Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A female attorney learns that her husband is really a marine officer who has been AWOL for fifteen years and accused of murdering fifteen civilians in El Salvador. Believing her husband when he tells her that he's being framed as part of a U.S. Military cover-up, the attorney defends him in a military court.
High Crimes is a competent but formulaic legal thriller that hits familiar genre beats without much distinction. Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman provide solid performances that elevate the material above its routine trappings, but the film never transcends its TV-movie-of-the-week sensibility. The plot follows a predictable conspiracy-thriller template with telegraphed twists, and the military court setting offers modest novelty but is underexplored. Cinematography is workmanlike with no distinctive visual choices. The ending delivers an acceptable resolution but relies on genre conventions rather than earning genuine surprise.