I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

A woman lawyer is Christmas shopping with her carpenter husband when all of a sudden, he is arrested by the federal government, and deprived of his clothes. Then he gets a new outfit-the uniform of a United States Marine sergeant, and he is charged with going AWOL after a covert mission in El Salvador where he is supposed to have committed the crime of massacring a group of civilians in a village in the 1980's.The woman suspects her husband is being railroaded when she finds a bug placed in her home and her defending counsel an inexperienced first lieutenant, as well as witnesses to the incident disappearing. She finds a black disgruntled ex-soldier as a defense counsel, who knows the ways of the military bureaucracy. She also hears from a man claiming to have been in the village where the massacre took place.Events in the movie lead us to suspect the husband is being railroaded-but what is really going on? This is based on a novel of the same title, but reportedly different from it. But holes crop up as the story continues, and we wonder if this sort of situation would have occurred in real life.

First and foremost, let me put my pants on...Just kidding there... Seriously though, the thing here above ALL else, to me anyway, is that this is an EXPERTLY crafted Thriller in just about every way. Yes, WITHOUT the very gifted hand of this director, then perhaps some of the complaints others have mentioned here might have some merit. But, to me, the fact that the dang film was made SO frigg'n well, kind of excuses some of the more familiar aspects of the movie.Some here have stated that the movie has many 'Cliches'; this couldn't be farther from the truth. True, the story is not hugely original, but the quality of the execution and the acting are absolutely top notch. Jim Caviezel and Morgan Freeman are outstanding. Specifically, the way that the pacing and the scenes are crafted and put together, and the performances the director evoked from the actors are extremely well done. The story is gripping and fully engrossing. The Thriller and legal aspects of it are also most involving.Now, with that said... There is just ONE rather weighty detraction... BUT... and it is a very BIG BUT like Mariah Carey's... In my lowly and wretched opinion, I do not think that it ultimate takes away from the fact that WHILE you are watching the film, your belief is fully suspended and you are completely involved. Also, it doesn't take away from the expert way the film is put together and crafted and the way it is handled; that is pure art. However... and I am NOT gonna be specific here because I do NOT want to take away anything at all from your enjoyment of the film. I will just simply say that it has something to do with when the film is over... That is all I will say...One of the better crafted Thrillers that I have seen in quite a while; I remember when I very first saw it, that I didn't particularly like it. BUT... the main reason for this was that I didn't initially care for the ending (which I allude to above). However, I must say that now, several years later, I MUCH more appreciate the outstanding quality of the film and it's execution in and of itself. And, I now feel that that fact alone greatly outweighs my original reasons for not liking it. Sometimes a movie is made SO dang well, that even after it is over and you may question some of the specific developments in the story, you still come away feeling that it was a good and entertaining film...

The background - "open" civilians rambling into "closed" military circles - has been used in dozens of known movies, and High Crimes did not provide any fresh angle to the approach. The benchmark was clear, events followed had some nice twists and turns, but types of attorneys were trivial in a politically correct manner (although nicely performed, particularly Morgan Freeman), and the middle of the movie or so gave rather plain hints about the solution and the role of the accused. Some thrilling scenes provided no additional value to the movie, or were rather questionable, e.g. why the military had tried to hinder the attorneys in such a way? Or: why the Salvadorian witness did not act earlier vis-a-vis the killer? Thus, the course of action and performances are catchy to follow, but during last 10-15 minutes you just shrug your shoulders and start to "bind the bastings"...

This film is highly predictable. As soon as the husband of the the main character (Claire Kubik, portrayed by Ashley Judd)is accused of murder and claims certain military personal are conspiring against him, I was pretty sure where the film was going. All leads pointed to the the husbands innocence, however, it was a no brainer that things wouldn't be that simple and Mrs Kubik's lover would sooner or late be revealed as the bad guy that he really was/is.So, apart from it being really predictable as to what came next in the movie, the film itself isn't too bad. The dialogues not too shabby either, and the acting all round is pretty acceptable for me. So not one to really write home about, but watchable/fairly enjoyable nonetheless. 4/10 or 2*.