Film analysis - High Crimes

High Crimes is a 2002 American crime thriller directed by Carl Franklin. The main characters are Attorney, Claire Kubik played by Ashley Judd, her husband Tom played by James Caviezel, Morgan Freeman as Charlie Grimes and Adam Scott playing the role of First Lieutenent Terence Embry.

When husband Tom is arrested for murder, Claire Kubik's world is turned upside down. He is also revealed as living under the false name of 'Tom' and it appears that he is escaping the crimes committed under his real name, Ron Chapman.  His wife sets to seek out  the truth and enlists the help of lawyer Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman).  She is very certain with herself that she is doing the right thing and that her husband has been set up. The story takes on a number of twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Target Audience
The age rating for the film is 12 as it contains adult themes with the subject matter of murder and slight sexual and violent content. This is due to the fact the director did not want to take anything away from the message in the film being a more serious matter than just having violence. Very early on in the film we realise that the two main characters are a young couple in love, who are trying for a baby. In this scene there is reference to sex. There are a number of courtroom scenes and the film is serious and hard-hitting except for a little humour scattered throughout someone a younger viewer may find upsetting. The film is targeted at fans who like to solve crime thrillers and those who are interested in twist plots. I would say a more mature audience aged 35 to 60 years. However it would be enjoyed by younger viewers who like thrillers but I think a younger viewer would want more action. Fans of Morgan Freeman who does a range of genres and Ashley Judd are both well known actors meaning their fans would probably watch the film. The scenes of violence and scene of sexual content would make the film unsuitable for the younger viewer. The only language used is there to give the audience an idea of the characters personality.  

Camera work and editing
 There are several action shots one of the main ones being the car crash where the camera is mounted on  a motor bike which travels behind the vehicle taking in everything that is happening. This adds to the excitement of the production and makes the audience wonder what is happening. They use establishing shots to show the location of a scene e.g at the beginning of the film to show that they are in a village in the middle of no where. This gives the audience a sense of the place and makes them wonder what is going to happen in this scene. There is a pan of the camera which reveals the dead bodies so that the audience know that people have been killed. As with a lot of thrillers the camera shoots from scene to another scene very quickly. This adds to the tension of the film, for example when the camera shoots from the dead bodies to the credits and then goes to a pan of Toms and Claire's house. There are many close ups of the faces from those who are talking to show facial expression and help the audience understand the characters point of view. At times in the film the camera is placed in a certain position from which we then follow the movement of the character. This is used to give the audience a feeling that there is someone following that character who wishes them harm . This adds a lot to the film making it feel very spooky and makes you feel very uneasy. This adds to the suspense of the film especially when the camera shows their outline. All the camera work is used to not only tell a story but also to add to the suspense and the tension of the film. Within the camera work there is lots of little transitions from one clip to another which adds to the tension and leaves the audience wanting to know more about that bit. The camera shoots from scene to scene very quickly at time a little to fast leaving the audience wanting to know more. This is something film's use to add to the suspense of the film and make the audience want to find out more.

Sound
There is a lot of fast and up pace music especially when the scene is building up to an action scene, this helps to build up the suspense and tension in the audience so that they know, before it happens, that action is coming. In scenes that are more frighting or upsetting the music is much slower this gives the audience an insight to the story and also to make them feel how the characters are feeling. There is sudden bursts of sound that do not last very long. This is to emphasise on what is happening, it also is to get the audience time to take in what's just happened. For example in the scene with the fight in the shed we hear a loud gunshot and then everything goes quiet, we hear nothing. Near the end the sound adds a lot to the film as we come to realise who Tom really is. The sound is very eerie and tense which makes one feel uneasy. It gets tenser as the truth really starts to come out.

Representation of the characters
The characters in this film are represented in very different ways, Tom's character at the start seems a nice gentleman who is deeply in love with this wife, Claire. However as the story continues and he is arrested for murder, the audience start to believe that maybe he is not the guy we first thought. As the story goes on we come more and more convinced that he has been set up for the crimes. However from the point of being found out our perception of him changes into a ruthless killer.

 Towards the end of the film we become aware that Ron is a psychopath who murdered the civilians and some of the witnesses. He is able to not only lie about it but make up a new identity for himself under the name Tom to hide behind the truth just to make himself look innocent towards his wife who really loves him. The fact that at the end he seems to show no emotion when his wife finds out the truth. This is not how I think a normal person would act. The things he put Claire through and how he acts to the whole situation with no sorrow suggests he does not really care about anything or anyone including his wife and just wants to ensure he does not go to jail. The fact he tries to defend himself for murdering the villagers to his wife and even tries to be big headed about it also suggests that he is a psychopath.

