A Few Good Men
A Few Good Men (1992)
Writer: Aaron Sorkin (play and screenplay)
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollack, James Marshall, J.T. Walsh, Christopher Guest, J.A. Preston, Wolfgang Bodison, Noah Wyle, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Synopsis:
At the Guantanamo Bay Marine base, private William Santiago is attacked by two of his platoonmates, Lance Corporal Dawson (Bodison) and PFC Downey (Marshall) and dies. During the ensuing investigation, Lt. Commander Jo Galloway (Moore) believes that the attack was a "Code Red," a type of hazing ritual no longer allowed in the military. To prevent any embarrassment for the Marines or for the base's commander Col. Jessop (Nicholson), the JAG assigns Lt. Kaffee (Cruise), a young lawyer just out of law schools with a penchant for plea bargaining, to defend the pair in the hopes that it never sees the inside of a courtroom. Soon, Kaffee, Galloway and their co-counsel Lt. Weinberg (Pollack) become embroiled in a conspiracy to cover up the truth. Courtroom drama ensues.
First Impressions:
I missed this one in theaters when it came out. I was 16 at the time and didn't really care for courtroom drama-type movies, but I did end up catching it on home video several months later. My first impression of the film was indifference. I thought it was alright, but it really didn't move the needle for me. I ended up grabbing it on DVD about 10 years later, thinking I'd give it another shot and ended up enjoying it. The film certainly has its warts, but it has a fantastic cast and had a satisfying conclusion, even if it was a bit paint-by-numbers. It's one of those films that I'll usually stop and watch if I'm channel surfing and I see it on TV. It's been a while since I've watched the whole thing from start to finish, so let's just jump right into the review.
Story/Direction:
"You got bullied into that courtroom, Danny, by everyone. By Dawson, by Galloway. Shit, I practically dared you. You got bullied into that courtroom by the memory of a dead lawyer."
There are two types of courtroom dramas there are those with twists and turns that keep the audience guessing from one moment to the next, and there are those that a more linear, where the action in the trial happens as everyone expects it to. This film definitely falls into the latter category. That doesn't mean it's terrible, it just means there isn't really a mystery to uncover, but I don't think that's what the filmmakers planned anyway.
The movie explores a couple of themes, the most interesting of which is the excuse "I was just following orders," which has been used to justify all manner of atrocities throughout history. It's certainly not the first film to explore this theme, most of which believe that following orders is never an excuse to commit any sort of heinous act. Interestingly, this film looks at it from another perspective that we civilians often can't grasp. The outside world expects that if a soldier is given an illegal order, he is obligated not to follow it, which is absolutely true in theory. However, in more practical terms, soldiers are trained to follow their chain of command because it helps keep them alive on the battlefield. To just defy that chain of command, even in the face of an order that makes them uncomfortable, is a tough pill to swallow. That's not to say that the film's message is that "I was just following orders" exempts these soldiers from liability for murdering a colleague. It just tries to focus the bulk of the blame on those giving the orders. It's a topic that I'm sure can elicit lots of stimulating conversations, for sure, but I think I'll just leave it as food for thought.
As for the story itself, well...as I mentioned above, it's relatively cookie-cutter in its approach. We've seen it repeatedly in so many legal dramas: the defense has a plan. They lose a crucial witness but manage to overcome due to a sparkling and tense witness examination that reveals the actual criminal. Like, really, that's the plot right there. But, again, I'm not saying this as a criticism (well, maybe I am a bit), I do enjoy the film, but I'm just not taken with the story. Where the film shines for me is in the characters and dialogue. The film is acted very well (more on that below), and while I can give or take some of Sorkin's dialogue (people don't really talk like that), I find it was clever enough to keep me engaged.
Acting Characters:
At this point in his career, Cruise had fully transitioned from heartthrob to serious actor turning in critically-acclaimed performances in The Color of Money and Born on the Fourth of July just a few years earlier. While many at the time thought the film was just trying to capitalize on Cruise's immense popularity, I think he was actually pretty well cast as the laid-back Lt. Kaffee. Crusie, of course, can play the smart-ass to great effectiveness, but he's also good at showing vulnerability when he needs to, and this role called for both. Unfortunately, at the time of release, Nicholson's performance was all anyone talked about, which is a shame because I think Cruise did a really underrated job here.
Speaking of old Jack, his performance as Col. Jessop was a bit hammy for my taste. I may be in the minority here as his performance did garner him an Academy Award nomination, but I found he was a bit too over-the-top as the tightly-wound base commander. It's not even his whole performance, really, just the last part in the courtroom (YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH). I thought he did a good job earlier in the film, coming off as both affable and incredibly intimidating. Just that last part, that one line. Sigh...
The rest of the cast ranged from solid to spectacular. Kevin Bacon as Judge Advocate Capt. Ross was an excellent foil for Cruise. Kevin Pollack always entertains, and his Lt. Weinberg was a great voice of reason for Kaffee. Keifer Sutherland did what he did best, which was playing a huge asshole. Demi Moore also did a fine job as Galloway, though occasionally annoying.
Score/Soundtrack:
Composed by Marc Shaiman, the music in the film worked really well. It made good use of horns, flutes and drums to underscore the movie's military setting. It was understated and didn't really get in the way of the action on screen. While I haven't caught myself humming it or anything, it was still a decent effort.
Final Verdict:
I still like this film. It's got a satisfying ending, where you feel as though justice was done. Which, in this day and age, is a rare thing. Fans of Cruise or Nicholson should check it out. However, if you're looking for a nuanced legal drama that keeps you guessing, you probably should look somewhere else.
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