A Few Good Men 1992 Dir. Rob Reiner Anna Urick

A Few Good Men 1992 Dir. Rob Reiner Anna Urick

            A Few Good Men is the best movie I have watched so far for this assignment. Set in a courtroom, Tom Cruise plays the role of LTJG Daniel Kaffee assigned to defend Downey and Dawson two marines in case concerning the death of another marine, Santiago. I liked this film because of the real life issues it addresses and the change you see characters go through.

            Kaffee (Cruise) begins as a lazy lawyer who usually takes the easy way out of work and accepts plea-bargains rather than the long hours involved in taking a case to court. Demi Moore plays JoAnn Galloway and is the woman who convinces Kaffee to take the case to court because she had the strong instinct there was more to the case than they were being told. Galloway’s strong sense led to Kaffee taking the case to court where he evolved as a lawyer and really began to see what he needed to be doing. For Cruise’s character it was a very transitional part to play. He became a good lawyer even though he had moments of regret and drunken feelings of failure. He eventually trapped Jessup in a lie and had his shining moment in the courtroom when he won the case and proved Downey and Dawson innocent.

            Another aspect of this film I loved was how real the issue is in real life. There are many covert and secret operations that take place within the military and are usually kept quiet. While some of these secrets are best left without the public knowing some cases and problems need to be addressed and reformed. This film highlighted real societal problems and what may go on behind closed doors in our military.

            The actual filming used close-ups and headshots to emphasize the intensity and seriousness of important scenes. This film did have the perfect ending, in which the truth was revealed and higher authority was punished for their orders. Although this may not always be realistic in military court cases it was a solid ending for the film. The character growth and dynamics coupled with the intense plot line and real issues made A Few Good Men a great film to watch.