Written by: William Friedkin
Starring: Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund, Lance Reddick
Rating: [3.5/5]
Different angles and sides of a story tell the complete picture often shaded by perception and bias. Therefore, it makes every court case with conflicting testimony a competition of who can best present their side as the one that makes the most sense, even if it does not contain the whole and adamant truth. This fascinating battle of the words and evidence makes court thrillers exhilarating to watch when done well and in legendary filmmaker’s William Friedkin swan song, he leaves us with a gift in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial that adds the extra sprinkles of this occurring in a military court and does so in such riveting fashion.
Aboard the USS Caine, during a time of high stress, Lieutenant Maryk (Jake Lacy) leads a mutiny against Captain Queeg (Kiefer Sutherland), who Maryk deemed as mentally unstable when needed desperately by his crew. Now facing court-martial, Mark must defend his actions before a tribunal and gets defended by JAG lawyer, Lieutenant Greenwald (Jason Clarke).
From the onset, interpreting something as wordy as The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial to the big screen presented a challenge. One where it all takes place within a courtroom where not much movement occurs and we need to heavily rely on the screenplay and the acting on hand to drive home this experience. We do not get to see the action that caused this whole unfortunate circumstance and we need to be convinced by the prosecution and defense just as much as the tribunal does. It comes as no surprise Friedkin manages to make this enthralling and it happens because of the stakes involved and just how well each element works together in creating this tense atmosphere.
The seriousness of this charge and the implications involved become quite evident in this film, which only continues to elevate the stakes and what happens if the tribunal rules against Maryk. Going against direct orders from a superior is one thing, but complete subordination to the degree where you relieve your superior from their place of authority ranks highly amongst the worst things that could be done in the military, I would imagine. This film certainly makes that case with the seriousness involved, which makes every question asked by the tribunal and testimony given by witnesses and experts all the more vital.
Despite staying within one location and playing out as one singular case, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial moves and maintains a strong pace all throughout. It manages to keep us on pins and needles awaiting the next testimony as the complete case comes together. This pressure remains relentless throughout and as the stakes continue to rise, the dynamic of this occurring within the military makes the tactics utilized by Lieutenant Greenwald very dangerous. In the typical court of law, the defense attorney has no allegiance to anyone on the prosecution’s side, which makes them fair game. However, when Lieutenant Greenwald tries to besmirch the abilities of Lieutenant Commander Queeg, it begins to cross a line that he continually gets warned about. After all, everyone in this room are teammates as part of the U.S. Navy, which demands this case to be handled with a modicum of respect but Lieutenant Greenwald still has a case to win and he will do what needs to be done even if it gets him in hot water.
Leading this performance-driven film we have Jason Clarke, who has had himself quite the 2023 as an attorney specifically with this film and Oppenheimer and the man knows how to deliver in this setting. He carries this gravitas around him in navigating everyone in the room, including his very own client he has to defend. Lieutenant Greenwald walks this tightrope throughout this film as someone who also was not on the ship when it happened and needs to decipher on his own the innocence of his client, while also doing his job. It requires complexity in performance, and Clarke proves that when given the proper material, the man can eat.
A wonderfully entertaining ride from beginning to end, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial displays director William Friedkin had his fastball all the way until the end. With this feature he thrives where other contemporary filmmakers would fail and this feature takes a court thriller and makes it exciting to watch through all the elements that make it shine.
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