The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Release poster
Directed byWilliam Friedkin
Written byWilliam Friedkin
Based onThe Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
by Herman Wouk
Produced by
  • Annabelle Dunne
  • Matthew Parker
Starring
CinematographyMichael Grady
Edited byDarrin Navarro
Production
companies
Distributed byRepublic Pictures (through Paramount+ with Showtime)
Release dates
  • September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03) (Venice)[2]
  • October 6, 2023 (2023-10-06) (United States)
Running time
109 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a 2023 American legal drama film written and directed by William Friedkin. It is based on Herman Wouk's 1953 play of the same name, itself based on Wouk's 1952 novel The Caine Mutiny. It stars Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke, Jake Lacy, Monica Raymund and Lance Reddick. The film marks a posthumous release for Reddick and Friedkin, who both died in 2023 on March 17 and August 7, respectively, and is Friedkin's final work.[4]

The film premiered on September 3, 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival and was released in the United States on October 6, 2023 on Paramount+ with Showtime by Republic Pictures.[2][5]

Synopsis

When a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the safety of his ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court-martial for mutiny. Greenwald, a skeptic lawyer, reluctantly defends Maryk, an officer of the navy who took control of the vessel from its dominant captain Queeg whilst caught in a violent sea storm. Greenwald becomes increasingly concerned as the court martial proceeds and questions if the Caine were a true mutiny or simply the courageous acts of a group of sailors that could not trust their unstable leader.[6]

Cast

  • Kiefer Sutherland as Lt. Commander Queeg, Captain of the U.S.S. Caine
  • Jason Clarke as Lieutenant Greenwald, defense attorney
  • Jake Lacy as Lieutenant Maryk
  • Monica Raymund as Lt. Commander Challee, lead prosecutor
  • Lewis Pullman as Lieutenant Keefer
  • Jay Duplass as Lieutenant Alan Bird
  • Tom Riley as Lieutenant Keith
  • Lance Reddick as Captain Blakely, head judge
  • Elizabeth Anweis as Lt. Commander Joan Lundeen, MD, Navy psychiatrist
  • Francois Battiste as Captain Southard
  • Gabe Kessler as Petty Officer Third Class Urban
  • Gina Garcia-Sharp as the stenographer
  • Stephanie Erb as Rear Admiral Lucille Stutz
  • Dale Dye as Vice Admiral R. T. Dewey
  • Denzel Johnson as Prosecution Paralegal J. P. Simmons

Production

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial is a film that I have long awaited to make, originally written by one of the masters of his time, Herman Wouk. I knew that I wanted to create a highly tense, pressurized scenario which would move rapidly along like a bat out of hell. I intentionally chose to keep the issue of right and wrong as ambiguous as possible. I was consistently impressed with the level of expertise that our actors brought to their roles and I believe that these are some of the best performances I have ever seen.

—William Friedkin, speaking about the film[6]

In September 2021, William Friedkin announced plans to develop an adaptation of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial and that he was beginning the process of casting the film.[7] The following year, in August, Deadline Hollywood officially reported that a new adaptation of Herman Wouk's novel The Caine Mutiny directed by Friedkin was in the works for Paramount Global Content Distribution and Showtime Networks. Kiefer Sutherland was announced to star, with Friedkin having altered Wouk's script himself to reflect a more modern timeline, setting it in the Persian Gulf, as opposed to the original's World War II setting.[8] Principal photography began presumably in January 2023[8][9] and was completed sometime before star Lance Reddick's death in March.[10] In the wake of his death, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro posted a tweet, praising the actor's performance in the film.[11]

Del Toro himself served as back-up director on the film for liability reasons, due to Friedkin's age,[12] and had sat beside him every day during the shoot.[13] Since the production had been operating on a tight schedule, Friedkin expected that everyone come to the set prepared so as to avoid doing any retakes. According to del Toro, rather than scold a particular actor who stumbled over a crucial line several times, Friedkin instead asked, "You wanna do it in an hour or so? Or we pick it up tomorrow?":

