Review of A Few Good Men (1992) by Stuart E — 28 Oct 2009
Director Rob Reiner successfully brings Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of his own Broadway play 'A Few Good Men' to the screen. Based on a true story Reiner and Sorkin delve, examine and provoke life within a unit of the U.S. Army Marine Corps uncovering both intriguing and astonishing results.
Two U.S. marines are charged with the murder of a fellow marine within their unit. The soldiers claim that they were just following an order 'a code red'. Intelligent and successful lawyer Captain Jack Ross (Kevin Bacon) disagrees as he leads the prosecution against the accused.
Defence attorney Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) has been assigned to the case. This presents a problem as his laid back half-hearted approach, note his success at plea-bargaining all 44 of his cases to date, conflicts with ambitious Lieutenant Commander Jo Ann Galloway (Demi Moore) delegated to Kaffee's council to help in the defence of the marines.
Whilst visiting the Cuban base where the murder took place Kaffee, with a push in the right direction from Galloway, begins to unearth a little controversy surrounding the case. The intimidating Colonel Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), who heads the Corps in Cuba, immediately thrusts his dominance and power at Kaffee's council confirming Galloway's belief that there might be more to the case than Kaffee initially thought.
Galloway then persuades the young lawyer to turn the case from another potential plea bargain into a full-blown defence campaign, prompting Kaffee to discover more about himself both as an attorney and a person. The passion his dead father once had for being a lawyer begins to surface as he prepares to bring the ferocious Jessup to the stand.
This is a very intense portrayal of life within the Marine Corps. Every single performance is of the highest quality with Jack Nicholson's commanding performance receiving an Academy Award nomination for his ruthless display of arrogance and deceit.
Reiner's ability to work well with actors comes to the fore yet again in what can only be described as one of the finest courtroom drama's since Robert Mulligan's 'To Kill A Mocking Bird', making 'A Few Good Men' a masterpiece in cinema history.
"You can't handle the truth!" - Colonel Nathan Jessup.
This review of A Few Good Men (1992) was written by Stuart E on 28 Oct 2009.
A Few Good Men has generally received very positive reviews.
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