Film Review: "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" (2023).

From the director of The Exorcist and Killer Joe comes The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. This legal drama film adapted and directed by William Friedkin, his final cinematic effort, and based on Herman Wouk's 1953 play of the same title and 1952 novel The Caine Mutiny. Barney Greenwald, a skeptical lawyer, reluctantly defends an officer of the navy who took control of the Caine from its captain, Lt. Philip Francis Queeg, while caught in a violent sea storm. As the court-martial proceeds, however, Greenwald increasingly questions if it was truly a mutiny or rather the courageous acts of a group of sailors who could not trust their unstable leader.

In September 2021, Friedkin announced plans to develop an adaptation of Wouk's play and novel, and that he was beginning the process of casting the film. In August 2022, Deadline Hollywood officially reported that a new adaptation of Wouk's novel, adapted and directed by Friedkin, was in the works for Paramount Global Content Distribution and Showtime Networks. Kiefer Sutherland was attached to star, with Friedkin having altered Wouk's script himself to reflect a more modern timeline, setting it in the Persian Gulf, as opposed to the original's World War II setting. By January 2023, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund, Lance Reddick, Lewis Pullman, Jay Duplass, and Dale Dye rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced. Friedkin was given fifteen days to complete the shooting. He had finished shooting at the fourteenth day. According to Del Toro himself, he served as back-up director on the film for liability reasons, due to Friedkin's age, and had sat beside him every day during the shoot. Since the production had been operating on a tight schedule, Friedkin expected that everyone come to the set prepared so as to avoid doing any retakes. Rather than scold a particular actor who stumbled over a crucial line several times, Friedkin instead asked, "You wanna do it in an hour or so? Or we pick it up tomorrow?" On March 17, Reddick passed away and, on August 7, Friedkin passed away. On September 3, 2023, the film had its world premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival where it screened out of competition.

The film stars Sutherland, Clarke, Lacy, Raymund, Reddick, Pullman, Duplass, and Dye. The cast and Sutherland’s performances in the climactic scene was so powerful.

Despite its brief running time, it’s a fine exploration of how men who are trapped aboard a military vessel with an increasingly unhinged leader deal with their situation. It’s an absolute joy to watch. Although toned down in comparison with the book and the play, Wouk's seagoing drama is still a compelling thing in Friedkin's (sadly) final directorial effort. This courtroom drama, an adaptation of Wouk's novel and play, features Sutherland in one of his most intense and neurotic performances. A classic wartime drama / courtroom gripper that I'm ashamed to admit I'd never seen before last week. And now that I have, I'm a fan.

Simon says The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial receives:

Also, see my review for The Devil and Father Amorth.