re: Cain Mutiny Court-Marshall on Paramount + was a good military court drama

Just watched the 1988 TV Movie version. It's directed by Robert Altman, so it's a cut above your usual 80's TV show. And since it's Altman, there's a lot of cross-talk and dialogue muffled by natural sound and military bands on parade, so using closed captioning is a benefit.

The good: Altman adds a ton of nuances, from Queeg being visibly distracted by the whispers and movements in the court as assistants get up and walk in about their business. He also gives his friend Michael Murphy more visibility as the judge, with his disdain for some of the expert witnesses and his doing more questioning of the attorneys and witnesses himself. He also sets the staging so that Queeg is overlooking the proceedings, an ominous figure in the background, out of earshot but visible. Bogosian and Daniels are outstanding, Brad Davis plays Queeg very broadly but it's an interesting take.

The bad: The killer final scene is way too Altman. Instead of a quiet gathering of friends, it's a loud party with people shouting over each other as the defense attorney makes his final damning accusations. The "author" friend/turncoat is played by a character actor who kind of fades into the wallpaper instead of being an integral part of the story.

A good watch. I'll watch it again someday.

ETA: Free on Tubi with minimal commercials