The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

Friedkin leaves us with one last banger based on this lasting naval courtroom play before jetting off to Heaven or Hell to shout at shitty directors. Career best work from Kiefer Sutherland here and a fine farewell for the legendary Lance Reddick as well. Jason Clarke is always good but perfectly cast as the begrudging yet determined lawyer with cards close to his chest prepared for an excellent finale monologue.

a simple and unpretentious movie to mark friedkin's farewell

Friedkin’s final effort is a relentless and taut courtroom drama that allows the actors their stage. No frills or faff. The film hands out its justice evenly. The star of the show is Sutherland’s Queeg who isn’t nearly as deranged as Bogart but is just a sad man out of his depth desperately trying to hold onto the one thing in his life that makes sense. The final scene is a fitting gut punch - expertly played by Jason Clarke - for those looking for a silver lining. A great last hurrah from WM.

Altman > Friedkin > Dmytryk

Pretty good movie. I never enjoy anything too much when I watch it on an airplane

Whether or not you've already seen the about equally terrific 1954 version, Friedkin's last movie should prove enjoyable for anybody who can appreciate a good play and/or a good courtroom drama.

Sadly a posthumous release for both Friedkin and Reddick. With a small and premium cast (Sutherland shines especially) and almost entirely one-location, Friedkin's, the third adaptation of Wouk's novel, is the best of the three and one of the most gripping courtroom dramas in recent memory. Nothing here is sharp or incisive (and the psychiatric babble is as suspect as in real court) and it keeps its cards close to its chest, but it's so well-done it's hard to take one's eyes off.

In every way inferior to the 1954 movie, still, it's such a great story that it makes this worth watching.

A Kiefer triple-feature showing this, A Time To Kill, and Rob Reiner's acclaimed 1992 courtroom drama: A Few Good Sutherlands.

What a sheer elegant swan song this is. A powerfully restrained and ultimately perfectly acted -- last scene is aces -- chamber piece on military men and their fallouts about the inner complex mechanisms of chain of commands and how the human factor always plays a decisive factor on their success or failure. Great cast all around, specially Reddick, and Friedkin's subtle yet precisely formal conduction just makes a big difference on how the film tackles its constant clash of narratives.