The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

In well-cast Naval court-room drama "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" Executive Officer Jake Lacy is accused of a mutiny against overbearing (and unhinged?) Captain Kiefer Sutherland. Set almost entirely in the court-room Lacy is defended by Jason Clarke (terrific) & prosecuted by Monica Raymund, all before judge Lance Reddick (and his unspeaking peers) with summoned witnesses like Jay Duplass. Despite the stark unchanging setting, tv-standard production qualities, & some dodgy support performances, veteran writer / director William Freidkin summons some decent buzz & tension... though this will def'ly go down as a poor man's "A Few Good Men".

The original novel and movie took place during WWII. The play now takes place during the Gulf War, but it doesn't lend itself to modernization. Kiefer Sutherland does a credible job as Captain Queeg, but lacks the depth that Humphrey Bogart gave to the character in the original movie. Jake Lacy, however is a bit shallow in his characterization of Lt. Maryk. I liked the acting by Jason Clarke as Barney Greenwald, but the gray hair on a fairly young Navy Lieutenant was a bit too much. I also thought Monica Raymond's portrayal of the JAG prosecutor was over the top. Yes, prosecutors have to be zealous in their duties, but...

Quartermaster 3rd Class Urban's character was clearly miscast. First, while it's not unusual for a 20-year-old to be an E-4, it would be virtually impossible for a sailor of his age to have been in the Navy for four years.

Now, to the makeup of the officers on the board. As far as I can remember, flag officers do not serve on courts martial boards for decidedly junior officers. Dale Dye's portrayal of an "Admiral Dewey" was not only farcical, but his uniform decorations were way over the top. There were also several incidents where Navy uniforms were not worn properly, although I can imagine that the short shooting schedule was a major cause of continuity errors.

Navy courts martial don't have Chief/Senior Chief Petty Officers as court MP's. Those duties are handled by U. S. Marines, especially at larger Naval facilities.

In all, the entire play would have been much better had more time been taken to "get it right".

William Friedkin's final film is an updated to the present adaptation of Herman Wouk's famous tale. It's based more on the Stage play version rather than the novel and Friedkin (who did the adaptation) doesn't 'open it up' for the screen; Rather, he keeps the focus on the text and the performers.

It's a strong cast with Jake Lacy as the accused, Maryk, Monica Raymund as the Prosecutor and Kiefer Sutherland as Commander Queeg. Sutherland occasionally overplays the neurosis, but it's a good performance. Jason Clarke as the Defense counsel, Greenwald, is superb.

The late Lance Reddick plays Blakely the head Judge. It was nice to see Reddick get a full card dedication at the end of the picture*. A double dedication in this case, along with Friedkin, certainly. It's appropriate in a way that Friedkin would finish with a legal thriller, as his breakthrough was a hard-hitting 1962 crime Documentary The People Vs. Paul Crump.

I feel privileged to have met both men. A hearty RIP to each of them.

* Apparently, there are a couple of more performances by Reddick still to be released.

Having recently watched the original Caine Mutiny, I was excited to see how such a strong cast and director could retell the story for a modern audience.

Right out of the gate, the pace of the movie was off. Cut scene to each witness, no time spend on any transition between them.

Then there's the scene with Lt Keefer. The original movie provided a clear understanding of his motives. In this one the Keefer and Maryk dynamic during the trial is not explored. No dots connected for the viewer, just a simple glazed over opportunity to develop the story.

The final scene left me puzzled. The message it sends is diminished from the takeaway of the original. Moral courage and fortitude are nowhere to be found. Maryk is made to be a one dimensional buffoon.

9/10 for the actors, 4/10 for the message and muddled delivery.

Final films by William Friedkin and Lance Reddick RIP.

This is a single setting courtroom court martial hearing that expands on the legal themes of the original from the fifties.

The original showed the various incidents of Queeg and then the trial. This is just the trial and aftermath.

Everything is a lot more fleshed out. Jason Clarke is great as the prosecutor and Keifer Sutherland does a passable Borgart homage.

I watched it as a companion piece to the original and would recommend doing it that way.

I always find the ending, where the solicitor speaks to the officers party a wonderful scene. Watch it for that at least.