Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Breast
Writer: Giovanni Arpino, Bo Goldman
Producer: City Light Films, Universal Pictures
Cast: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Venture, Bradley Whitford, Rochelle Oliver, and more
Tagline: Col. Frank Slade has a very special plan for the weekend.
Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) needs money and agrees to "babysit" a blind retired Lt. Col in the US Army named Frank (Al Pacino) man who is impossible to get along with
A prep school student needing money agrees to "babysit" a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated. This movie involves travel, women, good food, good life, fine wine, the tango and a loaded forty - five.
Gosh, I never thought I would cry so much while watching this. Super drama. It says it is about a woman but it was more than that. It is a film brought with frankness minus the sugar coating. I love the character development of the film, the dialogue of each actor. The film is both emotional and intellectual without lacking the moral value it gives.
Great Lines I Like:
Lt. Col. Frank : Oh, uh, Charlie - about your little problem - there are two kinds of people in this world: those who stand up and face the music, and those who run for cover. Cover is better.
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: No, I'm just gettin' warmed up. I don't know who went to this place, William Howard Taft, William Jennings Bryan, William Tell, whoever. Their spirit is dead, if they ever had one. It's gone. You're building a rat ship here. A vessel for seagoing snitches, and if you think you're preparing these minnows for manhood, you better think again, because I say you are killing the very spirit this institution proclaims it instills. What a sham. What kind of a show you guys are putting on here today? I mean, the only class in this act is sitting next to me, and I'm here to tell ya this boy's soul is intact. It's non-negotiable. You know how I know? Someone here, and I'm gonna say who, offered to buy it. Only Charlie here wasn't selling.
Lt. Col. Frank: Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn't nothin' like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that. You think you're merely sending this splendid foot soldier back home to Oregon with his tail between his legs, but I say you are... executin' his soul! And why? Because he's not a Bairdman. Bairdmen. You hurt this boy, you're gonna be Baird bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, FUCK YOU TOO!
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: I'm not finished! As I came in here, I heard those words, "Cradle of Leadership". Well, when the bough breaks, the cradle will fall. And it has fallen here. It has fallen. Makers of men, Creators of leaders. Be careful what kind of leaders you're producing here. I don't know if Charlie's silence here today is right or wrong. I'm not a judge or jury, but I can tell you this: He won't sell anybody out to buy his future! And that, my friends, is called integrity. That's called courage. Now that's the stuff leaders should be made of. Now I have come to the crossroads in my life. I always knew what the right path was. Without exception, I knew. But I never took it. You know why? It was too damn hard. Now here's Charlie. He's come to the crossroads. He has chosen a path. It's the right path. It's a path made of principle that leads to character. Let him continue on his journey. You hold this boy's future in your hands, committee. It's a valuable future. Believe me. Don't destroy it. Protect it. Embrace it. It's gonna make you proud one day, I promise you.
Funny Lines:
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: Thank you Randy. You still with Snowqueen Sugar?
Randy: Snowflake. How come you always get that wrong?
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: Because it's not important for me to get it right.
