The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

William Friedkin's last film. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2023 and streamed from 6 October on Paramount+. Friedkin died on 7 August 2023; Lance Reddick, who plays the judge, had died on 17 March of the same year. It is a posthumous release for both. The source is Herman Wouk's 1953 play, which he adapted from his own 1951 novel. Friedkin made one major change and moved the events from the Second World War to post-9/11 America; the mutiny at issue now takes place in the Persian Gulf. Lieutenant Maryk is on trial for taking command of the USS Caine from Captain Queeg during a hurricane, believing him unfit and possibly insane. The court does not argue about whether that was true but about whether he had the authority to decide it. Kiefer Sutherland plays Queeg, Jason Clarke the defence counsel, Jake Lacy plays Maryk and Monica Raymund prosecutes. Who it is for: viewers who like courtroom drama confined to one room and made entirely of speech. Who it is not for: anyone expecting cinematic movement. It plays almost like a filmed stage production, was made cheaply, and is among the most modest works of Friedkin's career.