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: you gotta ask me nicely
Review: A few Good Men and a woman, that's right you have Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Kevin bacon & Pollak,Kiefer Sutherland,Cuba and Demi Moore,a brilliant cast WOW!Jack is riveting,Tom shines the acting is outstanding,phonomenal you don't want to miss one second of this one. A rememberably courtroom drama that will stick in your mind for years to come. Enjoy
Rating: 
Summary: That guilty, after-Twinkie feeling...
Review: Have you ever eaten junk food, and then right after the meal you think you're going to get away with it, but then 20 minutes later you feel sick, as well as annoyed with yourself that you tried to pull a fast one on yourself? Because "A Few Good Men" has been on cable, it seems, every third day for the last decade, I have built up an intimate 10-year friendship with the film, and now I have to compare it to fast-food dining. It's an empty, self-satisfied movie disguised as a good, thought-provoking movie. You watch it, you're proud of yourself because after a few viewings you're able to follow the legal gymnastics and you have the little details memorized, and maybe you even join in with Jack (after the 50th viewing) and you two shout out in unison: "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" But then when you actually start thinking about it, the whole movie is totally ridiculous. Here's the truth about this dumb flick. I hope you can handle it. I'm not interested in going into all the details (I would, but "A Few Good Men" is going to be on cable in a few minutes and I don't want to miss the beginning). But the one that bothers me the most is this: if old Col. Jessup is such a grizzled and wily combat veteran, such a "he's-going-to-be-the-next-military-advisor-to-the-National-Security-Agency" blood-and-guts mastermind, why is he so dumb that he blurts out the confession that he ordered the Code Red? Huh? For two hours and seven minutes Jessup is a potently fierce mixture of George Patton and Nathan Hale, but then after two or three questions from that cocky fighter pilot from "Top Gun," Col. Jessup has morphed into a quavering bowl of Forrest Gump-like jello. Guts spill! Credits roll! That's dumb! By the way, in the history--I'm saying the H-I-S-T-O-R-Y of cinema--has there ever been a courtroom drama that DIDN'T have a surprise witness and a shocking turn of events right at the end?Will such a film ever be made? I doubt it. But I'm going to give this un-shipshape film three stars because Jack rocks. His performance, albeit onscreen for only about 25 minutes, is one that belongs in Hollywood's pantheon.
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite movies ever
Review: Two of my favorite screenwriters (and for very different reasons) are Aaron Sorkin and David Mamet. If you want to see why I like Mamet, go watch _Spanish Prisoner_. This one will show you why I like Sorkin. This is a legal drama in the grand style (for which see also Mamet's _The Verdict_). The plot flies along at something over Mach 1, the dialogue just crackles, and the performances are gripping. This was 1992, remember, before anybody really knew Tom Cruise could _act_. And here he is, holding his own against the formidable Jack Nicholson. You know the plot already, I'm sure, and in any case I won't discuss it here. I'm also happy to concede (as per earlier reviewers' comments) that some of the military law in this film is probably the product of somebody's imagination (although it's far, far above the level of 'Objection! Mr. Mason is clearly on a fishing expedition'). But as _drama_, it just doesn't get any better than this. The final courtroom scene is brilliantly written and acted, and after watching it for more than a decade I _still_ break out in goosebumps at the appropriate moment. The DVD is an improvement in picture and sound quality, of course, and I like the widescreen format. But the drama doesn't depend on the format. Sorkin has of course deservedly gone on to great fame as the original script writer for _The West Wing_. It's a testament to his skill that this holiday, I gave my wife the DVD collection of the first season of _West Wing_ and she gave me the DVD version of this movie. Cheers to Rob Reiner as well for his expert direction; I've never seen a bad movie with his name on it, but this is one of his best. There are also fine performances by Demi Moore, the late J.T. Walsh, Kiefer Sutherland, and others (including a couple faces that would later become familiar on TV: Noah Wyle and Matt Craven).
Rating:
Summary: All I can say is GREAT MOVIE!!!
Review: Have you ever seen one of those movies that you could watch again and again? This is it for me! I can't being to tell you how many times I have stopped in the middle of cleaning the house, doing homework, eating dinner, whatever to watch A FEW GOOD MEN if it was on tv, cable, whatever. This movie is a great movie with a tremendous cast. Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon, Demi Moore all give amazing performances. This is a movie that everyone should watch atleast once.
Even today I went to my dvd collection to pop it in the DVD player just to watch it again. I think this movie is a real treat for anyone who enjoys court room dramas, movies about military that is not about war, and who loves the actors listed above because I can't imagine any one else in these roles than the great cast in this line up! RENT AND ENJOY! No wait...BUY IT! You won't regret it!!
