The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Review: William Friedkin's Final Film Is A Stellar Courtroom Drama
William Friedkin is gone, and he leaves us with one final film, the stirring, effective courtroom drama "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial." Adapted by Friedkin from Herman Wouk's play, "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" runs the risk of being too stagey; too much like a play merely transported to the screen without anything cinematic to add. Thankfully, Friedkin knows exactly how to make the film bullet along, aided by snappy, quick-paced editing from Darrin Navarro.
Friedkin and cinematographer Michael Grady keep things seemingly simple — the bulk of the film is set in one courtroom. But the camera and its placement help set the stage, conveying so much by simply showcasing — or not showcasing — the actors and their surroundings. When Friedkin wants to convey the isolation of certain characters, he places them alone in the frame, cutting against wide shots that help situate us in a specific spot. As a result, the one-room setting is milked for all its worth and is miraculously never boring. It's the very definition of doing a lot with a little. In short, Friedkin was a master of the craft up until the very end. One only wishes he could've gone on making more movies after this one.
The story follows Lieutenant Barney Greenwald (a slyly commanding Jason Clarke), a Navy lawyer who says right from the start — right before the title card even slams home — that he thinks his client is guilty as sin. His client is Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (Jake Lacy), an executive officer of the minesweeping ship the Caine. Maryk stands accused of mutiny, a serious charge that could end his Navy career and land him in the brig for 15 years. And while Maryk isn't denying he took command of a ship, he says he has a very good reason, and hopes to plead his case with Greenwald's help.
One final stunner
As Maryk tells it, the ship's captain, Lieutenant Commander Phillip Queeg (Kiefer Sutherland), showed signs of mental illness during a massive storm. The captain's behavior, according to Maryk, put the crew's lives in danger, leading Maryk to relieve him of duty. Doctors have examined Queeg and say he's not mentally ill, and now it's up to Greenwald to prove otherwise. To do so, the lawyer will call a group of witnesses to the stand while going head-to-head with an angry prosecutor (Monica Raymund, fiery and impressive) who takes issue with the defense attorney's approach to the trial.
The dialogue crackles even when it has all the cadence of a courtroom transcript, all of it aided by a gaggle of stellar performances. Clarke's role is tricky; there's more to this defense attorney than meets the eye, and the way the actor plays his character's inner turmoil is remarkable to watch. Then there's Sutherland, who does some of the best work of his career here. He's only briefly in the film, and yet he makes every second count, fidgeting with his hands and spitting his lines as if certain words pain him. He makes Queeg a complex, complicated man, not just a stock villain.
The beauty of the film is the way it plays with our perceptions. It's easy to want to support Maryk as a man bucking up against the system, just as it's easy to want to crucify Queeg as an ineffectual higher-up who deserves to be brought down a peg for his bullying ways. Indeed, the things we learn about Queeg are more than a little troubling. But Friedkin's clever script makes us question everything, aided by an epilogue that delivers a shock to the system and recontextualizes the entire film.
Friedkin also has fun moving around the room, setting up reaction shots that say so much without a word — there's a particularly great reaction shot from the late, great Lance Reddick, playing the head judge in the case. After a shocking revelation, Reddick's character's eyes widen and he looks completely stunned, as if he's just been slapped. It's a killer little moment in a film filled with killer little moments, and showcases how damn good Friedkin was at this sort of thing. By the time "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" comes to its somewhat startling conclusion, I was saddened by Friedkin's passing all over again. What a loss. But at least he left us one final stunner.
/Film Rating: 8 out of 10