High Crimes is a disappointingly routine thriller from director Carl Franklin. Though the political undertones of the story lend it a certain edge (the film offers an extremely critical view of the American military's involvement in El Salvador), the filmmakers simply discard the explosive issues they bring up when they become inconvenient to the narrative. Franklin's strengths with character, performance, and suspense (as evidenced by his two previous thrillers, One False Move and Devil in a Blue Dress) are not readily apparent in this film. He gets typically strong work from the redoubtable Morgan Freeman, and a nice, sympathetic turn from Adam Scott, who plays the inexperienced and guileless defense attorney assigned to the case. James Caviezel, as the caring husband with the dark secret in his past, does a good job of keeping the audience guessing. Ashley Judd's performance, however, is uneven. She has a few good emotional moments, especially in her scenes with Caviezel, but she sometimes seems stiff and self-conscious. Amanda Peet (The Whole Nine Yards) is adept at playing sexy kooks, but her performance here seems inappropriately over-the-top. The impression is that this is a work-for-hire for Franklin. In trying to bring a little recognizable humanity to the project, he's sabotaged by the creaky machinations of the script. Filled with gaping plot holes and unconvincing twists, the story winds its way to a fairly predictable "surprise" ending that disturbingly leaves the most compelling questions asked in the film unanswered.