"The gesture was healing, soothing and put the entire set back in control. I had seen, at the ripe age of 58, that of th[e] many tools in Billy's arsenal, kindness was one of the most effective ones."[14]

Release

In March 2023, Paramount Global Content Distribution revived Republic Pictures, with The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial announced as one of its first acquisitions.[15] The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial had its world premiere on September 3, 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival where it screened out of competition.[2][6] Upon its release, Paramount+ announced it will premiere the film in all international markets where the service is available.[16] The film was released on October 6, 2023 on Paramount+ with Showtime followed by a linear release on Showtime on October 8.[5]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 94% of 52 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "The final film from a master of the medium, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial serves as a gripping reminder that a single setting, a solid cast, and some sharply written dialogue is sometimes all you need."[17] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[18]

Pete Hammond, in his review for Deadline Hollywood, wrote that the film is "solid and no-frills".[19]

Accolades

Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref.
2024 29th Critics' Choice Awards Best Movie Made for Television The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial Nominated [20]
Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Kiefer Sutherland Nominated

References

  1. 1 2 Felperin, Leslie (September 7, 2023). "'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' Review: Kiefer Sutherland and Jake Lacy in William Friedkin's Swaggering Final Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Tartaglione, Nancy (July 25, 2023). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Mann, Lanthimos, Fincher, DuVernay, Cooper, Besson, Coppola, Hamaguchi In Competition; Polanski, Allen, Anderson, Linklater Out Of Competition – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (12)". British Board of Film Classification. August 31, 2023. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ Dagan, Carmel (August 7, 2023). "William Friedkin, 'The Exorcist' Director, Dies at 87". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Goodfellow, Melanie (September 5, 2023). "U.S. Premiere For William Friedkin's 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' Set For October 6 On Paramount+ With Showtime – Venice". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Biennale Cinema 2023 | The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". Venice Biennale. July 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "CAINE MUTINY FILM REMAKE? * WILLIAM FRIEDKIN TALKS" (video). YouTube. Celebrity Street. September 10, 2021.
  8. 1 2 Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 29, 2022). "William Friedkin Directing Kiefer Sutherland In Update Of Herman Wouk's 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' For Showtime & Paramount Global". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  9. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (January 7, 2023). "'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' Rounds Out Cast With 7 Including Monica Raymund, Lance Reddick & Griffin Dunne". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  10. ↑ Olsen, Mark (March 17, 2023). "'Actor's actor' Lance Reddick completed work on at least 4 unreleased projects before death". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  11. ↑ @RealGDT (March 17, 2023). ""Great actor- I witnessed his prowess in the upcoming William Friedkin fil The Caine Mutiny."" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (September 3, 2023). "Guillermo Del Toro Acted as Back-Up Director for William Friedkin's 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,' Producer Reveals at Venice Launch". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Guillermo del Torro on the late William Friedkin: Kindness was his most effective tool". OTTplay. August 8, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  14. ↑ Arora, Chandni (August 8, 2023). ""I already miss him horribly": Guillermo del Toro Reveals Heartwarming Story of 'The Exorcist' Director William Friedkin, Infamous for His Fiery Temper". FandomWire. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  15. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (March 24, 2023). "Paramount Global Revives Republic Pictures, Historic Home to John Wayne and Orson Welles, as Acquisition Label". Variety. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (September 3, 2023). "William Friedkin's Last Film 'The Caine Mutiny Court Martial' To Premiere On Paramount+ In Int'l Markets Where Platform Is Live". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  18. ↑ "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  19. ↑ Hammond, Pete (September 3, 2023). "'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' Review: William Friedkin's Final Film Does Honor To Herman Wouk's Classic Military Story – Venice Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  20. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (December 5, 2023). "'The Morning Show' & 'Succession' Lead Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
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