HOLLYWOOD — The touch of director Carl Franklin earned high praise after “High Crimes” preemed Wednesday at the Village in L.A.
Producer Janet Yang said she wanted Franklin to helm the thriller because “he makes you care about the characters. With someone else, it would have been all about plot and action.”
The action after the film unspooled was at the Napa Valley Grille where Franklin said that with a pic “as plot-driven as this, you take for granted that the twists and turns are there.”
The helmer said he wanted to take the film and “fill it up” so the audience relates well with the characters “as they go through the roller coaster.
“It’s not just watching the ride, it’s getting involved in the ride because of your investment in them.”
Among those out for the “Crimes” ride were Fox’s Tom Rothman, Jim Gianopulos, Bob Harper, Alan Cohen, Hutch Parker and Jeffrey Godsick (all of whom were still extolling the “Ice Age” grosses); New Regency’s David Matalon and Sanford Panitch; stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Jim Caviezel and Amanda Peet; producer Jesse B’ Franklin; plus guests such as Tom Sherak, Bobby Shriver, Salma Hayek and Paul Rudd.
