A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by: Rob Reiner | 138 minutes | crime, drama, thriller | Actors: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, JT Walsh, Christopher Guest, JA Preston, Matt Craven, Wolfgang Bodison, Xander Berkeley, John M. Jackson, Noah Wyle, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lawrence Lowe, Joshua Malina, Oscar Jordan

‘You want the truth? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!’ It is just one of the rousing one-liners that Jack Nicholson gets to throw into the air as the extremely haughty Colonel Nathan R. Jessep in the court drama ‘A Few Good Men’ from 1992. Nicholson only comes into view for about ten minutes, but manages to pull the film completely into itself in that limited playing time. That is of course a credit to the experienced and charismatic actor, but it also says something about the abilities of the actual protagonist, Tom Cruise. For a long time, like the ambitious young army lawyer Daniel Kaffee, he’s just a snooty asshole, an insufferable little guy who can’t possibly win our sympathy – even though that’s the intention. Only when he comes face to face with Nicholson at the end of the court ride, does he seem to be able to raise his level a bit. It is in this memorable final scene – thanks in particular to good old Jack – that ‘A Few Good Men’ as a whole earns a solid pass, because this drama by director Rob Reiner is not entirely convincing.

That is not the case with the story. The screenplay was written by Aaron Sorkin, the man behind the hit television series “The West Wing” and the Oscar-winning ‘The Social Network’ (2010). The basis was his own play of the same name, the film rights of which were bought by Hollywood producer David Brown before the premiere. Army lawyer Daniel Kaffee (Cruise) is assigned the case of two soldiers (Wolfgang Bodison and James Marshall), who are on trial for the murder of their colleague Willy Santiago. The case seems already lost, because senior officers are involved in the case and the honor of the soldiers involved stands in the way of the defense, but on the advice of Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) and Lieutenant Commander Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak) Kaffee gains new insights. The role of the high-ranking Colonel Nathan R. Jessep in particular seems debatable, but it turns out not to be easy to circumvent his unassailable status. Kaffee has to look for solid evidence or an accusation against high-ranking Jessep could cost him his head.

‘A Few Good Men’ is Hollywood drama pur sang: a cast full of sounding names, a solid screenplay by a skilled writer, rock-solid direction and the widely exploited theme of the little man who takes on the established order. No wonder that the general public went for the ax in the early 1990s and that ‘A Few Good Men’ has been doing excellent as a TV movie for (almost) twenty years. After all these years, however, it is becoming more and more noticeable that the film colors very neatly within the lines, making it all very predictable. That actually applies to all facets of this court drama. It makes the film rock solid, but a tad colorless. Only when Nicholson comes into the picture and with his vicious statements and his ‘who-does-me-what’ attitude plays all his opponents off the screen, the film comes alive. It’s not surprising that Cruise was cast as a somewhat insufferable, ambitious youngster who has to compete with his father’s reputation. He looks reasonable here, but only when he is facing Nicholson is he actually stimulated. The role of Moore seems to be dragged in by the hair. You would think that a woman was needed for a romantic storyline, but surprisingly enough, that romance does not materialize (the only real surprise of this film). She gets a lot of room to shine (which she doesn’t do), but we would rather have seen supporting actors Nicholson, Kevin Bacon (as prosecutor) and JT Walsh (as key witness) more in the picture.

There is much to criticize about this courtroom drama. His brave, predictable character, for example. And halfway through, the film, which could have been shortened by half an hour with more than 130 minutes, collapses considerably. The real spectacle is too long in coming, but thanks to a razor-sharp final chord by a masterful Jack Nicholson, ‘A Few Good Men’ is lifted to a higher level in the last twenty minutes. Final conclusion? Rob Reiner’s court drama is above all rock solid, but entertaining.