The opening credits to High Crimes appear on screen with no music to accompany them, just names flashing across the screen.

This is the only part of the 2-hour film that did not follow basic film conventions and the Hollywood formula for making a thriller flick based on a book about some mysterious crime.

Despite its formulaic presentation, High Crimes was very enjoyable and one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in a long while.

Ashley Judd and Morgan Freeman share the screen for a second time in High Crimes, which tells the story of a San Francisco-based hotshot attorney, Claire Kubik (Judd), who must defend her husband in a military court. Claire's husband, Tom (James Caviezel) was arrested for a crime he allegedly committed nine years ago when he was in the Marines. Freeman plays Charles Grimes, a former military attorney who teams up with Claire to save her husband from a likely execution.

The story was at times predictable, but the ending does not conform to the classic crime thriller. I thought the story, which was based on a book of the same title by Joseph Finder, was creative and entertaining. The movie had a rhythm and seemed to fly by.

This probably was also because of the amazing acting and chemistry between Judd and Freeman. The two, who first costarred in 1997's Kiss The Girls, belong on screen together. They are fun to watch and play off of each other well.

"What's unique about our on-screen relationship is how the chemistry works," Freeman said in a press release. "Collaborating a second time didn't provide a shortcut, because we never had to work our way to it the first time with Kiss The Girls. It was there from the beginning."

Judd really shone in this complex role. She nailed the vulnerabilities her character had as she was forced to face the fact that her husband may be a murderer, while still having the strength to fight against the U.S. government.

Another (surprisingly) strong performance was given by Amanda Peet, who played Jackie, Claire's irresponsible younger sister who works as a 1-900 telephone psychic.

The film, directed by Carl Franklin, was very similar to the many film adaptations of numerous John Grisham novels.

Freeman will soon be seen in one of the adaptations in The Sum of All Fears, which opens May 30 and also stars Ben Affleck.

Franklin also directed Devil in a Blue Dress and One True Thing, which is one of my favorite films.

Overall, I thought the film is definitely worth seeing.

Although it is very formulaic, the story is strong and the acting is even stronger. I truly believe that good directors illicit good acting. Judd and Freeman are top-rate actors who make this movie enjoyable.