High Crimes - PG-13\nStarring: Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman\nDirected by: Carl Franklin\nShowing: Showplace West 12\nThere's just something about being stormed by the F.B.I., having your husband arrested and finding him charged with nine counts of murder that seems to put a damper on the day. Especially after you've just done a nice round of Christmas shopping. But of course, when the most pressing issue up until this point has been following the ovulation predictor so that you and hubby can "make a baby," well, you just know something of apocalyptic proportions must be in store. Played with the ever-arched eyebrow of Ashley Judd, this is the situation that Claire Kubik, a successful Bay Side lawyer, finds herself thrust into.\nCarl Franklin's latest effort really isn't a bad film. But it's nowhere near great, nor remotely as good as his preceding work on "One False Move" or "Devil in a Blue Dress." Instead, "High Crimes" is guilty of rigorously trying to follow all of the rules. Some of this might have to do with Franklin, but this primarily falls on the shoulders of the writers, who seem to have sacrificed anything original, anything actually worth a story, for simple, pre-set structure.\nBut "High Crimes" still manages some redeemable qualities, which can be attributed to the chemistry between Judd and Morgan Freeman. Judd and Freeman team up for a second time after the far superior "Kiss the Girls." This time, Freeman plays our off-the-wagon, "wild card" lawyer who's there to teach Mrs. Kubik a few things about military justice. As always, Freeman is apparently incapable of giving a bad performance, regardless of the quality of the film. Together, with Judd, the two play off one another nicely and manage to bring some life to an overall flatlining film of formula.\n
){kind=small}
\n
