A few Good Men - 1992

Overview & Summary of A few good Men. :)

Category: Movie

Genre: Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Writer: Aaron Sorkin

Producer: Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures Corporation

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, J.T. Walsch, Christopher Guest and more.

Tagline: In the heart of the nation's capital, in a courthouse of the U.S. government, one man will stop at nothing to keep his honor, and one will stop at nothing to find the truth.

Based on a play by Aaron Sorkin.

There was a murder of a marine (Santiago) at a Naval base at Cuba and two marines(Dawson and Downey) were accused of murder. Code Red, a sacrosanct code used in Cuba but apparently not allowed by the “books” was used and as whoever ordered it was a mystery. An inexperienced Navy lawyer who has never seen the insides of a courtroom Ltjg. Daniel Kaffee(Tom Cruise) because he plea bargains most of the time was called to handle the case. Kaffee (Cruise) was known to be lazy and inattentive and pretty much clumsy. He favors playing football any second over studying a case which exhilarates Lt. Cdr. Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore) who is intent in solving the case and helping the two marines.

Tom Cruise fits the role of being a lawyer… his attempt on being “clumsy” meaning less serious outside the courtroom would make you want to bang his head for starters.

The two marines accused Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) and Pfc. Lowden Downey (James Marshall) were convincing.

This was Wolfgang’s debut as a budding actor he was just Rob Reiner’s assistant but he fits the role as Dawson. His facial expressions are so good… specially looking stubborn with certain justifications and you just know you have to believe him…

James Marshall was still young here and pretty much handsome with that childlike innocent face…. always depending on Wolfgang here…because it’s his role….

This may seem a boring movie to some… but I loved it because of those two marines…. and of course because Keifer Sutherland of 24’s Jack Bauer was here even though he is one of the antagonists here. Looking so young and handsome.

No sensual scenes. No lovey mushy things at all.

This is a movie with a couple of punchlines as well……. (trying to make it appear light and not too serious.)

Kaffee (Cruise), Col. Jessep (Jack Nicholson), Lt. Kendrick (Keiffer Sutherland), Lt. Weinberg (Kevin Pollack), Galloway (Demi Moore), Whitaker (Xander Berkeley)

Kaffee: Excuse me, sorry I’m late.
Capt. Whitaker: That’s alright, Danny, I know you don’t have a good excuse, so I won’t force you to come up with a bad one.
Kaffee: Thank you, sir.

Kaffee: Why does a Lieutenant Junior Grade with nine months’ experience and a track record for plea bargaining get assigned to a murder case? Would it be so it never sees the inside of a courtroom?

Kaffee: Is the colonel’s underwear a matter of national security?

Col. Jessep: What do you wanna discuss now? My favorite color?

Lt. Weinberg: You’ve heard her. My daughter said a word. She said, “Pa.”
Kaffee: She was pointing to a mailbox, Sam.
Lt. Weinberg: That’s right. She pointed to the mailbox as if to say, “Pa, look, a mailbox.”

Lt. Weinberg: Cmdr. Galloway, Lt. Kaffee is considered to be the best litigator in our office. He successfully plea bargained 44 cases in 9 months.
Kaffee: One more and I get a set of steak knives.

Kaffee: Whoa. Hold it. We gotta take a boat?
Barnes: Yes, sir. To get to the other side of the bay.
Kaffee: Nobody said anything about a boat.
Barnes: Is there a problem, sir?
Kaffee: No, no problem. I’m just not that crazy about boats, that’s all.
Galloway: Jesus Christ, Kaffee, you’re in the Navy for crying out loud.

Kaffee: Lt. Kendrick, may I call you John?
Lt. Kendrick: No, you may not.
Kaffee: Have I done something to offend you?
Lt. Kendrick: Not at all, I like all you Navy boys. Every time we gotta go some place to fight, you fellas always give us a ride.

Kaffee: Did you talk to your friend at the NIS?
Lt. Weinberg: Yeah, he said if Markinson doesn’t want to be found, we’re not gonna find him. He said I could be Markinson and you wouldn’t even know.
Kaffee: Are you Markinson?
Lt. Weinberg: No.
Kaffee: I’m not Markinson… that’s two.

Kaffee: This your signature?
Dawson: Yes, sir.
Kaffee: You don’t have to call me “sir.”
[to Downey]
Kaffee: Is this your signature?
Downey: Sir, yes, sir.
Kaffee: You certainly don’t need to do it twice in one sentence

Of course I liked a line much serious than the previous….

Kaffee: You don’t need a patch on your arm to have honor.

The film was nominated for four Academy Awards:

• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Nicholson)
• Best Film Editing
• Best Picture and
• Best Sound

The film was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards:

• Best Director (Rob Reiner)
• Best Motion Picture - Drama
• Best Actor (Tom Cruise)
• Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson)
• Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin)

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