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High Crimes (2002)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
7/18, 4/25
7/18:
Five years after Kiss the Girls, Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd reteam
to make a murder-mystery thriller, and it doesn't work again.
The truth is that Ashley Judd isn't a good actress, looks silly for a high-powered lawyer, doesn't have much of
chemistry with Morgan Freeman, and often resorts to tears as a crutch to get through many scenes. Appearing
once again in a throwaway film with an inferior cast minus Michael Shannon, Morgan Freeman, who's the main reason
for picking up this piece of crap, shows how extremely clear the chasm is when it comes to the quality of acting
between him and everybody else.
At any rate, Morgan Freeman somewhat phones it in, but at least, he gets to sport a cool-looking gold earring,
especially during the trial in military court(!). The word is that Morgan Freeman wears such pricey earrings
so if he dies in some strange place they'll take care of the expenses for his coffin. I think he has a better
chance of being dead in a bad film.
When the case was won by Claire Kubik and her husband out of the blue, I noticed there were twenty minutes left,
leading me to think of the only logical outcome: the husband actually did it. And shockingly...not,
it turns out to be true. Right from the start, why would Claire be stupid enough to stand by him when it's
apparent she still had absolutely no idea who he was?
Some while later, the husband, played by Jim Caviezel who's never believable as either a carpenter or a
hardened, homicidal soldier, is shot twice in the chest yet has the physical strength to put up a mighty
fight with his assailant. Getting to be Friday the 13th, huh Carl?
Yet why does the husband have to go that far? Ever heard of...double jeopardy? There's nothing his wife
can do about it. He got away with the murders. Maybe the Marines should've tried harder to convict him, but
it insists on attempting to kill Claire instead of getting her taken off the case for some reason or another.
By the way, if a man and woman have sex, they don't do it with clothes on.
Elsewhere, Michael Shannon has a very small role, having been granted like five minutes of screen time.
When Morgan Freeman's character secretly recorded him while drunk, it's illegal. Anyway, Michael Shannon will
work with Ashley Judd four years later in a brilliantly directed film by William Friedkin called
Bug. It's the only great performance of her career although I should also add
Norma Jean and Marilyn.
All in all, please no more Morgan Freeman-Ashley Judd pictures; they stink.
4/25:
Got to love that Morgan Freeman showing up in military court as a lawyer with a gold earring and Frederick
Douglass haircut.
High Crimes still stink. It has a couple of editing issues: when Morgan Freeman spotted his co-lawyer
having a drink in the bar and then got beaten up in the next shot and when Ashley Judd asked a stupid question
in court and then it's cut off to somewhere else. Throughout, there's too much of Ashley Judd who either overacts
or looks silly for a high-powered righteous lawyer. If not her, it's Amanda Peet on top of wearing so much makeup.
All in all, Morgan Freeman continues to waste his talent on rubbish pictures.