A Few Good Men (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Director Rob Reiner's engrossing 1992 courtroom thriller, 'A Few Good Men' is based on writer Aaron Sorkin's Broadway play & stars Tom Cruise as Lt. Daniel Kaffee, an untried US Navy lawyer. The drama begins once Kafee is called to defend 2 stubborn Marines who have been accused of murdering a misfit private/colleague, Santiago, at Guantanamo's Marine Base. Kaffee is a hotshot lawyer on the rise, but is known as being a bit lazy {for example, he'd rather play softball than take his military career seriously}, and so, using a lackadaisical approach, arranges for plea bargains to end the cases early.
An investigation into the death of Santiago is conducted by Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) & reveals to her superiors that she believes that the private was attacked for going over the head of Col. Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson), the base commander and, was threatening to reveal something unless he got a transfer, so Jessup ordered a "code red" for Santiago - which basically is an illegal way of referring to him as a nutcase. Jessup's right-hand man, Lt. Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland) is concurs; saying of Santiago: "He had no code and God was watching".
JoAnne's superior decides to assign Kaffee as the main lawyer, not her. So now, Kaffee, JoAnne & a 3rd lawyer would tackle the case. The 2 marines claim that it was an accidental death following strict orders to beat Santiago; who was 'not up to standard'. The prosecution {and Jessup} claims that the soldiers acted on their own volition. With Kaffee thankfully deciding to not to plead the case out {as he would have, normally}, the question becomes if there is actual proof that Jessup gave the order and has blood on his hands. Courtroom melodrama & verbal fireworks of the highest order ensues.
Thanks to Reiner's sturdy direction, Robert Richardson's typically adept cinematography, & Aaron Sorkin's outstanding, tense & witty script, 'A Few Good men' becomes the type of flashy, entertaining courtroom drama - not unlike a good page turner - that becomes embedded in the minds of movie-goers for decades. If I have one major knock on the film, it's that there is no way it should have been 138 minutes in length; I just don't think the story deserved that run time -- unnecessarily protracted. But the climactic courtroom showdown btwn. Cruise & Nicholson makes the film well worth the ride.
Tom Cruise is stellar as the whiz lawyer who is forced to mature quickly in fighting for the honor of both Santiago and, to a lesser degree, the two marines. He shares good chemistry with Demi Moore, as well; who, with 1990's Ghost in her sails, was riding quite the wave. And Col. Jessup is played to the HILT by Jack Nicholson. The scene of Cruise questioning Nicholson on the stand is TRULY one of the great tete-a-tete's in movie history. To call it explosive is putting it lightly. And who can forget Nicholson's temper-losing: "You can't handle the truth!!!" Others in the cast include Kevin Bacon, as smug prosecutor, Capt. Jack Ross, aforementioned Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollack, Christopher Guest, Matt Craven, Noah Wyle & Cuba Gooding Jr.
'A Few Good Men' is one of those Hollywood films where ya just sit back & relish the invigorating performances while anticipating Jessup's inevitable comeuppance. Despite the predictability of the plot, the manner with which it is spoon-fed to us, & a lack of subtlety ... this movie remains, again, thanks to the witty dialogue & some titanic performances, a thoroughly riveting, old-fashioned courtroom drama.
An investigation into the death of Santiago is conducted by Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) & reveals to her superiors that she believes that the private was attacked for going over the head of Col. Nathan R. Jessup (Jack Nicholson), the base commander and, was threatening to reveal something unless he got a transfer, so Jessup ordered a "code red" for Santiago - which basically is an illegal way of referring to him as a nutcase. Jessup's right-hand man, Lt. Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland) is concurs; saying of Santiago: "He had no code and God was watching".
JoAnne's superior decides to assign Kaffee as the main lawyer, not her. So now, Kaffee, JoAnne & a 3rd lawyer would tackle the case. The 2 marines claim that it was an accidental death following strict orders to beat Santiago; who was 'not up to standard'. The prosecution {and Jessup} claims that the soldiers acted on their own volition. With Kaffee thankfully deciding to not to plead the case out {as he would have, normally}, the question becomes if there is actual proof that Jessup gave the order and has blood on his hands. Courtroom melodrama & verbal fireworks of the highest order ensues.
Thanks to Reiner's sturdy direction, Robert Richardson's typically adept cinematography, & Aaron Sorkin's outstanding, tense & witty script, 'A Few Good men' becomes the type of flashy, entertaining courtroom drama - not unlike a good page turner - that becomes embedded in the minds of movie-goers for decades. If I have one major knock on the film, it's that there is no way it should have been 138 minutes in length; I just don't think the story deserved that run time -- unnecessarily protracted. But the climactic courtroom showdown btwn. Cruise & Nicholson makes the film well worth the ride.
Tom Cruise is stellar as the whiz lawyer who is forced to mature quickly in fighting for the honor of both Santiago and, to a lesser degree, the two marines. He shares good chemistry with Demi Moore, as well; who, with 1990's Ghost in her sails, was riding quite the wave. And Col. Jessup is played to the HILT by Jack Nicholson. The scene of Cruise questioning Nicholson on the stand is TRULY one of the great tete-a-tete's in movie history. To call it explosive is putting it lightly. And who can forget Nicholson's temper-losing: "You can't handle the truth!!!" Others in the cast include Kevin Bacon, as smug prosecutor, Capt. Jack Ross, aforementioned Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollack, Christopher Guest, Matt Craven, Noah Wyle & Cuba Gooding Jr.
'A Few Good Men' is one of those Hollywood films where ya just sit back & relish the invigorating performances while anticipating Jessup's inevitable comeuppance. Despite the predictability of the plot, the manner with which it is spoon-fed to us, & a lack of subtlety ... this movie remains, again, thanks to the witty dialogue & some titanic performances, a thoroughly riveting, old-fashioned courtroom drama.