Claire is a strong woman who knows what she wants and how she is going to get it. She is deeply in love with her husband and really sure he is the man to raise a family with, however it is not until the end that the audience are quite certain she has made a mistake. She has a bright, full of energy and passionate personality and is not afraid of standing up to anyone who she feels is trying to undermine her. For example when she is speaking to General Marcs and she says 'the question is general, you snob son of a bitch, will you survive me'.
Her love and support for her husband, the fact that she is a lawyer and for her  own personal needs she really needs him to be innocent. In some ways she will go to extreme measures to ensure this. e.g 'We can do this, I will not allow them to do this'. For example she stands up to the judge to get the tape to be counted and she gets quite aggressive about it. However as the end comes into mind and Tom is found out maybe Claire's strong personality blinded her from figuring out the truth that was really very simple.

  Charlie is an ex-alcholic lawyer who has several social problems however he is obviously a kind person who has a wonderful interaction with Claire. He very wants to help her and as such treats her with lots of kindness and respect. It is not until the end when we realise that Charlie really is friendly will Claire and as such really wants to help her.

Misc en scene
The misc en scene is a very important part of the film as it adds a lot to the storyline of the film and without the right lighting, props, costumes being used it would not have the same effect and make the film not hang together well.
The lighting in the film is used to a very good effect of making that scene meaningful and it gives off the mood of the scene. The first scene with the 'happy' couple is very bright and sunny there is light going in though the window and every thing is jolly and nice.  Furthermore  in the next shot in the office it is very bright sunshine. In the working office there is light all around her which relates to her happy life and shows she has a good important job. At the break in it is night time and obviously a little dark but bright enough so you can see all the objects. When they go Christmas shopping it is night but there are Christmas lights up and we know from this and the props that it is near Christmas. When the FBI come there is a lot of flashing lights. In the cell where he is doing the polygraph it is very dark. In court there are no windows and this gives the impression of how trapped they are. When he is released from prison it is very light and all is good. When the camera shoots to a very dark scene and they are talking about who was murdered we know some thing is very wrong.
Props are used well to show the time of year and to help the audience understand the turns in the story. For example we know it is Christmas from the Christmas tree in their house and the lighting and people wearing santa hats.
The film takes on a lot of different setting as it jumps from place to place. The opening scene is set in a middle of no where villiage in Mexico is shows how far the civilians are from others and how helpless they are as a result. All the setting play a big part in the film and add to the way the storyline goes as a way of adding to the tension and suspense in the film. Near the end the sound adds a lot to the film as we come to realise who Tom really is. The sound is very eerie and tense which makes one feel uneasy. It gets tenser as the truth really starts to come out.
The costumes throughout the film are obviously relevant to the location and mise en scene. The start of the film shows the characters dressed in smart casual, everyday wear. We see the couple enjoying a shopping trip together, laden with bags. From their dress the audience is able to identify the social status of the couple e.g. they are wearing nicely cut, good quality clothes that lets the audience know that they are a professional couple who are not short of money. As the story progresses and the past life of Tom is revealed we then see the US military uniform which represents their career, power and authority that the character has. The courtroom scenes include a mix of the military uniforms together with characters in smartly dressed power suits. The costume of the very laid-back Charlie Grimes gives an idea of his character and personality. He wears very casual and untidy clothes and this matches the image that they want to give of him. His costume during the main body of the film fits with the fact that he is a heavy drinker. However, at the end of the film when he is in his office with the newly appointed lawyer, Claire Kubik, he is more smartly dressed and this tells the audience that he is obviously turning over a new leaf and kicking his bad habits. Tom goes from being a very smartly dressed and a professional looking gentleman to looking very vulnerable and unhappy in the 'prison clothes'.  The flashbacks that we see of the murder scene shows people who are very dirtily and shabbily dressed and this tells us that they are very poor and helpless against the attack by the military.

Age range and gender of cast
The age of the characters varies of both men and women of around 28-58 years old. Tom and Claire are quite young and wish to start a family together and as such the director has chosen characters of this age.

Titles 
The opening titles in the film are shown just after the opening clip which shows the dead bodies. The director wishes to draw people in and get them thinking about the storyline within the film. The opening titles are shown once the film has gone to a pan of Tom and Claire's house and continues going until Tom and Claire are talking. At the end of the film the music starts to play and the screen goes black and the ending credits run down the screen this lets the audience know the film has ended and shows everyone involved with the film, starting with the main stars.

The effects of the film with all the camerawork and misc en scene makes for an exciting and tense film which is good at leaving the audience on the edge of their seat.