What’s the Story?

When an unpopular Marine winds up dead after being hazed by two of his unit mates in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Navy lawyer Lt. J. G. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend the presumed murderers at their court martial, in a presumably open-and-shut case. But as Kaffee probes further under the urging of Internal Affairs' Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), he finds there's more to the case than meets the eye.

Is It Any Good?

A FEW GOOD MEN was adapted from a Broadway play and it shows; most of the film is filled with set pieces in which the actors sit at restaurants and in court rooms and offices, endlessly debating the case and the issues around it. Did the dead Marine bring on his fate by breaking the Marine's code of honor, as the base's commanding officer, Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicolson), suggests? If so, does that make the dead soldier a victim or a perpetrator himself?

For adults or very mature teens, A Few Good Men brings up complex and interesting issues surround the military and the duties of soldiers in uniform: the nature of conformity, persecution of the weak, the price of unquestioning obedience to superiors. Younger teens will probably be bored by the film's lack of action, but for families looking for talking points on the military, or those who just like a courtroom drama, A Few Good Men is a solid choice.

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Cast & Film Details

Studio

Columbia Tristar

Director

Rob Reiner

Cast

• Tom Cruise
• Demi Moore
• Jack Nicholson

Genre

Drama

Run time

138 minutes

Theatrical release

12/09/1992

DVD release

05/29/2001

MPAA rating

R

MPAA explanation

language

For Your Family