A 2002 American Legal Thriller directed by Carl Franklin that has a lawyer's (Ashley Judd) husband (Jim Caviezel) being arrested for multiple murders and she works to defend him in court.
The movie also stars Morgan Freeman, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet, Bruce Davison, Michael Gaston, Tom Bower, Jude Ciccolella, Emilio Rivera, Michael Shannon, Paula Jai Parker, and Dawn Hudson.
It was released on April 5, 2002.
Tropes for the film:
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Claire seeks someone known as one of the best military lawyers to defend her husband, who's been accused of war crimes. She finds him living in a ramshackle house, watching daytime television and struggling with alcoholism. Yet he's sharp as a tack and successfully gets her husband acquitted.
- Clear My Name: Subverted in that the accused is actually guilty.
- Convenient Miscarriage: Tom and Claire have been trying for a baby for a while and Claire finally gets pregnant, but miscarries the baby following an ambush attack on her car. In a Twist Ending, Tom turns out to have been the killer all along after Claire spent the entire movie trying to exonerate him from the massacre of village peasants in El Salvador. Tom is killed by the El Salvadorian witness to the crimes. This means that Claire doesn't have to raise a baby alone and also doesn't have to raise a baby who will remind her of her husband's crimes and betrayal, in a bittersweet way.
- The Film of the Book: Based on Joseph Finder's novel of the same name.
- I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine: Judd and Freeman previously worked together on Kiss the Girls.
- Tagline: "Everything you trust. Everything you know. May be a lie...".
