Search - High Crimes on DVD

Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL
Reviewed on 6/20/2022...

Loved this mystery thriller because I love both Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman. The content was interesting because the Armed Forces don't use the same justice system that the public is used to. Ashley does an excellent job as the attorney with Morgan as her advisor. Definitely worth your time to watch...and learn.

Like an Old Pair of Jeans

Bobby Underwood | Manly NSW, Australia | 04/10/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Because Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman are so comfortable working together you find yourself simply enjoying the ride in director Carl Franklin's glossy suspense thriller. Very entertaining, beautifully photographed, and with two leads easy to like, this is Hollywood entertainment at its best. It receives high marks for doing what it was designed to do.

Claire (Ashley Judd) has a nice life as this film opens. A defense attorney for a respected law firm in lovely San Francisco, she and her husband Ron are trying to start a family. But when she finds herself face down on the street while her husband is taken in to police custody, who claim he is someone else, Claire's world begins to crumble. Judd does a nice job showing the mix of conflicting emotions as everything she thought she knew about her husband goes out the window. Her husband is charged with the murder of civilians in El Salvador while in uniform, and will be given a military trial. Claire believes in his innocence and when he is assigned a green 1st. Lieutenent (Adam Scott) to defend him, she knows he needs help.

Enter Morgan Freeman as Charlie Grimes. He's been sober for over a year, and his sharp wit and knowledge of a military courtroom remain in tact. The chemistry between Freeman and Judd is as comfortable as our favorite old pair of jeans, allowing us to sit back and enjoy the story, without scrutinizing every plot point. The closer they get to what really happened and the cover up that goes all the way to the top, the more dangerous it becomes for them. Even when evidence they uncover is used as a bargaining chip to have the charges dropped, all is not well. Charlie has discovered something about the case in Mexico that will shed a bright light on the truth.

Adapted from a Joseph Finder novel, this is sparkling entertainment. A very enjoyable last few moments leaves the viewer wanting more of Judd and Freeman working together. Amanda Peet also gives a fine performance as Claire's free-spirited sister, Jackie. We may have been here before but Judd and Freeman take us through the paces so deftly that we can't help but enjoy the journey. This is a good film which entertains exactly as it was made to."