High Crimes (2002)

Summary: When Tom Kubik and his lawyer wife Claire are out shopping in San Francisco Tom is jumped on by an FBI squad and arrested for a killing in El Salvador when he had been a marine on a clandestine mission. It turns out that his real name is Ron Chapman, but he denies have anything to do with the killings. Claire, with the help of Charlie Grimes, a lawyer familiar with the military courts martial system, work to free Ron/Tom. During their work Claire collects evidence about the military activities in El Salvador, and manages to persuade the military to release her husband saying that otherwise she will go to the press. But there is a survivor from El Salvador out there, and clandestine forces seem to be threatening Claire’s life. How will it all end?

Content: Various moments of almost female nudity but no sex. Some people in a club have beer in front of them.  Tom/Ron seen in prison, particularly when Claire is visiting. Claire seeks out Charlie Grimes, the savvy but flawed ex-military lawyer. Some scenes in the military court, but actually nothing much happens. Claire’s sister and the young military attorney detailed to defend Tom/Ron get it on.  Tom/Ron passes a polygraph test, but Claire is told that special forces military are trained to be able to do that. At various times both Claire and Charlie are faced with violence from mostly unknown assailants.

A View: This outing was pretty well nailed by the critics who particularly found fault with the twist in the plot, although it seems to have been a bit better liked by the viewers on IMDb. Some people found the pairing of Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman effective, they had worked together before. If I score a film as a 5/10 it usually means that it is not much good, but avoids being offensive. I found some of the military haircuts particularly stupid and was surprised that they were a thing in 2002. So a film you might have on while doing something else.

Ashley Judd possibly best known now for having started the exposure of Harvey Weinstein has appeared in a number of films reviewed on this site. They include Divergent, The Tooth Fairy and Heat.

Ashley Judd possibly best known now for having started the exposure of Harvey Weinstein has appeared in a number of films reviewed on this site. They include Divergent, The Tooth Fairy and Heat.