"A Few Good Men" was a blockbuster hit in 1992. Big Hollywood names played the lead roles: Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, and Demi Moore. The director was Rob Reiner, who had a reputation for enormous hits ("The Princess Bride", "Stand By Me", "When Harry Met Sally"). A commercial and critical success, it went on to receive four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor (Nicholson).
At a U.S. Naval base in Cuba, two Marines accidentally kill another Marine during a hazing incident. Downey (James Marshall) and Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) now face a murder charge, but they claim to be just following orders. They were told to teach the hapless Marine a lesson, by their superior officers Lt. Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland) and Col. Jessep (Jack Nicholson). But how can this be proven?
Enter JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), an earnest, passionate Navy attorney. She is assigned to the case, along with Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) and Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak). Kaffee is a cocky young lawyer whose skill at getting quick plea bargains has kept him out of a courtroom, giving him all the more time to play baseball. Weinberg is a soft-spoken research expert. Inevitably, there are some romantic sparks between Cruise and Moore, while bad guys Jessep and Kendrick receive their due comeuppance.
"A Few Good Men" is an impressive lesson in how to produce a Hollywood blockbuster. First, cast a very good looking male lead who is also one of the biggest box office draws (Cruise). Give him a character turn, from arrogant jerk to brilliant defender of justice. Second, cast a popular, legendary actor who is also a big box office draw (Nicholson). Make him a ridiculously venal bad guy. Now, set the plot up so that there is a big showdown between the two, featuring lots of implausible, dramatic shouting. Add a beautiful woman (Moore), who is also a big box office draw, in a supporting role. Now add a happy if slightly bittersweet ending. Be sure to heavily promote, and voila! A 140 million dollar gross. Congratulations are in order.
Admittedly, most people who see "A Few Good Men" will enjoy the film. They won't care that Nicholson's character would never launch into a thunderous diatribe while on the witness stand, that Cruise's character would never let the case go to trial, that Cruise's personality would not radically change simply because Demi Moore keeps getting mad at him, or that a Marine Colonel would never personally order that a Private be beaten. But I care, and I am always disappointed when a film with such overblown acting, writing and direction receives such critical praise. (30/100)
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