| A Few Good Men | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Rob Reiner |
| Produced by | David Brown Rob Reiner Andrew Scheinman |
| Written by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Starring | Tom Cruise Demi Moore Jack Nicholson Kevin Pollak Kevin Bacon J.T. Walsh Kiefer Sutherland |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
| Cinematography | Robert Richardson |
| Editing by | Robert Leighton Steven Nevius (additional) |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 11, 1992 |
| Running time | 138 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $33,000,000 |
A Few Good Men is a 1992 drama film, directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore. It was based on a play of the same name by Aaron Sorkin. A courtroom drama, the film revolves around the trial of two US Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine and the tribulations of their lawyer, Daniel Kaffee (Cruise), as he prepares a case to defend his clients.
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Plot
Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), son of a former Attorney General and Navy Judge Advocate General, is an inexperienced U.S. Navy lawyer who leads the defense in the court-martial of two Marines, Private Louden Downey (James Marshall) and Lance Corporal Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison), who are accused of murdering a fellow Marine of their unit, Private Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo), at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Tom Cruise's character Lt. Daniel Kaffee was based on David Iglesias, at the time a United States Navy Reserve commander.[1]
Santiago compares unfavorably to his fellow Marines, has poor relations with them and fails to respect the chain of the command. He goes above his superior to bargain for a transfer in exchange for blowing the whistle on Dawson for firing a possibly illegal shot toward the Cuban side.
In a flashback, Colonel Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson), the Commanding Officer of the accused, reads the letter detailing the incident to two subordinates: his executive officer Lieutenant Colonel Markinson (J.T. Walsh), and Lieutenant Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland), Santiago's platoon commander. Jessep and Kendrick are incensed at Santiago's actions, but decide not to transfer him despite the objection of Markinson.
When Dawson and Downey are later arrested for Santiago's murder, Naval investigator and lawyer Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) suspects that they, who were top-class Marines compared to Santiago, were carrying out a "code red": a euphemism for a violent hazing procedure.
Galloway requests to defend them but the case is given to Kaffee, who has a reputation for out-of-court settlements. She successfully argues her point of view to Kaffee after Dawson and Downey state they were ordered by Kendrick to shave Santiago's head, minutes after Kendrick ordered the platoon not to touch the would-be victim.
Goaded by Galloway and Dawson, Kaffee agrees to be lead counsel for the defense. Despite initial friction between the two lawyers — since she believes he settles cases to avoid having to argue in court, and he believes she is interfering with his handling of the case—their relationship strengthens as the trial progresses, as does Kaffee's effectiveness as a lawyer.
Nonetheless, Kaffee believes the case will be lost. The prosecution, led by his friend Captain Jack Ross (Kevin Bacon), has a good case since Dawson and Downey do not deny assaulting Santiago, and only reveal details crucial to their defense under intense prompting. Downey is a simple–minded man who is unaware of the gravity of his situation; the more authoritative Dawson is determined to complete the trial rather than dishonor himself and the Marine Corps with a plea bargain, and furiously rejects a deal which would have reduced the pair's sentence from up to twenty years to only six months, calling Kaffee a "coward" for instigating it and leaving without saluting him.
Lieutenant Colonel Markinson, Jessep's executive officer, who has gone absent since the incident, resurfaces in Kaffee's car during the trial. He tells Kaffee that, contrary to what the latter believes, there was never any intention of transferring Santiago and that transfer orders were created as part of a cover-up. Kaffee is unable to find evidence to the contrary and announces his intention to have Markinson testify. Rather than publicly dishonor himself, Jessep and the Marine Corps, Markinson sends a letter to Santiago's parents, blaming his own weakness for the loss of their son, dresses in full uniform and commits suicide.
At the same time, evidence is found which questions whether Kendrick ordered Dawson and Downey to carry out the Code Red, something the defense had always taken for granted. Galloway, however, is convinced that Jessep also ordered the Code Red, and tries to persuade Kaffee to cross-examine him on this point. Kaffee recoils, since there is no proof Jessep was involved and such accusations could result in his own court-martialing.
Kaffee eventually decides to put Jessep on the stand after reflecting on his late father with his friend and fellow lawyer Sam Weinberg. Weinberg admits Kaffee's father would never have called Jessep to the stand with the evidence they have, but also says he would rather have the younger Kaffee as lawyer for Dawson and Downey.
