A Few Good Men

Rating:
Summary: the greatest movie of all time
Review: wow. i could watch this movie everyday (and i do). i mean, come on, where else can you find lines like these: JOHNNEY! sorry i lost your set of steak knives, i'll be calling airman o'malley and airman rodriguez, you can't handle the truth..and the list goes on and on. everyone should memorize this movie and quote it at al times.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best Tom Cruise has ever done.
Review: Any one who likes Tom Cruise and dramatic films must get this. I find myself watching it again and again. The acting from everyone is exceptional. A must for Cruise fans.

Rating:
Summary: The best movie of all time
Review: This one is one of the best movies of our time, suspense is max, the cast is beautifully chosen, and the courthouse drama never seems to stop... But still I don't understand those marines...

Rating:
Summary: Unit - Corps - God - Country.
Review: How much critical thought can the military allow its rank and file? Certainly most orders must be followed unquestioningly; otherwise ultimately the entire Armed Services would collapse. But where do you draw the line? Does it matter how well soldiers know not only their military but also their civic duties? Does it matter whether trials against members of the military are handled by way of court-martials, or before a country's ordinary courts?

I first saw "A Few Good Men" as an in-flight movie, and after the first couple of scenes I thought that for once they'd really picked the right kind of flick: A bit cliched (yet another idle, unengaged lawyer being dragged into vigorously pursuing a case against his will), but good actors, a good director and a promising storyline.

Then the movie cut from the introductory scenes in Washington, D.C. to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Jack Nicholson (Colonel Nathan Jessup) inquired: "Who the f**k is PFC William T. Santiago?"

And suddenly I was all eyes and ears.

Director Rob Reiner and Nicholson's costars describe on the movie's DVD how from the first time Nicholson spoke this (his very first) line in rehearsal he had everybody's attention; and the overall bar for a good performance immediately rose to new heights. Based on my own reaction, I believe them sight unseen. Or actually, not really "unseen," as the result of Nicholson's influence is there for everybody to watch: Never mind that he doesn't actually have all that much screen time, his intensity as an actor and the personality of his character, Colonel Jessup, dominate this movie more than anything else; far beyond the now-famous final showdown with Tom Cruise's Lieutenant Kaffee. Nobody could have brought more power to the role of Jessup than Nicholson, no other actor made him a more complex figure, and nobody delivered his final monologue so as to force you to think about the issues he (and this film) addresses; and that despite all the movie's cliches: The reluctant lawyer turning out a courtroom genius (as lead counsel in a murder trial, barely a year out of law school and without *any* prior trial experience, no less), the son fighting to rid himself of a deceased superstar-father's overbearing shadow, and the "redneck" background of the victim's superior officer Lieutenant Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland, who nevertheless milks the role for all it's worth).

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who adapted his own play, reportedly based the story's premise - the attempted cover-up of a death resulting from an illegal pseudo-disciplinary action - on a real-life case that his sister, a lawyer, had come across in the JAG Corps. (Although even if I take his assertion at face value that assigning the matter to a junior lawyer without trial experience was part of the cover-up, I still don't believe the real case continued the way it does here. But be that as it may.) Worse, the victim is a marine serving at "Gitmo," the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, where *any* kind of tension assumes an entirely different dimension than in virtually any other location. In come Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) and co-counsels Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollack) and Lt.Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), assigned to defend the two marines held responsible for Santiago's death; L.Cpl. Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) and PFC Louden Downey (James Marshall), who claim to have acted on Kendrick's orders to subject Santiago to a "code red," an act of humiliating peer-punishment, after Santiago had gone outside the chain of command to rat on a fellow marine (none other than Dawson), attempting to obtain a transfer out of "Gitmo." But while Kendrick sternly denies having given any such order and prosecuting attorney Captain Ross (Kevin Bacon) is ready to have the defendants' entire company swear that Kendrick actually ordered them to leave Santiago alone, Kaffee and Co. believe their clients' story - which ultimately leads them to Jessup himself, as it is unthinkable that the event should have occurred without his knowledge or even specific direction.

