(Work that JAG gear, Tommy baby…)
CAST: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, Kiefer Sutherland, J.T. Walsh, James Marshall, Wolfgang Bodison, Michael DeLorenzo.
DIRECTOR: Rob Reiner
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and cocky junior naval officers who, ahem, can’t handle the truth…
In our recent review for DRESS GRAY (review # 214), we explored a murder-mystery in a military setting: a secretly-gay cadet is found drowned, igniting a maelstrom of deception, intrigue, and murder that ensnares an innocent upperclassman (Alec Baldwin), the cadet’s civilian sister (Susan Hess), and a whole panoply of powerful men (Hal Holbrook, Lloyd Bridges, Eddie Albert and more) who want nothing more than the case to go away - even if it means the innocent upperclassman’s life.
In our latest review, A FEW GOOD MEN, we are again dealing with a murder-mystery in a military setting: a marine is found bound and gagged and dead from his own blood and vomit, igniting a maelstrom of deception, intrigue, and murder that ensnares a cocky junior naval officer (Tom Cruise), his fiery and passionate co-counsel (Demi Moore), and a whole panoply of powerful men who want nothing more than the case to go away - even if it means the lives of the two marines who attacked the victim.
The event that kicks off our story is the bushwhacking of Private Santiago (Michael De Lorenzo) by two of his platoon mates. Stationed at the U.S. Naval base on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Santiago is kind of like David Hand from DRESS GRAY - only not gay. In other words, a world-class pain-in-the-ass. Not only is he a snitch who doesn’t get along with anybody, he’s even made a request to be transferred. The sniveling little bitch. It doesn’t come as the Most Shocking Plot Twist that he gets the jump from Pvt Louden (James Marshall) and Cpl Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison).
Needless to say, the bushwhacking backfires - and Santiago croaks. Naturally, Louden and Dawson get charged with manslaughter. The case is sent to Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Cruise), a smug jerk of a lawyer so utterly convinced of his own brilliance. Seems the dude is an ace at the plea bargain - and has an allergic reaction to actually appearing in court. And all indications point to the Santiago-Louden-Dawson case being handled in the same breezy “la-di-da” way.
Enter Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore). Thank God. She’s a sharp military attorney who is every bit as intuitive as Kaffee is dense. If it wasn’t for her, the dipshit would have dumped the case into the Plea Bargain Bin. And she smells the distinct funk of a cover-up. Joanne believes that there’s more to the death of Santiago than meets the eye, and the two marines may have been carrying out a… “Code Red.”
Now, let me explain that by “Code Red” I do not mean the Coca Cola company’s latest caffeine-packed elixir. Nope… a “Code Red” is a covert - and unlawful - disciplinary action that is carried out by marines - sometimes under orders from higher-up. Joanne believes this is what caused Santiago’s death, and Louden and Dawson are just at the tip of the iceberg. Or, if you take into consideration their rank, at the bottom of it. In a raging tirade, Joanne warns Kaffee that “if this case is handled in the same fast-food, slick-ass way that you seem to handle everything else, then something’s going to get missed!”
Preach, sister, preach. Men can be so stupid sometimes. Especially if they look like Tom Cruise.
Chastened (or maybe just turned on) by Joanne’s passionate stance, Kaffee takes her on as co-counsel - and they begin their dance, er, investigation into the case. The more Kaffee digs, the more convinced he is that Joanne is right. Their inquiries lead them to: (1) Lt. Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland), a jarhead officer who looks more like a skinhead punk, and who might have ordered Louden and Dawson to punk Santiago; (2) Lt Col Markinson (J.T. Walsh), the platoon’s commanding officer who has been AWOL and may know more about the incident; and (3) Col Jessup (Jack Nicholson), the installation commander who looks like a bulldog in a uniform - and may have secrets of his own.
In addition to a wily military prosecutor, Capt Ross (Kevin Bacon), Kaffee and Joanne must contend with these other adversaries. Was the incident just a case of a prank gone very, very wrong? Or is Joanne right and was it really a “Code Red?” If so, who ordered it? Kendrick? Markinson? Or from even higher up? From Jessup? And if so, how do Kaffee and Joanne prove it?
Well, I wouldn’t worry about that too much. They get paid the big bucks to figure this shit out.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: Sometimes, a film’s screenplay and dialogue will elevate what could have been just another above-average genre film - and turn into a classic. A FEW GOOD MEN is such a film - its literate and intelligent script makes it much more than you rote courtroom drama/thriller. Credit to that should go to writer Aaron Sorkin who based his screenplay on his play. Sorkin has always excelled at engaging and memorable dialogue.
Taking their individual roles and running with them, the cast nails each of their characters. Tom Cruise begins Kaffee as his basic “Cocky Dude”, but the character becomes more and more interesting as the story progresses. The deeper we see into Daniel Kaffee, the more we realize the surface breeziness conceals thoughtful depths. As the catalyst for Daniel’s transformation, Joanne Halloway is one of Demi Moore’s best roles. Moore seems to understand how to balance Joanne’s keen intuition, fiery determination, and gentle humanity to create a heroine you can’t take your eyes off of. She steals some of her scenes effortlessly - and given her skilled castmates, that is no small feat.
Jack Nicholson’s performance as the villainous and myopic Col Jessup has now entered the annals of screen legend. His delivery of that famous “You Can’t Handle The Truth” speech will surely be imitated and quoted for generations to come. As I’ve said before, when you can’t see anyone else playing a role, then the actor has performed magnificently. Such is the case with Nicholson here.
The supporting cast is filled with talented veteran character actors like Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, Kiefer Sutherland, J.T. Walsh, and newer ones like James Marshall and Wolfgang Bodison. All of them do well, and a complement the three leads nicely.
What makes A FEW GOOD MEN even more interesting is how it explores the idea of “following orders” and paints many things in shades of gray. Sure, Bowden and Dawson were just following orders - but does that mean they deserve to be treated like innocents. I don’t think so. I they’re just as guilty as Jessup, and the way the film treats them like with nobility at the end is somewhat disturbing. Let’s face it: these guys are killers.
But that’s the beauty of A FEW GOOD MEN, it’s thought-provoking stuff wrapped in a sheen of crowd-pleasing entertainment. Credit for that canny blending goes back to the screenplay and its writer - the talented Aaron Sorkin.
