2023 Film The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

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.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial
Release poster
Directed by	William Friedkin
Written by	William Friedkin
Based on	The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial by Herman Wouk
Produced by	Annabelle Dunne Matthew Parker
Starring	Kiefer Sutherland Jason Clarke Jake Lacy Monica Raymund Lance Reddick
Cinematography	Michael Grady
Edited by	Darrin Navarro
Production companies	Showtime Networks Selsed House Loveless Media
Distributed by	Republic Pictures (through Paramount+ with Showtime)
Release dates	September 3, 2023 (2023-09-03) (Venice) October 6, 2023 (2023-10-06) (United States)
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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.

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.

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. 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. Principal photography began presumably in January 2023 and was completed sometime before star Lance Reddick's death in March. In the wake of his death, filmmaker Guillermo del Toro posted a tweet, praising the actor's performance in the film.

Del Toro himself served as back-up director on the film for liability reasons, due to Friedkin's age, and had sat beside him every day during the shoot. 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."

In March 2023, Paramount Global Content Distribution revived Republic Pictures, with The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial announced as one of its first acquisitions. 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. Upon its release, Paramount+ announced it will premiere the film in all international markets where the service is available. The film was released on October 6, 2023 on Paramount+ with Showtime followed by a linear release on Showtime on October 8.

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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

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

Accolades