“Carl told us that he saw
High Crimes as both a drama and a thriller. Because,
as he said, ‘We need the fear… the threat’” |
Because of the casting, Charlie’s character becomes a lot more important in the film than he was in the book. “Morgan has a Cheshire-Cat kind of quality, where you’re always wondering what he’s thinking,” says Franklin, “and the joke is always on you! That’s Grimes, and that’s definitely a quality of Morgan’s that we wanted.”
Freeman had already appeared very successfully with Judd in Kiss the Girls, and the two actors were delighted to be working together again. “What’s unique about our on-screen relationship is how the chemistry works,” says Freeman. “Collaborating a second time didn’t provide a shortcut, because we never had to work our way to it the first time: it was there from the beginning. It’s one of those classic buddy relationships that you’ve seen play out over the years through a lot of different eras of film. But here, it’s a little bit of a love story, in a way - not in the conventional, romantic sense, but there’s a deep, abiding affection between them. They’re very dif
ferent people, but in some ways they bring out the best in each other.”
“I just completely trust Morgan,” agrees Judd. “I know he’s always going to be totally present and authentic. And that helps bring out those qualities in me, too.”
The cast of High Crimes is rounded out by Jim Caviezel as Claire’s husband, Tom; Amanda Peet as her flaky sister, Claire; and Adam Scott as the young military lawyer assigned to the case. The film, with top Dutch cinematographer Theo van de Sande (Cruel Intentions, Blade) handling the photography, went into production just after Thanksgiving last year and wrapped early in the New Year. Viewing the finished product, Yang is convinced that her decision to go with Franklin - and his decision to shift the setting to California - were both fully justified.
“Carl has an unerring sense of authenticity, a kind of seamless sense of reality,” she says. “Every moment in his films is real. You sense that he’s capturing a slice of life in all its dimensions and colours.
