Ashley Judd gives it her best in this “Stand By Your Man”-themed military film. Judd stars with her “Kiss the Girls” co-star Morgan Freeman and “Count of Monte Cristo’s” Jim Caviezel in “High Crimes,” a thriller that exposes the hidden side of a loving spousal relationship.

Judd is Claire Kubik, a high-powered defense attorney living an affluent, happy life with her husband, Tom (cue the “Jaws” music, it’s about to get dramatic). Everything she believes about her husband is tossed out the window as he is arrested at gunpoint by the FBI and charged with the deaths of innocent civilians during a military action in El Salvador. As the wife of a man who is accused of atrocious crimes during a covert military operation, Judd’s torn between her love for her husband and the ugliness of the charges mixed with the possibility that the military’s version of events is true. Deciding to be the supportive wife - and cutthroat defense attorney - she enlists the help of Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman), a wild card attorney with many bones to pick with the military.

The premise has been used before, many of the twists are predictably mapped out thus robbing them of their impact, and the writers throw in too many military clichés. It probably sounds as if I didn’t like this film but that’s not entirely true. The acting was first-rate and there were parts of the film that were downright riveting. It’s just that where the story could have cut a fresh path, it chose to rely too heavily on tried and true plot points. I personally had a problem with a few of the scenes not being consistent with the film’s ending, but to give the writers the benefit of the doubt, they are constricted by time restraints. Perhaps to answer those dangling storylines would have added another half an hour to the film - and we all know how well audiences hold up during long films.

Rebecca Murray
Hollywood Movies Guide

After leaving the Army, Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) tries to get a marketing job in New York. But without a college degree, this was not possible. He then decides to start studying for a business degree at the local City College and gets a part time job as a bartender. He realizes that its not that easy, but when his new boss Douglas Coughlin (Brian Brown) teaches him the secrets of the bar trade and they become the most famous bartenders in town. Both Brian & Doug Coughlin want their own top class cocktail bars someday and Brian’s Cocktail Bar is to be called ‘Cocktails & Dreams’, and in order to get the necessary money to open it, Brian travels to Jamaica to work as a bartender at a resort Tiki Bar, and the pay is good. There he meets Jordan Mooney (Elisabeth Shue), a young and pretty, up and coming American artist on vacation with her girlfriend from New York, staying at the Island resort. Jordan and Brian spend some quality time together and fall in love. But when Brian takes a dare from his old buddy, Doug Coughlin to sleep with an older woman, who is also staying at the resort. Jordan, herself the daughter of wealthy parents back in New York, leaves the Island overnight, after seeing Brian and the older woman together after closing… Will Jordan ever forgive Brian and will they get back together??? Written by Joshua Jaworsky {jaworsky@gmail.com}

Lula’s psychopathic mother goes crazy at the thought of Lula being with Sailor, who just got free from jail. Ignoring Sailor’s probation, they set out for California. However their mother hires a killer to hunt down Sailor. Unaware of this, the two enjoy their journey and themselves being together… until they witness a young woman dying after a car accident - a bad omen. Written by Tom Zoerner {Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de}

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