A FEW GOOD MEN

This solid slice of 1990s entertainment gets 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a bit harsh given how well it is directed (by Rob Reiner) and written (by Aaron Sorkin).  And a cast headed by Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Kevin Bacon isn't bad is it? 

Even Demi Moore is an effective presence, as one of Cruise's assistants.  The fact that there is no romance between her and Cruise is indicative of the feeling of authenticity which Reiner and Sorkin are aiming for.

Cruise and Moore are military lawyers defending a couple of soldiers charged with murder in a military court, and no, I don't understand why the military get their own justice system.

A fellow soldier has died as the result of a 'punishment' meted out by the defendants that went  badly wrong,  but the nub of the case, and therefore the film, is whether the punishment was instructed by their commanding officer, played by Nicholson, who has no difficulty portraying someone with an ego the size of a Sherman tank.  

This arrogance turns out to be his undoing, in a gripping climax to the trial, which includes Nicholson delivering the famous line: "The truth? You can't handle the truth!"

Bacon plays the prosecuting counsel, and I enjoyed all the scenes of cut-and-thrust between him and Cruise, both in the courtroom and outside.

There's also a great scene early on over lunch at Guantanamo Bay when Nicholson's character treats Cruise and Moore with contempt. 

But good as the principal actors all are, for me the acting honours are stolen by Wolfgang Bodison, a location manager on the film who was persuaded by Reiner to play the part of the more senior of the two defendants.  The highlight of the film is the moment at the end when he explains to his co-defendant why it is right and proper that they be booted out of the army - he says "we were supposed to fight for people who couldn't fight for themselves", and he delivers the line perfectly.

Any courtroom drama runs the risk of being stagey and predictable, but there's no danger of that here thanks to Reiner's cinematic direction and to Sorkin's ability to make each character, even the minor ones, a three-dimensional human being.    

It also helps that the military court setting is a novel one, and that for once the defendants are clearly guilty.  

It's rather curious that Sorkin does little to make us care about the victim - he appears to have no friends or family present at the trial, and we learn remarkably little about him.

I guess Sorkin is more interested in the bigger issues at stake.  At a micro level it's about whether military officers should follow their orders, come what may.  Zooming out it is about the need for democratic forces to stop the military being used for authoritarian purposes, a very pertinent question at present.   

One can argue as to whether this film warranted the Oscar nomination for Best Picture which it received, but there's no question that it's very well-crafted Hollywood entertainment of the highest order.  It was the seventh film directed by Reiner, continuing his remarkable run which started with his debut ('This is Spinal Tap') some eight years earlier. 

Finally, a bit of trivia.  Reiner liked to include in his films references to other films of his.  In this instance, apparently on a shelf in the apartment belonging to Cruise's character one can see a novel, 'Misery's Love', written by the protagonist in 'Misery', Paul Sheldon.

RATING: ✓✓ Good Times