“You can’t handle the truth!”
RELEASED IN 1992 and directed by Rob Reiner, "A Few Good Men” is a military drama about a smart-axx young Navy Lawyer (Tom Cruise) who’s never seen a courtroom because he lazily arranges plea bargains. Perhaps this is why he’s assigned to defending two young Marines stationed at Guantanamo Bay who are accused of murdering a fellow Marine. They maintain that they were ordered to enact a “Code Red,” which took an unforeseen turn. Demi Moore and Kevin Pollak co-star as the lawyer’s partners while Kevin Bacon heads the prosecution and Jack Nicholson plays the arrogant commanding officer of Guantanamo. J.T. Walsh is on hand as the Colonel’s weak subordinate.
The movie does a good job of depicting the honor code of hardcore Marines, particularly in the sequence where Lance Cpl. Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) refuses to confess to something he didn’t do in order to get a minor sentence. The characters are well written and casted, e.g. Kaffee (Cruise) and his penchant for baseball. The story is dialog-driven and maintains your attention without action/thrills.
Nicholson is commanding and intimidating as the pompous colonel. Kaffee discovers his talent as a courtroom lawyer and realizes that the only way to take him down is to use his egotism against him. Other than the cringe-inducing “A Ten Hut” scene at the end, this is a gripping drama.
THE FILM RUNS 2 hours, 18 minutes and was shot entirely in Southern Cal (Point Mugu, Crystal Cove, etc.) and Washington DC. WRITERS: Aaron Sorkin (play) and Aaron Sorkin (screenplay).
GRADE: B+
I think this my favourite outing for Tom Cruise. He is the cocky young navy lawyer "Kaffee", who usually plea-bargains and as yet has never seen the inside of a courtroom. Surprisingly, he is drafted in to investigate the death of a young soldier at Guantanamo Bay. Two marines have been arrested for his murder, but they claim that they were ordered to administer a "Code Red" - a fairly brutal form of discipline used on their fellow soldiers deemed to have broken their code of honour. Teamed up with his pal "Sam" (Kevin Pollak) and with the more by-the-book "Galloway" (Demi Moore) the three face a subtle, but definite, hostility from the commanding officer "Jessep" (Jack Nicholson) and his enforcer "Kendrick" (Kiefer Sutherland). Soon their search uncovers evidence that not only was this attack authorised but that the instructions might have come from the top. Cruise is at his most natural here; his character comes across as arrogant and selfish, but also quite likeable and engaging - and he plays ball with Moore and a slightly over-played Nicholson really well too. The courtroom drama elements are kept tight and intense - thanks to a stronger than usual effort from Kevin Bacon ("Ross") and though I thought the ending rather flew in the face of the whole point of the narrative, it is still a well structured and delivered evaluation of trust and of the nature of human behaviour when faced with abusive authority figures. Rob Reiner resists any temptation to introduce any sloppy romance into film, and though there are the odd distracting sub-plots here and there, for the most part this stays on track as a strong and enjoyable thriller.
Another good all stars ensemble movie were everything is perfect, the actors and the script.
A greate court room drama. Having an enjoyable time of entertaining nobody needs bright colors and super CGI to have a good story, just good acting and a great story, but as a Graphic Designer, i can say the photography is great.
GenerationofSwine
January 12, 2023
10
I've actually been in a military court room a couple of times... not because I ever served, not because I was testifying or charged with anything... but mainly because historian. Sure, the court wasn't in session at the time but. Wow, A Few Good Men found the nicest, prettiest, and best decorated courtroom on Earth.
Top Gun actually did it better.
But, it was based on a true story that everyone that watched Unsolved Mysteries would become familiar with. And the acting is excellent, right down to Tom's impersonation of Jack.
The story is compelling. In fact, it kind of draws you in from start to finish. The message is strong.
You wrap that all up and it makes for one heck of a memorable film.
Filipe Manuel Neto
November 8, 2023
**An excellent film, which deserves the time we can give it, but which has a group of poorly conceived characters and a terrible protagonist.**
Personally, I really like courtroom dramas, it's a genre of cinema that I enjoy and that generally works very well for me. I also have a certain tendency to like films based on the military environment. This film, combining both things, seemed like the best of both worlds and perfect for me.
Actually, I really liked it. Directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin, the film focuses on the team of lawyers who will defend two US Marine Corps soldiers in a military justice case in which they are accused of having killed a fellow soldier in the wake of a barracks prank, that is, an informal punishment for something done wrong. They claim that they did not know the comrade's health status and that they received discreet verbal orders to take that action, with the tacit knowledge of the unit commander, stationed in Guantánamo. But the evidence is completely non-existent, everything indicates that it is a completely lost case, and that they will have to make a deal to avoid a conviction and a harsh prison sentence.
The film, overall, is excellent and highly recommended. It wonderfully entertains the audience and time passes so quickly that we don't even notice it. The direction is pragmatic and effective, the editing is quite correct and, technically, it presents us with cinematography with magnificent colors, impeccable sets and costumes, convincing realism and a sense of credibility in which not even the story seems exaggerated or stilted.
However, the film has a huge problem, called Tom Cruise. I don't know the actor personally, I don't know how he is when dealing with people, but the idea that Mr. Cruise conveys of himself to others is that of someone who is deeply arrogant and a little rude. I'm not saying that he is like that, but that this is the image he conveys in interviews, in public appearances, when dealing with fans, etc. and that this perhaps has a certain impact on the type of works that are presented to him, and which almost always end up being boastful, arrogant characters, with little respect for others and egoic. That's what happens in this film, where his character is terribly irritating to everyone and everything for no reason and adopts behavior that is completely unacceptable for a military officer, even deserving of an internal disciplinary process. The character is unlikely and very difficult to swallow, considerably ruining the film.
Demi Moore is also not one of the actresses I like to watch, but she is frankly more palatable than Cruise. The actress does what she can with the character she was given, and her biggest problem is the character's weakness, which is terrible. She is an officer who does not have the firmness and authority that a superior officer should have, regardless of her gender: she is publicly disrespected by a lower-ranking soldier, she does not immediately take action to demand the respect she is due and, later, still acts like it's her fault. What kind of officer is she? In addition to this, the flirting scenes between her and Cruise should never have been included in the final cut. They are an absolute shame.
To add to all this, we have Jack Nicholson, who played the Marine commander in Guantánamo. The actor does not deserve criticism, especially because he offers us the best and most complete dramatic exercise in this film. He is one of the great actors of the 20th century, capable of shining even with unpleasant characters. And there is no doubt that this is an unpleasant character: a arrogant, arrogant officer who seems to forget that there are duties inherent to the burden of command, which always include respect for all subordinates and care for their health and safety. your needs. The mission is fundamental, discipline is essential, but humanity cannot be left behind, much less for an officer commanding troops on campaign.
