High Crimes – Auf höchsten Befehl (2002)

High Crimes – Auf höchsten Befehl: Directed by Carl Franklin. With Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Jim Caviezel, Adam Scott. 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.

“This is one fascinating dark little film. Supported by fierce cinematography, black humour, chilling characters and strong language, u0026#39;Sexy Beastu0026#39; works on many levels. It can be viewed as a conversational film, a study of characters and a psychological thriller. The writing is brilliant as some of the dialogues induce both humour and chill. The screenplay is pretty tight, leaving no place for loose ends or irrelevant subplots. Glazeru0026#39;s direction is wonderful as he keeps the viewer engaged throughout the entire 90 minutes and effectively infuses wicked humour and suspense. The characters are so interesting, while we hate Logan, we sympathize with his counterfeit Gal who is a retired gangster trying to live a straight life with his family and loyal friends. Logan desperately wants him to do a job but Gal bravely yet hesitantly turns it down. Logan wonu0026#39;t give up and even he notices that everybody hates him (which is beginning to make him feel powerless). The cast deliver solid performances. Ray Winstone is amazing. He easily conveys Galu0026#39;s complexity and dilemma with pathos. Ben Kingsley as the hatefully irritating and intimidating Logan is superb. Ian McShane is scary. Amanda Redman is electrifying in a smaller role. u0026#39;Sexy Beastu0026#39; is one slick wicked little film. Not a movie for everyone, but worth watching for those who enjoy black humour and dark cinema.”