A Few Good Men Review

Director: Rob Reiner (This is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride)
Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network)
Starring: Tom Cruise (He is a legend.  You should know who he is.), Jack Nicholson (Also a legend.  Needs no introduction.), Kevin Bacon (Footloose, Apollo 13), Demi Moore (Ghost, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle), and Kiefer Sutherland (Stand By Me, 24)
Gross Revenue: $243,240,178
Rotten Tomatoes TomatoMeter: 83%
IMDB Rating: 7.6
Awards: Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), Best Film Editing, Best Sound, and Best Picture

      It's hard to draw excitement, tension, and suspense from a courtroom, especially one that doesn't dumb down to viewers.  But of course, Aaron Sorkin is able to turn even what on paper looks like a cure for insomnia into an exciting nail-biter of a courtroom drama.  He once again refuses to dumb down to audiences, and the movie features all of the correct legal jargon and procedures, and at least some of it will go over the viewers head.  But despite the often heady intellectual aspects of this picture, it is at its core a movie about honor, service, and sticking up for the little guy.  Who can't get into a movie about that?

    A Few Good Men is about the court-martial trial hearing of two young marines who are accused of killing a Marine during a hazing accident.  The head of their defense is young hotshot lawyer   He is recruited to these young marines' defense by JoAnne Galloway, an impulsive but passionate NIS trial lawyer.  The defense claims that the act was ordered by Col Nathan R. Jessep, while the prosecution claims that the marines were ordered to leave the young marine alone.  Though all the odds are stacketwo marines who are accused of killing a Marine during a hazing exercise.  In their defense is hot shot Naval Investigative Service (NIS) lawyer, Daniel Kaffee, who prides himself on having never set in a coud against the defense, and they are encouraged time and time again to settle, but the young defense team stick to their guns and instead of choosing the easy way out, choose to stand up and defend the marines' honor.
     I once again marvel at the genius of Aaron Sorkin.  No other writer in Hollywood is able to make movies that are so intellectual but also so entertaining.  He refuses to dumb down his script for audiences, and that has earned him much respect from me.  His rapid-fire dialogue throws around legal terms and procedures with n explanation given to the audience, and half of the time spent watching this movie is just trying to keep up.  Any other writer would make the movie "too smart", and wouldn't make it accessible to audiences, but Aaron Sorkin is able to inject the right amount of heart to make the movie relatable and enjoyable for all audiences.  That's what makes this movie so great: the combination of intellectual proceedings and the entertaining interactions between the characters.
    The acting is all around superior in this movie.  Tom Cruise gives a great performance as the young lawyer Kaffee, and one can tell that Cruise has matured as an actor.  He perfectly portrays a smart and talented man trying to make his way in the world, while constantly living in the shadow of his dead father, without losing his trademark charm and charisma.  Seriously, Tom Cruise can do anything.  Despite being on screen for less then 20 minutes, Jack Nicholson steals the show.  As Col. Nathan R. Jessep he commands such screen presence, and every time he holding is on screen one is their breath.  He brings gravitas and believability to what easily could have been a stereotype, and he is one of the highlights of the movie.

    A Few Good Men is a great example of everything a great movie needs.  An exciting story that doesn't dumb down to the audience, layered and interesting characters, and a feel-good feeling at the end.  While the movie does spend too much time on plot and not enough time developing their characters, the plot is interesting and movies fast enough one doesn't have much time to think about that.  Though it is limited to mainly courtroom scenes, they are among the most exciting courtroom scenes one will ever see.  It is a movie for the heart and the mind.  A Few Good Men is an exemplary mix of both heart and mind, featuring exceptional performances from both young and old, and shows that movies don't have to be brainles to be enjoyed by all.  4.5/5
"You don't need a patch on your arm to have honor"