Don't Believe the Hype

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Once this picture enters the courtroom it becomes riveting. The build up is intriguing as well in it's may aspects of discovering information and the principals feeling each other out regarding temperaments and personalities. I've usually been on the fence about Tom Cruise as an actor, I guess because I equate him with the Daniel Kaffee we're first introduced to, a cocky and brash hot-shot lieutenant who can do no wrong and has a record supporting his arrogance. What's interesting is that I like him as Jack Reacher, but don't care for him much in the early part of this picture, or as Vincent Lauria in "The Color of Money". But with the passage of time, I can better appreciate him as an actor now, and revisiting this film has a lot to do with that perception.And what can you say about Jack Nicholson? You know his presence here will take you on an emotional rollercoaster ride with the take no prisoners approach to running his unit at Guantanamo Bay. With this role, Nicholson calls to mind George C. Scott in 1970's "Patton" as the kind of forceful and arrogant military leader who sees things only one way. My only qualm about the story is during the courtroom scene when the hot headed Colonel Nathan R. Jessep admits to the Code Red violation. I didn't think back in 1992 when I first saw this, nor did I think when I watched the movie again the other day, that a soldier of Jessep's qualities would crack the way he did under questioning by Lieutenant Kaffee. That was certainly a dramatic scene heightened by the intensity of both actors, but I couldn't see Jessep getting tricked like that. Still, I can overlook that minor glitch to give this film a top rating.What I had forgotten about regarding the picture was the appearance of all those top quality young players who went on to even bigger and better things, like Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, and Noah Wyle. Sam Weinberg and Demi Moore were also more than competent in their roles backing Cruise's Kaffee. With the passage of time this film has grown in my estimation, and is one I'd recommend for anyone who enjoys emotional courtroom drama.

I enjoyed the movie however a full bird Colonel ordering a code red is highly unlikely and Lt.Kaffe is obnoxious, arrogant and disrespectful, even to superior officers, which would never be tolerated

When I was just five years old, Aaron Sorkin wrote a play, which would first be produced on Broadway and, a few years later, would be turned into a Hollywood feature film. Now, 26 years after that film's been made, I've got a chance to see it for the first time. And the main thought I got out of this experience, besides the film being totally awesome, is that it's writing that matters the most.Yes, it's the actors who go on stage being the knights in shiny armor and fighting for our entertainment. But it's the writers who put swords in their hands. And whether those swords are razor sharp or are dull duds makes a difference between a truly entertaining flick and a yawnfest.There's one possibly not so obvious similarity between A Few Good Men and Game of Thrones. Both of them are, in fact, court dramas. Yes, dragons may fly and breathe fire while the big men chop off each other's heads and... other parts dangling too conveniently, but it's the Tyrion Lannisters who truly steal our hearts with their speeches, court ones or not. Even with all the visual effects in the world, it's still our imagination that draws the most breathtaking pictures and stirs the deepest emotions, and the words are what fuels that engine of ours.And oh my, doesn't this film have words aplenty! Apparently, even before Sorkin became the genius behind the Fincher masterpieces, he was already good enough to give enough fiery lines to the trio of Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore and the rest of the cast, to produce a truly boiling pot of emotions the cast emanates on screen, clashing and colliding and ultimately transforming something that is supposed to be boring, i.e. a court hearing, into something you watch with your fists clenched and a wild gaze, taking sides, rooting for your favorites and booing the opposite team when they take a stand.You gotta give it to Cruise though. While it's been Nicholson whose acting received the most praise for this film, it's Cruise who is the main ingredient in the magic chemical reaction A Few Good Men is. Without his typical-young-Tom-Cruise "pretty and seemingly carefree prodigy with big boots to fill" agenda, this whole story would not have its main emotional drive, and all the "stuck up and morally twisted patriotism freak" brilliance delivered by Nicholson would just be left there hanging. The look on Cruise's face might be too much of self-adoration and dumbfoundness combined, but his passion is still one of the most genuine things this film can offer. And while writing is the sword in the actor's hands, it's the passion that makes a difference between waving it around helplessly and delivering that swoop both mighty and graceful which would make the spectators gasp in amazement.Even if you're as far from enjoying the details of legal litigation as the other guy, this film will give you the entertainment you seek. As for the substance, well, can't say there's none here, and at least one important general message got reiterated out loud: simply following the rules doesn't grant you the "good guy" badge. But the rest... let's just say that even Tyrion Lannister can't win his war with words alone, and at some points you do need to get outside a court room and swing an actual sword. But when you're tired of the mindless action, come back where true writing belongs - and let your mind have fun again!

A Few Good MenWhen it comes to create intense and high pitched drama scenes it doesn't fail to deliver for it mostly relies upon the performance since it seems to loose its hold of it on the rest of it. A Few Good Men has fast paced script, enough content to feed the audience for more than 2 hours and contains a power packed performance with amazing dialogues and compelling arguments in it. Rob Reiner is not in its A game since its execution seems a bit petty, childish and amateur as its loosely packed in between big moments. Tom Cruise is amazing in it with a good supporting cast like Jake Nicholson and Demi Moore. A Few Good Men hits fast and hard with an exhilarating first act but dips down a bit in the second one only to escalate into delivering stunning climax.