Review of A Few Good Men (1992) by Patrick W — 19 Sep 2010

Like Rain Man, this is one of Tom Cruise's better films and performances. Of course, having Jack Nicholson in a movie always boosts the overall quality of the picture to some degree.

A Few Good Men stars Cruise as a douchey lawyer (because Cruise appears to be contractually obligated to forever play douches) who must defend a pair of marines who caused the death of a fellow marine. I enjoy most trial films I see, and this one was definitely captivating. It's difficult to not understand how complex of a trial and story we were watching while seeing this film.

Probably the only downside to this film is how much of an unlikeable guy Tom Cruise plays. I really wish he would start playing more likable characters, because he's not a terrible actor. A Few Good Men was certainly one of his better performances, even though he was not up to par with acting legend Jack Nicholson.

Nicholson is the kind of actor who is good even when he's bad or not even trying. And he was definitely trying in Good Men. I kind of wish Nicholson had played more military roles because he had this character down to a T. He was intimidating, believable, and yet somehow vulnerable.

I wasn't overly impressed with the direction with this picture. Not that the direction was bad; I just didn't feel like the direction was taken nearly as intensely as the screenplay, which was nearly flawless.

It's a good film to draw in am audience, and a good film for any fan of the marines or of law. There's the constant question of duty vs. morals which really adds the necessary extra layer to the film.

8/10.