‘Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ Sneak Peek

Earlier this year, the film world was struck by the tragic loss of Academy Award-winning director William Friedkin. Best known for his work on beloved films like The Exorcist and The French Connection, Friedkin still had one more project up his sleeve with the legal drama adaptation The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and play by Herman Wouk. Coincidentally, the film also happens to be one of the final roles for beloved John Wick star Lance Reddick who died back in March. Collider is excited to exclusively unveil a new sneak peek clip that sees Reddick dressing down Jason Clarke as the latter makes the case for his defendant.

The clip opens on Lt. Barney Greenwood (Clarke) as he makes the case for his client, Lt. Steven Maryk (Jake Lacy), by suggesting that his commanding officer Lt. Phillip Francis Queeg (Kiefer Sutherland) is not of sound mind. His proposal earns an immediate objection from Commander Katherine Challee (Monica Raymund) before the presiding Cpt. Luther Blakely (Reddick) makes it clear that such accusations are not to be leveled lightly. Cpt. Blakely harshly reminds him that continuing with his line of questioning is both unprecedented in Naval history and treacherous for the future of Lt. Greenwood’s career, ensuring it will only be an uphill battle from here unless he withdraws his question.

One thing Reddick excelled at was playing authority figures from The Continental’s concierge Charon to Officer Cedric Daniels in The Wire and even Commander Zavala in the Destiny video games. As Blakely, he brings that same intense energy which only further emphasizes the consequences of Greenwood’s actions. Why he would make such accusations in the first place, however, is due to the questionable nature of Queeg’s command. The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, Lt. Maryk faces trial for a “mutiny” aboard the U.S.S. Caine for ripping control of the ship from Queeg. Initially skeptical, Greenwood starts to believe that this was less of a takeover and more a case of soldiers jumping into action to prevent disaster.

‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial’ Is Friedkin’s Swan Song

Friedkin’s legal drama appears to be a sendoff worthy of the much-loved director behind everything from huge hits to underrated gems. The film made its debut at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year to a warm reception and an outpour of tributes to the late director. Upon hearing news of his death, fellow horror auteurs like Stephen King, former collaborators like Ellen Burstyn, and more spoke out about the impact he had within the industry. Guillermo del Toro, who was gracious enough to be Friedkin’s backup director for The Caine Mutiny in case of emergency, said of the late director, “The world has lost one of the Gods of Cinema. Cinema has lost a true Scholar and I have lost a dear, loyal and true friend. William Friedkin has left us. We were blessed to have him.”

For his final time behind the camera, Friedkin had a dream cast to work with. While Sutherland was the person he really wanted to bring aboard as Queeg, the rest of the film features the talents of Clarke, Reddick, and Raymund alongside Lewis Pullman, Jay Duplass, and Tom Riley. The film will be distributed by the resurrected Republic Pictures banner.

The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial premieres on Paramount+ with Showtime on October 6. Check out the exclusive clip below.