The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023) Review
William Friedkin‘s first feature film in 12 years since Killer Joe happens to be his last after he passed away earlier in August. His final film, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial marked the late legendary director’s return to the legal drama territory since the made-for-TV remake, 12 Angry Men and the underrated Rules of Engagement.
Set almost entirely in a courtroom, Friedkin, who also adapted the screenplay from Herman Wouk’s 1953 play of the same name, stages his film without any flashbacks whatsoever. He relies heavily on the testimonies and interviews throughout the court-martial in a single day. We don’t get to see the mutiny taking place. Only a log and words from the involved officers aboard the USS Caine minesweeper as defence attorney Lieutenant Barney Greenwald (Jason Clarke) and prosecutor Commander Katherine Challee (Monica Raymund) take turns asking questions.
The court-martial revolved around Lieutenant Stephen Maryk (Jake Lacy), the first officer who stands trial for mutiny over relieving the command of Lieutenant Commander Phillip Queeg (Kiefer Sutherland). Maryk took control of the ship amid a cyclone after he claimed Queeg wasn’t mentally fit to do so. Among other witnesses attending the court-martial include Lieutenant Thomas Keefer (Lewis Pullman) and QM3 (Quartermaster Third Class) Junius Urban (Gabe Kessler).
Friedkin updated Wouk’s WWII-set play to the contemporary era and shot his film in a chamber-piece mode. The camerawork is minimal and none of the cinéma vérité styles that defined some of his best works including The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973). Even the courtroom setting itself is drab and everything about this film screams uncinematic. In other words, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is as visually mundane as it gets. It sure made me feel like I was watching an old-school TV episode and if that’s enough, I found out this film is rather a “teleplay by William Friedkin” during the end credits. At least his 2006 chamber piece, albeit a psychological thriller in Bug is more animated by comparison.
But that doesn’t mean The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is an outright disappointment. Far from it, to be exact. Friedkin brings out the best in his stellar cast, beginning with Jason Clarke’s engaging performance as the defence attorney Lieutenant Barney Greenwald. Ironically, this is his second time after Oppenheimer, where he played a character interrogating a suspect/witness. Kiefer Sutherland excels in one of his best performances in a long time as the mercurial Lieutenant Commander Phillip Queeg.
Monica Raymund, best known for her lead role in TV’s Hightown, delivers a fiercely stern supporting turn as the lead prosecutor, Commander Katherine Challee. Her lively performance along with Jason Clarke’s Greenwald gives this otherwise prosaic film a much-needed dramatic urgency during their verbal duelling in the court-martial. The film also featured Lance Reddick in one of his posthumous roles after his untimely passing in March, who brings gravitas as the military judge, Captain Blakely.
The film, which runs less than two hours, manages to sustain my interest with its absorbing and at times, subtly amusing dialogues. The latter is particularly evident when Jake Lacy’s Lieutenant Stephen Maryk recounts what happened during the multiple incidents revolving around the coffee machine, cheese and strawberries. The unexpected comic timing may come across as awkwardly misplaced but Friedkin manages to make it work seamlessly in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
This isn’t the first time Herman Wouk’s play — itself adapted from his own 1952 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Caine Mutiny — has been made into films. Edward Dmytryk first directed Humphrey Bogart to his Oscar-nominated glory in 1954’s The Caine Mutiny. Then, there was Robert Altman’s 1988 TV movie The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial starring Eric Bogosian, Jeff Daniels and Brad Davis.
Interestingly, Friedkin reportedly managed to complete the film around 15 days with Guillermo Del Toro serving as a backup director. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial may have been a lesser effort but this film remains a well-acted courtroom drama.
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is currently streaming on Paramount+ and Showtime.
