Time: 109 Minutes
Cast:
Kiefer Sutherland as Lt. Commander Queeg
Jason Clarke as Lieutenant Greenwald
Jake Lacy as Lieutenant Maryk
Monica Raymund as Lt. Commander Challee
Lewis Pullman as Lieutenant Junior Grade Keefer
Jay Duplass as Lieutenant Alan Bird
Tom Riley as Lieutenant Keith
Lance Reddick as Captain Blakely
Director: William Friedkin

I knew The Caine Mutiny Court Martial as not only being the latest movie from William Friedkin, but also his final movie, with it releasing after his death. His involvement along with actors like Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, and the late Lance Reddick got me interested in it, and it really was great.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is actually based off a play which has had multiple adaptations. I’m not familiar with the play or any of these other adaptations, so I’m treating the movie as its own thing. That said, you can certainly tell that the movie is based on a play, with how dialogue heavy it is, and most of the movie taking place in one location. As expected, there is a lot of talking, and you are immersed in the back and forth between lawyers and witnesses. It’s tense and riveting, especially as you figure out bits and pieces what happened on the titular mutiny with every witness that is brought in. It’s also incredibly well paced, it is 2 hours long but there is no filler to be seen here. Aside from a couple interactions between Jason Clarke and his client and the ending, almost all of the movie takes place inside this one courtroom. Also, it’s just a very interesting and complex story to watch. As it goes on, you can tell that the story isn’t black and white; looking at his past movies, Friedkin is clearly familiar with making movies set in the grey area, and so this play is perfect for him to adapt. Finally, the ending concludes the movie (and William Friedkin’s filmography) on a great final note. 

The cast is one of the best aspects of the movie, and every single actor does marvelous jobs as their characters. Jason Clarke gives one of his best performances as the defense lawyer of this court martial, he is particularly excellent in his final scene. Monica Raymund is amazing and a standout as the prosecuting lawyer. Jake Lacy and Lewis Pullman do well as their complex and layered roles. Despite being top billed, Kiefer Sutherland is top billed isn’t in the movie as much as you think he would be. However, he is tremendous in his scenes, he basically steals the third act with a complex and layered performance I haven’t seen from him before. Last but not least, Lance Reddick gives his final cinematic performance and is fantastic, commanding such screen presence throughout.

William Friedkin’s direction is solid. Admittedly, on a technical level it isn’t anything special. The production isn’t flashy, it’s tightly edited, and there isn’t any tricky cinematography, just minimal camera flourishes. However, this (including the long shots and tight shots focussed on the actors) and the lack of a score help to showcase the great dialogue and acting.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a fantastic and captivating courtroom drama, with strong writing and amazing performances. It’s a great final film from William Friedkin, and so far is among my favourite films of the year.