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| A Few Good Men 6 of 10 |
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| Directed by Rob Reiner Cinematography by Robert Richardson Tom Cruise Jack Nicholson Demi Moore Kevin Bacon Kiefer Sutherland Kevin Pollak Christopher Guest Cuba Gooding Jr. |
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| I enjoy military movies. And I really enjoy watching well-made courtroom dramas. So this one was right down my alley, and I was not disappointed; it is a thoroughly solid film. The high-profile cast members all give solid performances under the capable direction of Reiner, although this is a very different style of film for him. (Princess Bride is almost certainly his most famous work.) Jack tends to overact a little, as always. And Demi tends to underact a little, so they cancel each other out. The supporting cast members are also excellent; of especial note are Christopher Guest, Kiefer Sutherland, and Kevin Bacon. No real revelations here, except that Tom Cruise shows that he is capable of carrying a picture using more than just his face. He is the real star here, even though it is Jack who got the Oscar nod. (Strange. Hollywood seems to underestimate Cruise a great deal, almost as much as they seem to overestimate Nicholson.) The film�s visual style is solid, if relatively unmemorable. If anything, it verges on the flashy side. But the film�s real strength is not in its look or even its stellar cast, but in its writing. (An interesting note: the screenplay comes from a stage play, both written by Aaron Sorkin. He is probably most famous as the creator, producer and writer of The West Wing, which seems to hold a lot of the same political views.) The script is excellent, and is packed with lots of great dialogue. The best was the exchange between Jack and Tommy at the very end, which is very (and rightfully) famous. �You can�t handle the truth!� I did have a vague feeling that the writer and director had spent a lot of time watching The Caine Mutiny, though. The finale is nearly identical. No shame there; Caine Mutiny is a fine work, and well worth emulating. All in all, this was a solid production, and very entertaining. �I strenuously object? Is that how it works? Objection. Overruled. No, no, no, no, I strenuously object. Oh, if you strenuously object, let me take a moment to reconsider.� |
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