When I learned that William Friedkin’s final film, “The Caine Mutiny Count-Martial” was going straight to Showtime with no theatrical release, well, I wasn’t too happy about it.
This is his first film since 2011’s excellent “Killer Joe” and, given his recent passing, it should be seen as a major event for cinephiles worldwide. A Showtime TV airing is a damn-near insult.
The film screened for press at Venice to positive reviews, but, that didn’t seem to matter, it’s supposedly meant for TV, according to Showtime. Would Friedkin have approved of this? I highly doubt That.
Guillermo del Toro was on the set of ‘Caine Mutiny’ for every single day of the shoot, as a backup filmmaker, since Friedkin couldn’t get insured on the film. Del Toro went on Twitter to spread the word about Friedkin’s final film being dumped on a streamer:
I know it's not the "model" for a streamer but- This is Friedkin's final film. Can we get a theatrical run? No matter if it is a limited one. Just- respect- for a master.
Amen, brother. Friedkin was indeed a master. And if we can spread the word that his final film deserves to be seen in a theater then maybe someone, somehwere, could make that happen. I know, fat chance, but there’s no harm in trying.
Friedkin was one of the more important, and underrated, US auteurs of the ‘70s. A cinematic provocateur, and the sheer amount of voluminous cinematic achievements he’s given us cannot be underestimated: “The Exorcist,” “The French Connecntion,” “Sorcerer,” “To Live and Die in L.A.” just to name a few.
At 87 years of age, this year, the very-selective, Friedkin embarked on his first film in over a decade. This is an adaptation of a 50-year-old script written by Herman Wouk from his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Kiefer Sutherland amd Jason Clarke star in the film.