By the time of this movie's production, Tom Cruise had made the part of the shallow youngster suddenly propelled into manhood one of his trademark characters (see, e.g., "The Color of Money," "Top Gun" and "Rain Man"); nevertheless, his considerable skill (mostly) elevates Kaffee's part above cardboard level. Demi Moore gives one of her strongest-ever performances as Commander Galloway, who would love to be lead counsel herself in accordance with her rank's entitlements, but overcomes her disappointment to push Kaffee to a top-notch performance instead. Kevin Pollack's, Kevin Bacon's and J.T. Walsh's (Jessup's deputy Lt.Col. Markinson's) performances are straight-laced enough to easily be overlooked, but they're fine throughout and absolutely crucial foils for Kaffee, Galloway and Jessup; and so, vis-a-vis Dawson, is James Marshall's shy, scared Downey, who is clearly in way over his head. The movie's greatest surprise, however, is Wolfgang Bodison, who, although otherwise involved with the production, had never acted before being drafted by Rob Reiner solely on the basis of his physical appearance, which matched Dawson's better than any established actor's; and who gives a stunning performance as the young Lance Corporal who will rather be convicted of murder than take an unhonorable plea bargain, yet comes to understand his actions' full complexity upon hearing the jury's verdict.

"Unit - corps - God - country" is the code of honor according to which, Dawson tells Kaffee, the marines at "Gitmo" live their lives; and Colonel Jessup declares that under his command orders are followed "or people die," and words like "honor," "code" and "loyalty" to him are the backbone of a life spent defending freedom. Proud words for sure: But for the "code red," but for the trespass over that invisible line between a legal and an immoral, illegal order they might well be justified. That line, however, exists, and is drawn even in a non-public court-martial. I'd like to believe that insofar at least, this movie gets it completely right.

Rating:
Summary: Best movie EVER!
Review: I really like this movie. It has alot of suspense and it keeps you wondering what the outcome will be. This movie is my favorite movie and I keep wanting to watch it over and over again. I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who likes suspense mixed in with a little humor!

Rating:
Summary: "You f....d with the wrong Marine!"
Review: Written by Aaron Sorkin ("The American President", "The West Wing") based on his play, "A Few Good Men", the story is centered around the nature of an assault and subsequent death of a Marine by two other Marines at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Was it premediated? Did the base commander (Jack Nicholson) or his lieutenant (Kiefer Sutherland) order it or know about it? Prosecutors Demi Moore, Tom Cruise, and Kevin Pollak are sent to Cuba to find out. The suspenseful courtroom confrontation results in an oft-quoting line from Jack Nicholson.

Well acted by all, including JT Walsh, Kevin Bacon, Cuba Gooding, Noah Wyle, a nearly unrecognizable Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap), and director Reiner's former assistant Wolfgang Bodison.

I did not care for Tom Cruise's character, Lieutenenat Kaffee, because of his continual smart-ass attitude. As a lieutenant with a single piece of fruit-salad on his chest, his behavior toward superior officers, including a Navy Lieutenant Commander and a Marine Colonel, is inexcusable and would have him in trouble long before. Some of the rare humor in the movie is based on Kaffee never having a pen when he needs one, and not knowing how to interpret military time. His complete disregard for things military, including saying "yeah" instead of "yes" to the judge as his first word at the pre-trial meeting is more evidence of his lack of maturity and disrespect. I understand the point of the salute at the end of the trial, yet I feel it was undeserved and weakened the ending. Those are my only gripes.

"You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls...and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know - that Santigo's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives! You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties...you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall! We use words like "honor", "code", "loyalty". We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide...and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn...what you think you are entitled to!"

This is only one of a long list of good movies from Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, Spinal Tap, Misery, The Princess Bride, The American President, When Harry Met Sally).

