney who suddenly finds out that her husband (a zonned out looking Jim Caviezel) has a secret past and is suddenly on trial in military court for murder.
High Crimes is a decent movie with a very well developed storyline and a great cast.I was expecting it to be more of a thriller,which it certainly wasn't,but it was still an enjoyable movie,mainly because of solid performances and very great character development,the movie does drag out a bit however and isn't completely interesting the whole time.Morgan Freeman was certainly the movies highlight,he delivered a brilliant performance like he always does and his character is certainly the most likable,Ashley Judd also did a terrific job,I've complained about her acting before in Kiss the Girls,but she had certainly improved between the gap of these movies and the character was more suited for her.The thing that bothered me the most about this movie is that the "big twist " at the end was really predictable,the writers were clearly expecting it to shock the audience but it was obvious this would happen about a half hour in to the film.Predictable but still enjoyable,High Crimes is a good movie that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good crime film.
"High Crimes" contains some throw-away characters, is a little too clever for its own good with the plot twists, and some loose ends dangle at the end, which I did not find satisfying.The acting is OK and it's hard to make Ashley Judd look bad, even when her on-screen character has some bruises.Who should see this film:-- Action / suspense movie buffs who have nothing better todo on a rainy day, and who aren't expecting the well-plottedand original Kiss the Girls.-- I can't think of anyone else.I'll give High Crimes a 6 out of 10..
The benchmark was clear, events followed had some nice twists and turns, but types of attorneys were trivial in a politically correct manner (although nicely performed, particularly Morgan Freeman), and the middle of the movie or so gave rather plain hints about the solution and the role of the accused.
The only remarkable thing about this movie is Ashley Judd's new hairstyle which suits her very well and makes her look at least ten years younger.I found myself to be concentrating more on her delightful appearance than on the story itself.
Very interesting story and great acting by Morgan Freeman, who was a drunken lawyer, Charlie Grimes),"Edison",'05 who really held this picture together and gave an outstanding performance..
I must admit that my own expectations based on the actors starring in it (Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman) were a bit too high.The acting is okay although the constellation of characters seems like a cliché I've seen too often in these kind of courtroom drama's; a husband being accused of murder, the wife fighting the system with a little help from an old hand with alcoholic problems.The plot is too thin and only 15 minutes old are you able to guess how the plot of the movie sticks together.
There is not enough of drama in it to make it very exciting and the acting in the courtroom is just too thin.All things considered; if you feel like seeing a movie starring some famous actors but you do not want to do a lot of thinking during the movie then I will suggest High Crimes as the choice to make.
The obviousness of some of his staging and camerawork make some of the plot twists a bit predictable, particularly that last surprise (which is anything but, once you get past the "false" ending), but Franklin does keep the pacing tight; High Crimes is never dull for its entire running time, and he manages to craft a few sharp, suspenseful setpieces, particularly during the finale.But what makes High Crimes recommendable and ultimately quite watchable are the performances.
From the lovely Ashley Judd (who needs a better haircut) to the somewhat meek Adam Scott, almost everyone here delivers top-notch performances, most especially Freeman, who can excel in just about any role and continues to prove why he's the best actor around.
This film relies heavily on character empathy (because the plot is primarily generic courtroom mixed with non-humorous-sillyness), and one finds it very difficult to relate to-, let alone LIKE Ashley Judd's character: by the time Morgan Freeman is introduced (in a generic, seen-it-before kind of way) you're already regretting sitting down to watch.
"High Crimes" runs into both issues and does nothing to distinguish itself as original or exciting.For a basic plot summary, "High Crimes" sees Tom Kubik (Jim Caviezel) and his wife Claire (Ashley Judd), a lawyer, living a happy, married existence while trying to start a family.
Yes, the title is a bit generic but this film warrants more than one viewing and Morgan Freeman is excellent (as he usually is).Ashley Judd is Claire Kubik married to former Marine, Jim Caviezel.
Breuce Davison is also good as the nefarious General who knows the true facts.Normally the film would be an 8 but Morgan Freeman elevates the performances here and is believable as a man who has "hit zero" too many times and now must make a comeback.
Claire learns a few disturbing truths as well, her life is changed for the better, though she endures a miscarriage and murder attempts as she is defending her husband during the murder trial.Overall a definite must see for anyone who likes a decent story, and Morgan Freeman.
Apart from that, the movie is really average, the acting is mediocre, even Freeman is not convincing as the renegade lawyer, not to mention that the story of the redeemed drunken lawyer has been already seen in about 1,000 movies.But the movie does worse, it convey some negative messages, I think, although I suspect that this effect was not intended:1) Lawyers are not really coming out as a nice category, you see a media-self-complacent, couldn't-care-less, top-flyer Ashley Judd in the beginning and you already hate her.
Lastly, add a nice dose of Jagged Edge, and pow, you have High Crimes.Predictable to say the least; the definition of boring, High Crimes is plagued by Ashley Judd playing the same character she plays in every movie, and good old Morgan Freeman doing another turd for a dollar.
