High Crime (film analysis)

The Film
High Crime is a crime thriller set mostly in a military institute in the United States.
The film revolves around a Law Attorney, Claire (Ashley Judd) and her husband Tom (James Caviezel), the latter of which is accused of the murder of nine people by a military court.
The film fits well into the category of a classical thriller, using suspense, mystery and the constant pressure the main character is under throughout the film to prove her husband's innocence.
The plot has a tendency to turn throughout the film, throwing viewers off and taking an opposite direction to the one expected.


Music & Sound
Nearer to the start, the music is rather slow and melodic, setting the film with quite a positive atmosphere, hiding the darker nature of the film's plot beneath a cheery, 'sugarcoated' opening.
Over the music, the audience can clearly hear a radio broadcast being played, this lends the opening a semblance of normality, staunchly denying the audience any hint of the film being a crime thriller.
Once launched into the main plot, both digetic and non-digetic sound become  more militaristic, music tends to include drums and brass instruments expected in a military parade march.
Music plays a large part in setting the mood of specific scenes, and ranges over a wide variety from dark, intimidating music to the lighter, slower themes experienced nearer the start of the film.
There is often a deliberate absence of music whenever Claire and Tom interact for prolonged amounts of time, such as when Claire is speaking with Tom in an interrogation room.
Despite the darker turn the film takes, a good majority of the tracks and themes used are lighter than perhaps most people might expect.

Camerawork
A good majority of the camerawork used is in static frames, with the camera being fixed in one single place and panning to follow a character or object.
This is perhaps a little more appropriate for the setting and plot, as the film is mostly set in/around a military base and courtroom.
A few tracking shots are seen throughout the film, though these mostly include shots following vehicles, and are mostly utilized in the film's few fast-paced scenes.
Camerawork in the more fast-paced scenes usually includes more quick cuts and deliberately shaky shots, to portray feelings of panic or adrenaline.
Low-angle shots seem to center around specific characters in the film, such as the judge in the courtroom.
This is probably to relate a sense of power in the figure, as well as a sense of authority over his peers.
The character of Claire is also shown in a position of power at specific points in the film, usually when she has the upper hand in an argument or whenever the character portrays a sense of pride.
Equally, Claire can be portrayed in a vulnerable state through high-angle shots, looking down on the character.

Age range & gender of cast
For the most part, the cast appear to be predominantly male, keeping with the film's setting of a military base.
The few female characters encountered are non-military personnel, the most prominent being Claire and her sister Jackie.
The film's setting places large restrictions on the cast, making the majority military officers, and placing the age range of the cast between the ages of twenty and fifty years old.


Representation
Character representation throughout the film ranges between characters, even going so far as to feature some stereotypes, such as with the military officials, many of which embody the US military as corrupt and unfair.
The plot represents a common theme in thrillers, that of the falsely accused protagonist, in the form of Claire's husband Tom, who is accused of the mass murder of a small settlement.
Claire, as the main protagonist, is seen as being physically weak and rather fragile, but mentally tough and stubborn.
This is seen through her constant harassment of Military officials for details to prove her husband's innocence.
Charlie Grimes (Morgan Freeman), an estranged ex-military attorney, is portrayed as the proverbial "wise man" of the film, knowing all the secrets and tricks behind military politics and helping Claire to understand them.
Terrence Embry (Adam Scott), a military attorney assigned to defend Tom, is portrayed in the film as a youthful, inexperienced character who has little actual experience in his field.
This representation could be meant to complement the older cast members with a more youthful face.
The last of the main cast is Claire's sister Jackie (Amanda Peet), who is portrayed as an irresponsible child when compared to Claire's more mature nature.