In court, Kaffee questions Jessep and produces circumstantial evidence that suggests there was never any intention of transferring Santiago. When this proves insufficient, Kaffee confronts Jessep regarding the incompatibility of his ordering Santiago's transfer - ostensibly for his safety from hazing - with his assertion that he ordered that Santiago was not to be touched, and that his orders were always followed. When Kaffee asks Jessep point-blank, "did you order the Code Red?" the judge announces that he is in contempt of court, but Jessep cannot resist the challenge. When Kaffee exclaims "I want the truth!" Jessep emphatically declares, "you can't handle the truth!", contemptuously dismisses Kaffee's questioning of his methods from "under the blanket of the very freedom [he] provide[s]" and after further pressing by Kaffee angrily admits that he did order the Code Red. At the prompting of Kaffee and the Judge, prosecutor Ross places Jessep under arrest.
Kaffee later admits to Ross that his action was a bluff which unnerved Jessep enough to cause his downfall. Ross announces that Kendrick will also be arrested. Dawson and Downey are found not guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, but are found guilty of "conduct unbecoming a United States Marine" (a fictional violation based on Conduct Unbecoming an Officer) and are dishonorably discharged. Downey is confused by the sentence, sure that Jessep's confession absolves them from blame. Dawson points out that they failed to fight for those unable to fight for themselves, like Santiago. As they leave, Kaffee tells Dawson that he doesn't need to wear a patch on his arm to have honor. Dawson responds by saluting Kaffee.
Cast
- Tom Cruise as LTJG Daniel Kaffee
- Jack Nicholson as Col. Nathan R. Jessep
- Demi Moore as LCDR JoAnne Galloway
- Kevin Bacon as Capt. Jack Ross
- Kiefer Sutherland as 1Lt Jonathan Kendrick
- Kevin Pollak as LTJG Sam Weinberg
- J.T. Walsh as Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson
- James Marshall as Pfc. Louden Downey
- Wolfgang Bodison as LCpl. Harold W. Dawson
- J.A. Preston as Judge (Col) Julius Alexander Randolph
- Matt Craven as Lt Dave Spradling
- Michael DeLorenzo as Pfc William T. Santiagole]] as Cpl Jeffrey Barnes
- Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Cpl Carl Hammaker
- Xander Berkeley as Capt Whitaker
- Joshua Malina as Tom
- Christopher Guest as Cdr (Dr.) Stone
- Aaron Sorkin as Lawyer bragging in tavern
- John M. Jackson as JAG Captain West
Production
The film starts with a recital of Semper Fidelis by a U.S. Marine Corps marching band, and a Silent Drill (performed by the Texas A&M University Fish Drill Team).[2]
The film marked the acting debut of Wolfgang Bodison who played one of the accused, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson. Bodison was not an actor but a film location scout.
Nicholson's reading of the line "You can't handle the truth!" would lead to its being voted the twenty-ninth greatest American movie quote of all time by the American Film Institute.[3] Nicholson's intense performance seen in the film was all shot in one take, meaning it was the first and only time he delivered the speech on-camera.[citation needed]
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards:
- Best Picture
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Nicholson)
- Best Film Editing
- Best Sound
The film was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards:
- Best Motion Picture - Drama
- Best Director (Rob Reiner)
- Best Actor (Tom Cruise)
- Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson)
- Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin)
See also
Shaurya, a Hindi movie heavily inspired by A Few Good Men.
References
- ^ The Internet Movie Database, "A Few Good Men - Trivia", Accessed October 9, 2009
- ^ Nading, Tanya (February 11, 2001). "Corps Fish Drill Team reinstated - Front Page". College Media Network. http://media.www.thebatt.com/media/storage/paper657/news/2001/11/02/FrontPage/Corps.Fish.Drill.Team.Reinstated-516243.shtml. Retrieved July 18, 2009.
- ^ "AFI Quotes". American Film Institute. http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/quotes.aspx.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: A Few Good Men (film) |
- A Few Good Men at the Internet Movie Database
- A Few Good Men at Rotten Tomatoes
- A Few Good Men at Metacritic
- A Few Good Men at Allmovie
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