A Few Good Men

A Few Good Men; legal drama, USA, 1992; D: Rob Reiner, S: Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kevin Bacon, Jack Nicholson, J.T. Walsh, James Marshall, Kiefer Sutherland

Two US Marines, Dawson and Downey, are charged for murder of their colleague Santiago due to his violent mistreatment one night at Guantanamo Bay Base in Cuba, after which Santiago died. Santiago previously requested his re-location from the base several times, but not only did he not get it, but he also attracted the rage of Colonel Jessup, who is accused of ordering the harsh treatment, the so called "code red". With an apple in his mouth, lawyer Kaffee comes into the office of Naval Investigator Joanne Galloway. Together, they try to defend the two soldiers on trial. They manage to trick Jessup, called up as witness during the trial, into admitting he ordered "code red" on Santiago, and thus Dawson and Downey are acquitted of murder, but found guilty of inappropriate conduct and dishonorably discharged. 

"A Few Good Men" still stands the test of time and seems fresh and energetic despite the formulaic execution without much creative lift-offs, mostly thanks to the stunning, crystal clear cinematography by Robert Richardson. It seems that director Rob Reiner and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin are fascinated by off-stage games in the military and juridical system, managing to smartly transport it to the big screen, making it suspenseful and intelligent until the end. They craft a meditation on extrajudicial punishment and the clash between following orders from superiors or following ethical behavior: the two US Marines charged with murder and mistreatment of soldier Santiago were just following orders from their commander, but they should have rejected it for its unethical request. Most of the cynical one-liners are delivered by Jack Nicholson's character Colonel Jessup whose outstanding presence and charisma make him seem like a really important protagonist, even though he appears in only three sequences throughout the entire film: his comments about Santiago's numerous written requests for getting transferred off the base ("He wrote a letter to everyone except Santa Clause") or the classic "You can't handle the truth!" line at the end are great and really transmit passion. A very polished and solid trial film, but unfortunately, crafted conventionally "safe" and mechanically perfect, while the soul of the film was left out, which leaves a true "kick" out of watching it lacking. The naive ending does not work (would the experienced Jessup really make such a naive blunder and simply admit everything during a court cross-examination? Could he not see the bait?) and feels anti-climactic, whereas Tom Cruise is unfortunately a bit irritating in the first half, though he compensates in the second half when his character starts taking the trial seriously. Overall, the film has sparks and they cannot be denied.

Grade:++