Review of A Few Good Men (1992) by Kyle B — 19 Mar 2014

Rarely can a court room drama elicit the same amount of tension and audacious tenacity as a regular drama, however, Rob Reiner's, A Few Good Men, effortlessly pulls off effective tension and an amazing story thanks to the incredible cast, direction and screenplay.

Having the film center on a court case involving the murder of a young marine immediately pulls the audience into the morality of each individual character, for this case means something different to everyone involved.

Some are apathetic towards Santiago's death, such as Col. Jessup and Lt. Kendrick, while some of the ,"few good men", like the attorney Kaffe, truly believe in true justice and that compromises shouldn't be made to ensure the lives of humanity.

Being thematically rich is an aspect of the film that screenplay writer, Aaron Sorkin, nails out of the ball park. Reiner is well known for his intimate style, focusing his framework exclusively on one or two characters, a trait which the legendary director carries over to this film.

The utter power and emotion from A Few Good Men is largely due to Reiner's smart, thoughtful blocking, lighting, and framing of his shots, overall, a great job from director Rob Reiner. Perhaps the best aspect of the film is in fact the absolutely incredible script from legendary screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.

A large part of what makes a film compelling is a good script with likable characters and memorable dialogue, not only is this films script good, but it is damn good. There are dozens upon dozens of memorable lines, soliloquys and monologues delivered from Sorkin's dialogue, Sorkin, as always, did an exceptional job in the screenwriting department.

A lesser category in this film happens to be the score which is in no ways bad, but fails to keep up with the films incredible pedigree. Finally, the acting in the film is nothing short of astonishing, everyone is at the top of their game and truly commit to their performances.

Cruise is believable as a lawyer, yet still carries the man's famous on screen charisma, combined with incredible lines; cruise is unstoppable in his role. Undoubtedly, the best part of the film is the incredible Jack Nicholson, whom even with a small amount of screen time, leaves an ominous presence throughout the film that never fades.

Nicholson is a true bastard as Col. Jessup in film, however, is not considered evil, just a man with a different sense of morality. The only bad parts of this film is the somewhat convoluted plot and relatively slow pacing.

Rob Reiner's, A Few Good Men, effortlessly pulls off effective tension and an amazing story thanks to the incredible cast, direction and screenplay, truly a film for the ages.