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre except for Nicholson's role
Review: Jack Nicholson proves that you can do your best regardless of the others around you. This movie is cliched all around, weak plot, weak lead actors, yet he earned his second Oscar for a supporting role. In short, Nicholson is the only reason to watch A Few Good Men. Of course, if you enjoy pretentious drama, or Demi Moore's looks, you may pick this up just for fun.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: This is a great movie. It has everything you need:
Good actors
Good plot
Good story Go for it, you will love the movie!
Rating: 
Summary: Good Actors in a Movie That Knows Nothing About the Military
Review: I think, if I'd never spent any time in the military, and didn't know how the military, and the people who make it up, operate (like, for instance, the writer and director of this movie don't), I'd have liked it a whole lot more. But having spent 10 years on active duty in the Army, there were two things about this movie that spoiled for me most of the enjoyment I might otherwise have gotten from it: (1) The Tom Cruise character constantly smarts off to the Demi Moore character. His boss. His superior officer. He's a lowly Lieutenant, she's a Lieutenant Commander. In other words, he's a company grade officer; she's a field grade officer. This is a big deal in the military. My experience dealing with women of rank in the military is that, having invaded and excelled in a male dominated field of endeavor, they tend to be very concerned the men under their command won't respect them. Therefore, they DEMAND you respect them. But every time Moore tells Cruise to do something he ignores her, every time she gives him an order he has some smartass comeback and he refuses. And she just takes it. No woman who'd risen to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy could be such a milquetoast. Forget for a moment she's a woman. ANY officer worth their salt would have yanked Cruise bald the first time he lipped off. Metaphorically speaking (probably). Finally, he pops off to her in front of the Nicholson character, who says to him, "You know, I just realized something. She outranks you." At which point, sitting there in the darkened theatre, I muttered to myself, "Thank God someone in this movie finally noticed that." (2) The entire premise of the movie is bogus. Okay, two young Marines have beaten a fellow Marine, and because of a previously undetected medical problem he dies. So far so good. BUT the Cruise character, a JAG officer of years of experience, believes that if he can prove they were ordered to beat the dead Marine, they'll be let off. Because they were only following orders. Which is what soldiers/Marines are supposed to do, right? And Moore, with even greater experience than he, agrees. So we've got Tom Cruise, working and slaving and agonizing over how he's going to prove Kiefer Sutherland ordered these two Marines to beat another Marine, and that Jack Nicholson knew about it. Uno-teeny-tiny problemo. According to military law, no military member has a duty to obey an unlawful order. On my first day in Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, they taught us that "I was just following orders" is not a valid defense if you break military law, that being ordered to break the law does not relieve you of the moral and intellectual responsibility to realize what you're being told to do is wrong, and refuse to do it. As a matter of fact, one of the first things - literally - they taught me in the Army was how to refuse an illegal order without being insubordinate. But Cruise - who should know better - figures if he can prove these guys WERE ordered to commit the actions that resulted in manslaughter he can skate them free. In the real world, any JAG officer with two brain cells to rub together knows that's not the case. Realistically, at most, he can take Sutherland and Nicholson down with them, for their part in the crime, but there's no way on God's green earth his clients aren't going to be convicted. But he doesn't realize that. And he should. This was obviously a movie written and directed by people who've never been in the military, who don't understand how the military, and military law, works. This is a fatal flaw in a movie dealing with the military, and military law. They believe that soldiers/Marines are dogged robots who just mindlessly follow orders. And if you can prove they were following orders, they can't be held accountable for their actions. False. I've heard the attitude that the end of this movie, when the two Marines are convicted and sentenced for their actions, is a horrible, horrible thing. It's not. It's what would have happened in a real military trial. At least they got that much right. On the other hand, Jack Nicholson as a hardcore Marine full bird Colonel (talk about casting against type) is worth two stars all on his own.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie
Review: This is my favorite movie. I couldn't have praised it better than Davie from Florida (another reviewer), so I'm stealing and seconding his review: "I have seen this movie a dozen times yet I'm still on the edge of my seat from the first minute to the last. This movie is as close as perfection as can be. The actors do an amazing job, the scenario is thrilling and it balances tragedy and humor very well. It's impossible for an intelligent human being to be bored for one second while watching this jewel. A must buy !" Adam from VA
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies ever made
Review: I have seen this movie a dozen times yet I'm still on the edge of my seat from the first minute to the last. This movie is as close as perfection as can be. The actors do an amazing job, the scenario is thrilling and it balances tragedy and humor very well. It's impossible for an intelligent human being to be bored for one second while watching this jewel. A must buy !
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