A FEW GOOD MEN. Directed by Rob Reiner; written by Aaron Sorkin: produced by David Brown, Rob Reiner and Andrew Scheinman for Columbia. Starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson. Rated R.
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A Few Good Men is several different movies rolled into one. And they're all good!
To begin with, it's one of the best courtroom dramas I can remember seeing in a while. Plus, it's a well-acted coming-of-age story and a provocative examination of the "Nuremburg defense" (we were just following orders). With just a dash of comment on the place of women in the military.
When a young Marine stationed at Guantanamo dies at the hands of two of his platoon-mates, after threatening to turn one of them in for a security violation, an apparently open-and-shut case gets ready to face military justice.
Lt. Cdr. Galloway (Moore) happens along, however, and feels that there may be more to this than meets the eye. She doesn't have the clout to do anything about it herself. But she has the courage and passion for justice to convince (one might say bully) her colleague for the defense (Cruise) into putting his considerable legal gifts on the line for the accused.
The movie's cast is what gets the most pre-release hype. And, happily, the publicity is justified. Cruise turns in one of his best performances as the skillful but frivolous-minded young Navy lawyer, and Moore is appealingly hard-nosed as his very serious-minded counterpart. And Nicholson is just terrific as a Marine colonel who is rumored to be on his way to the National Security Council.
The supporting cast, from Kevin Bacon and Kiefer Sutherland to lesser-knowns, turn in excellent work as well. Wolfgang Bodison, in fact, though acting in his first movie, is a standout among these big names. His portrayal of a good Marine with the bad luck to get caught up in these messy circumstances is quite remarkable.
However, it's not just the acting that makes A Few Good Men so good. The narrative is very well-written (Sorkin is adapting his play of the same name) both from the standpoint of story and of characterization.
And director Reiner really knows how to make a movie. It is so well-paced that its long running time (almost 2 1/2 hours) seems like an illusion. And we get just the right emotional punch from every scene, both in and out of the courtroom. A Few Good Men is more than just good!
December 16, 1992