High Crimes a good thriller that stars Ashley Judd as Claire Kubik, a lawyer who's husband is a soldier who has been accused of murdering some Latin American villagers.
When I think of a movie about military justice with a military cover-up involving a high ranking officer in the background, my mind automatically goes to the superb "A Few Good Men." I wouldn't rank "High Crimes" anywhere near that film in terms of story or acting.
Adam Scott as Lt. Embry (the young military lawyer first assigned to the case) and Amanda Peet as Claire's sister Jackie really didn't do much for me.However, the story was decent enough and Morgan Freeman always pulls any movie up a notch or two.
And it becomes, then, a story about courage and commitment, and most importantly, trust and truth, the basic ingredients that make up the mortar that holds our society and our very lives together; and as this film points out, if the mixture of that mortar is not pure, it is a very tentative seal, indeed, that binds us together.Claire Kubik (Ashley Judd) seemingly has the perfect life; she's a successful criminal defense attorney (about to become a partner in the firm), has a beautiful home in the San Francisco Bay area and a wonderful husband, Tom (James Caviezel), with whom she is hoping to have a baby soon, which would make her life complete.
Most importantly, he keeps it all moving right along and keeps you guessing; he never tips his hand too soon, and it makes for some riveting suspense.Franklin knows how to handle his actors, too, and he gets some first rate performances out of them, especially from Judd and Morgan Freeman, who are great on-screen together (as they were in their previous collaboration, `Kiss the Girls,' in 1997).
Judd gives so much more than a by-the-numbers performance, and she gets results accordingly; Claire is very real, and because of that, you care what happens to her.As Charlie Grimes, the former Marine lawyer (who back in the day had more than some trouble with the system of military justice) now in a less-than-thriving private practice, Morgan Freeman effectively creates a memorable character, bringing that extra something to the part-- as he has in films throughout his career-- with yet another excellent performance.
HIGH CRIMES (2002) ** Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Jim Caviezel, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, Bruce Davison, Tom Bower, Juan Carlos Hernandez.
High Crimes has Ashley Judd as a lawyer whose husband (Caviezel) is arrested in a military installation for murder on 9 counts from 12 years past and she decides to defend him.
I only watched this film because 2 of my favourite performers - Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd were starring and I thought High Crimes will be a good film because of these 2 talented performers, but really, to my surprise it was a disappointment.
His wife Claire (Ashley) does all she can within her power to defend her husband Tom (Jim) with the assistance of Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman)I was disappointed because the plot of this film was uninteresting and it was kind of predictable.
Its not a terrible movie - High Crimes since the acting by Morgan and Ashley was good, gave life to the film, but definitely not a good film.
Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman team up in this engaging, but ultimately predictable military cover-up/conspiracy drama.
High Crimes is a movie that wants to keep your suspicion on the wrong party the whole time, and throw you off completely at the end by twisting the whole story around.
But in reality, it is a low-thrill thriller, where the court scenes are too light, intersected by after hour scenes, consisting mostly of threats and scare tactics by unknown parties.The movie is about Claire, played by Ashley Judd, whose husband Tom/Ron, played by James Caviezel is being charged by the military for a massacre in Central American.
I guess some things are more righteous than others, like saving one's husband with the secret past.So as a whole, this movie could be watched as a suspense thriller, albeit a low thrill one, if you don't care if everything fits at the end.
Works like a charm!Too bad, I think Ashley Judd is as cute as they come, and a good actress; Morgan Freeman steals the show as always, but this movie....AAAAARRRRGGGHHH..
Based on R1 DVD 115 min.High Crimes gives some good character acting by Judd and the ever dependable Freeman.
Very good and enjoyable thriller with great performances by Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman and surprisingly good performance by Jim Caviezal.
High Crimes is meant to be a thriller but it's predictable enough to only thrill a dill.Ashley Judd (Kiss The Girls) plays Claire who's a hot shot San Francisco lawyer.
They want to lock him up big time.Of course Claire takes on his defense and enlists Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman, Kiss The Girls, The Unforgiven), a drunken expert on military law to assist her.High Crimes rushes about at a furious pace, presenting red herrings, leaving loose ends and failing to explain itself.
Although the star power is good (Ashley Judd and Morgan Freemanyou bought it last time, remember?), the story has more holes than Swiss cheese.
I like Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman and enjoyed High Crimes until the end, when it appeared that the director decided the story wasn't beefy enough.
Ashley Judd's performance as a supportive wife and lawyer was portrayed as best as she could, but it fell short of the expectations that I would have put on any other actress in the role.The plot, while formulaic and predictable, is a favorite of many people, as the film has done well since it's premiere.
I get a little tired of it happening all throughout the movie, especially when you are really trying to pay attention more to the story than anything else, however, I did like the performances by Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman who were in Kiss The Girls a while back.