The reasonably-priced DVD includes the widescreen movie, director Rob Reiner's somewhat sparse commentary, a behind-the-scenes, a bit about the development of the script, and the usual trailers, cast/crew/production info, subtitles, etc. And Demi keeps her clothes on, thanks.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent film, but with mediocre DVD features
Review: This was one of my favorite films when it came out and it holds up if you saw it 10 years ago or if this is the 100th time that you've seen it. The plot is straightforward with few twists and turns, at least in the sense that what you think happened in Cuba after watching the first 15 minutes of the film is, in fact, what happened. The tension in the film is having the main defense lawyer (played by Tom Cruise) prove what happened in a court of law. The result is definately worth watching.

A lot gets made out of the cast of this film. While it's true that there are a lot of movie stars, a lot of credit should go to director Rob Reiner since many of his 'stars' had not shown the ability to act up until this point in their careers. Of course, you have established actors like Jack Nicholson in key roles, but remember that Tom Cruise was still mainly rembered for Top Gun and Demi Moore for Ghost when this film came out. There is an excellent supporting cast of up-and-comers, including future Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr, Noah Wiley, and J.T. Walsh. But what makes this movie work is Reiner's direction, which keeps what could easily become an average Law and Order episode interesting for more than two hours.

The DVD has a couple of special features, including a wide array of language options ranging from Thai to French. The featurettes are above average and provide some interesting insight instead of basically being trailers for the film. However, the director's commentary is substandard, with long stretches where Reiner simply doesn't say anything. Some of the comments are even inaccurate, such as when he claims that the rifle team was recruited from the University of North Carolina (in fact, according to the credits they are from Texas A&M).

As a film, I'd rate A Few Good Men with 5 stars, while as a DVD it comes in at a pedestrian 3. This is not because the film loses anything on the small screen, but just an indicator that the features are mediocre. At the end of the day, the reason to buy this DVD is for an excellent film that is well written, surprisingly well acted (given the cast), and extremely well directed. If you're looking for DVD features that will keep you engaged for hours, look elsewhere. Unless you want to work on your Thai.

Rating:
Summary: A great movie for those in the law profession
Review: I watched "A Few Good Men" many years ago, when I was much younger. I understood the story back then, but I didn't mind much the legal issues because I didn't really understand them. Watching "A Few Good Men" recently, I realized that it was a great movie, especially for lawyers and those in the military.

In "A Few Good Men", Tom Cruise's character was the lead counsel for two marines who were accused of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and conduct unbecoming of an officer. The facts were undisputed that the two marines beat up Private Santiago, killing him in the process. The government, led by prosecutor Kevin Bacon, wanted to convince the court that the two marines should be held accountable for what they did to Private Santiago. The defense team of Cruise, on the other hand, wanted to place the blame on the superiors of the two marines.

Cruise's character was excellent in plea bargaining. It seemed that if they went to court, the two marines would get life sentences. Cruise's character managed to convince Bacon's character to lower the charge to manslaughter, which would imprison the two marines for only six months. However, the two marines refused to bargain with the government by pleading guilty. They wanted to go to court because they believed that they were not guilty, even if it meant they would go to jail for the rest of their lives. Cruise's character was very frustrated. As a lawyer, he did them a favor by reducing their imprisonment to only six months. But the two marines refused because of honor.

Here we see the difference between being the lawyer and being the client. The lawyer's job is to prevent their clients from going to court, as much as possible. But there are some clients who want to fight it out in the courts to prove a point. As the lawyer for those clients, one must accede to their wishes while at the same time letting them know what they are getting into. Cruise's character originally wanted to be removed as counsel for the defendants. But then he realized that he had a duty to fight for the rights of his clients, especially since he believed that they were not guilty.

Cruise and his team prepared the witnesses before they went to court. This is a good example of what trial lawyers should do, since witnesses may say something incriminating, especially when they are badgered by the opposing counsel. A good witness must be prepared, relaxed, and must get all the details straightened out before testifying. He must also not be easily rattled.

It seemed that the defense would lose because they had no proof that the two marines were only following a superior order. This is applicable in many countries. When high ranking officials are concerned, a lot of times there is no proof linking them to the crimes. They are powerful enough to make witnesses lie and change records. As a last attempt, Tom Cruise subpoenaed Jack Nicholson's character, a highly respected colonel. The former ruffled the latter's feathers so much that the latter admitted in open court that he issued the orders to the two marines.

