The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023) Review!!

Synopsis – Follows a naval officer who stands trial for mutiny after taking command from a ship captain he feels is acting in an unstable way, putting in danger both the ship and its crew.

My Take – Known for helming cinematic classics such as The French Connection (1971), The Exorcist (1973), To Live or Die in L.A. (1985), and Killer Joe (2011), director, producer, and screenwriter William Friedkin was indeed a towering presence in the film-making landscape. With a career that comprehended more than 60 years, Friedkin unfortunately passed away on August 7, 2023 at age of 87, leaving behind a legacy that without a doubt played a major part in revolutionizing the world of cinema.

Marking the posthumous release for director Friedkin, as well as star Lance Reddick who passed away on March 17 this year, is this passion project, which is an adaptation of Herman Wouk’s stage play of the same name, which itself was adapted from his own Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that inspired the 1954 original film with Humphrey Bogart and José Ferrer, and was previously made into a 1988 TV film by Robert Altman.

Whereas the Edward Dmytryk directed film covered material from the entire book, Wouk’s stage edition, Altman’s film and now Friedkin’s adaptation concentrate solely on the trial. His updated adaptation about discord on a beaten-up World War II ship has also given way to a contemporary version of the story, setting the action in the Persian Gulf.

Unsurprisingly, despite the stark unchanging setting and TV standard production qualities, director Friedkin elevates the material into a thrilling courtroom drama that is crisp, engrossing and bluntly effective, that manages to keep you hooked for throughout its 109 minute run time. It’s quite fast-paced despite its claustrophobic settings and wordy dialogues.

Premiering on Paramount+ and Showtime, the film is everything a courtroom drama should be; nail-biting, tense, fast exchange of words, and the intense desire to get to the final judgment. Like so many of the early and late career highlights that bookend director Friedkin’s filmography, this little film is evidence of his ability to turn single-setting theatrical works into gripping cinema.

The story follows Lieutenant Barney Greenwald (Jason Clarke), a court-appointed defense attorney tasked to represent Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (Jake Lacy), the executive officer aboard the USS Caine, during a court-martial hearing. Maryk has been accused of mutiny after allegedly relieving Lieutenant Commander Phillip Queeg (Kiefer Sutherland) of his duties during a cyclone, citing signs of mental illness.

His decision to perform the second act of mutiny in the history of the United States Navy has already turned Maryk into a wildly unpopular figure in the buttoned-up world of the military elite. So unpopular that even Greenwald tells him that he’s “guilty as hell” before they enter the courtroom. But he’s also a man of the law who will do everything he can to win his case including putting everything up for question.

Of course, Queeg states slander and attempts to convince head judge Captain Luther Blakely (Lance Reddick) with aid from lead prosecutor Katherine Challee (Monica Raymund) that everything Maryk told are erroneous lies. But as the trial progresses, more about Queeg’s problematic behavior comes to light, which tests the court and Greenwald’s allegiance to the United States Army’s legal proceedings.

Throughout, the film is just a plethora of words. There’s no action, no flashbacks to the scene of the ship when the events transpired, and the music, if any, is hardly noticeable. Here, director Friedkin largely avoids dramatic flair, placing his trust in the natural human drama of the court proceedings. His long takes and naturalistic lighting allow the process to play out before our eyes, showing us both the testimonies and the subtle shifts in the observers’ body language.

Midway through the proceedings, we’re naturally anticipating a clarifying flashback, showing the crisis in the wheelhouse and perhaps the events that sparked it to break the rhythm of the court-martial hearings and definitively show us what occurred on the Caine. But that’s not the point; the film’s interest lies elsewhere.

The film consistently puts forth many questions during the trial, but it never becomes apparent, leaving the audience to decide precisely who is telling the truth and who isn’t.

At first, it seems simple enough, but no one will leave this film with the same interpretation of the events they’ve witnessed. As truth is both subjective and partial. Everybody’s to blame, admittedly some more than others, and so the best course of action is to settle back and draw our own conclusions, rocked by the cross-currents of conflicting testimonials.

That can only be made possible if a true auteur is at the helm, knowing the exact ways to reel the audience into the story, hook them into its fast-paced dialogue exchanges, and then drop a needle at the precise moment when they start questioning the validity of anyone’s testimonies, putting them further into a state of bewilderment and disarray. The final scene takes place outside the courtroom, with a great actor delivering a knockout monologue and a great director making one last bold, jarring and memorable choice before we cut to black.

Performances wise, the ever effective Kiefer Sutherland delivers one of his best turns yet in the role of nervous and paranoid Philip Queeg. From his incessant rubbing of hands to the slurring of speech when the tension got to him, Sutherland is wholly believable. Jason Clarke has never been better, elevating his role through a more personal approach, particularly during its final scene, where he opens up about the trial in ways that weren’t possible in the courtroom.

Monica Raymund is outstanding as the lead prosecutor, while Jake Lacy is incredibly magnetic. The late Lance Reddick lends his power and grace to the role of the head judge hearing the case. Lewis Pullman, Gabe Kessler, Tom Riley, Elizabeth Anweis, Francois Battiste, and Jay Duplass all get their time in the chair and deliver equally engaging performances. On the whole, ‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ is a very engaging old-fashioned courtroom drama that is well-assembled and expertly acted.