High Crimes appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.35:1 on this single-sided, dual-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. I thought Crimes would offer a positive picture and I was correct.
Sharpness seemed solid. The image also appeared crisp and distinct, with virtually no instances of softness or fuzziness on display. Jagged edges and moiré effects created no noticeable concerns, but I did see a little light edge enhancement at times. Except for some intentionally gritty flashback footage, the movie lacked any signs of print flaws.
Crimes offers a fairly warm and natural palette, and the DVD replicated those hues well. The colors came across as accurate and vivid, and they displayed no concerns related to noise, bleeding, or other negatives. Black levels appeared deep and dense, while shadow detail was appropriately opaque but not overly thick. Lose the modest edge enhancement and High Crimes would provide an “A”-level transfer. As it stands, the image earned a solid “B+”.
Also strong was the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of High Crimes. Since the film mostly consisted of chatty sequences, the audio’s forward emphasis came as no surprise. In the front channels, I heard good stereo presence for the music, and effects created a nice sense of atmosphere. Showier surround effects cropped up at appropriate times, such as during Tom’s arrest and the shots in El Salvador. Those added some life to the proceedings, and the rears also contributed a good sense of general atmosphere; for example, the occasional helicopter heard during scenes on base seemed useful but not intrusive.
Audio quality came across well for the most part. Speech demonstrated a little edginess at times, but dialogue usually sounded natural and warm, and I discerned no problems related to intelligibility. Music appeared bright and vivid, and the score demonstrated solid dynamics and fidelity. Effects also were crisp and distinct. They showed clean highs and tight lows. Bass response packed a nice punch when appropriate. Ultimately, the soundtrack of High Crimes did its job.
As one might expect from a reasonably high profile recent theatrical release, High Crimes presents a decent mix of extras. Up first we locate an audio commentary from director Carl Franklin, who offers a running, screen-specific piece. Franklin provides a fairly interesting track. He covers a lot of useful topics such as how he became involved with the film, variations between it and the book, locations, dealing with audience attitudes toward the military after 9/11, possible alternate endings, and quite a few other subjects. Occasional empty spaces mar the presentation, but these seem reasonably infrequent.
Some folks loathe commentaries during which the director discusses other topics or films, so I need to warn them that Franklin frequently does so here. He often strays away from Crimes itself to talk about his other flicks, and he gets into some general filmmaking theories. Personally, I think these moments seem much more interesting than the stuff related to Crimes, especially when Franklin addresses the different needs of William Hurt and Meryl Streep. Overall, I feel Franklin provides a chatty and engaging piece that loses points solely due to the number of gaps. I must admit I can’t help but wonder how such a bright and insightful guy made such an ordinary flick.
In addition to the film’s theatrical trailer, we get a collection of six different featurettes. A Military Mystery runs seven minutes and 20 seconds and consists entirely of interview snippets with Joseph Finder, the author who wrote the book upon which they based the film. Finder tells us his reactions to the experience and how the movie differs from his text. He also comments upon his cameo in the flick and provides some notes about the story’s genre. It’s a solid chat that offers a lot of good information.
A “behind the scenes” piece, FBI Takedown In Union Square lasts three and a half minutes, and it shows the shooting of that sequence. We hear a few short comments from FBI consultant Sue Doucette, but mostly we simply watch the footage from the set. Though short, the featurette gives us a fun look at this subject.
In A Different Kind of Justice, lawyer Alice Cate discusses military courts. During the four minute and 55 second program, she details the ways that those proceedings differ from civilian trials and gives us a nice little glossary of significant terms. Her notes help flesh out the subject and add some useful material.
Those who wish to cheat will probably feel disappointed with Liar Liar: How to Beat a Polygraph. The five minute and 50 second featurette doesn’t really offer that much assistance for anyone who wants to lie and get away with it. Instead, FBI consultant Sue Doucette offers a primer in the use of the polygraph. She talks about what it can and cannot do, and while she indeed relates methods people use to beat it, she also covers countermeasures adopted by test administrators. As with all the preceding featurettes, this one packs a lot of good information into its short running time.
More “behind the scenes” footage appears in The Car Crash. The 125-second piece shows shots from the set and we hear some comments from director Franklin. Though brief, the clip offers a nice look at the effects used for the sequence, and I especially enjoyed a split screen presentation that displayed the raw footage alongside the final film.
The sole weak link in the featurettes area, Together Again finishes the domain with a moderate dud. The seven and a half minute program includes interview material with director Franklin, producers Janet Yang and Jesse B’Franklin, and actors Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Jim Caviezel, and Adam Scott. The piece concentrates on the reunion of Freeman and Judd - they also appeared together in 1998’s Kiss the Girls - and tells us how terrific they are together. It’s fluffy and bland and lacks much useful content, though it does toss in some decent shots from the set.
While not an unenjoyable flick, High Crimes failed to do much to differentiate itself from many other legal thrillers. The movie emphasized the latter elements too heavily and didn’t bother to do much with the former aspects. Ultimately, it seemed somewhat forced and lacked much distinctiveness. The DVD provides predictably positive picture and sound along with an unspectacular but solid section of supplements. If you liked High Crimes, you should feel pleased with this DVD and will want to acquire it. Others with an interest in the genre or the stars may want to rent it, but otherwise I can’t offer much of a recommendation for this ordinary flick.