For lawyers and especially trial lawyers, the way Cruise's character did it was a brilliant example of how one can make witnesses admit things in open court. He was able to make Nicholson's character say that Santiago was to be transferred because he was in grave danger. He also boasted that his men always followed his orders. Cruise's character then asked the important question: "If they always follow your orders, then why was Santiago in grave danger?"

The movie is an example of how lawyers can greatly affect the outcome of a case. Someone who may seem guilty may in fact be acquitted because of his lawyer. Cruise's character was right when he said that the case was to be won not by the law, but by the lawyers. Demi Moore's character, in my opinion, represents the righteous layman. She said that people know that the two marines were only following orders. Tom Cruise's character represents the lawyer who knows that it's all about what you can prove. Being a lawyer is not all about knowing the rules. It's all about knowing the rules to one's advantage, making your case more believable and credible than the opposing side, and proving the facts. But, as was shown in the movie, it is important to use the law to your advantage when you truly believe in what you are fighting for. Tom Cruise's character truly believed that the two marines were only following orders. His conscience wouldn't allow him to let them go to prison knowing that he could help them. Lawyers, when they truly believe in their clients, should do their best to help them even if the case seems like an uphill battle. They should realize that lives may hang in the balance, but with their help, they can prevent a miscarriage of justice. In this way, lawyering becomes an honorable profession.


Rating:
Summary: Courtroom Drama in Uniform
Review: The settings in this film suggest it came from a staged Broadway play. The characters are mostly one-dimensional as they speak their lines. Like other plays, it is a conflict between ideas (or assumptions). The playwright has rigged the events, and you must decide how realistic they are.

The events take place in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, at the American military base. A new private doesn't match the expectations of the officers. (We later learn of the reason for this.) So a corporal and a private teach him a lesson. But this new private dies because he was gagged. There is a self-serving testimony from a medical officer, who assumes "an unknown poison" caused the death, leading to a murder charge.

Another example of its drama is to first portray the defense lawyer as something of an indifferent shyster who is adept at plea bargaining. This characterization is reversed by the end of this filmed play. I wonder if a seeming paranoid Colonel could rise so high, unless it indicates a deteriorating medical condition (drooping lower eyelids). The moral of this play warns against the danger of just following orders. "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial" warns of the danger of not following orders. Damned if you do, damned if you don't? When will there ever be a play that deals with Vietnam or Iraq?


Rating:
Summary: Fully Loaded DVD...Must Have For Fans
Review: This review refers to the Special Edition DVD(Columbia) of "A Few Good Men"...

When Jack Nicholson lashes out at Tom Cruise in the now infamous courtroom scene, and blasts him with ..."YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH"... this film became an instant classic. It's probably a line we've all used at sometime or another now, and we all know exactly where it comes from. The sparring between Nicholson and Cruise is brutally tense and a favorite among fans of courtroom dramas. If you are one of those fans and are thinking about the DVD, this review is for you. For those that have not seen this film and are interested in the storyline, you will find some wonderful reviews here with thoughts on the film itself.

This DVD by Columbia is excellent. It's got everything you could want in a DVD. A beautifully transfered picture in anamorphic widescreen and vibrant colors, sound that surrounds wonderfully in the choice of DD5.1 or 2-channel, and the DVD is loaded with special features. You could probably watch a different feature each time you view the film. To start with, there is informative and entertaining Audio commentary from director Rob Reiner, a documentary "Code of Conduct", which features interviews, "From Stage to Screen" with Aaron Sorkin(writer) and Reiner, Trailers, Filmographies and production notes. There are several languages for viewing, and even more for subtitles including English for those who may need them.It also includes an insert with not only the scene selections but some thoughts from Reiner, Cruise and Moore.

This DVD package is the reason we buy DVDs (and at a very reasonable price as well)...an absolute must for fans of this film.
Go for it and enjoy....Laurie