Review - A Few Good Men (1992)

          Hey guys, Chuck here. A Few Good Men is widely considered as one of the greatest courtroom drama films ever made. Written by Aaron Sorkin, and based on his stage play of the same name, this 1992 drama from director Rob Reiner features a thoroughly fantastic cast, which includes Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, J.T. Walsh, Kevin Bacon, J.A. Benson, Wolfgang Bodison, James Marshall, Christopher Guest, and Kiefer Sutherland. 

       The movie opens at the U.S. Military Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where we see two U.S. Marines, Lance Corporal Harold Dawson and Private Louden Downey enter the barracks, and walk into the room of Private William Santiago. And, what follows appears to be a simple hazing, with Dawson and Downey stuffing a rag in Santiago's mouth, taping his mouth shut and taping his legs and hands together, and giving him a head shave. 

       Some days later, U.S. Navy JAG Corps. Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway gets word of Dawson and Downey's case, as the pair are facing court martial on murder charges, as Santiago wound up dead from the hazing, which Galloway believes to have actually been a "Code Red," which is an extrajudicial punishment, often extreme and violent. However, her request to be assigned as  counsel to the two Marines is denied, as the case is being handed to another member of the U.S. Navy JAG Corps: Lt. Daniel Kaffee, who is known for taking plea bargains and has zero courtroom experience. 

      A flashback reveals that Santiago has violated the chain of command pleading for a transfer from Guantanamo, and offers information on an illicit fence line shooting. The commanding officers at Guantanamo, including base commander Col. Nathan Jessup, base executive officer Lt. Col. Matthew Markinson, and platoon leader Lt. John Kendrick, all meet to discuss Santiago. Markinson believes it's best for Santiago to be transferred, while Kendrick wishes to handle the situation with no incident. Jessup decides that Santiago isn't going anywhere, and it's in the best interests of the officers to "train" Santiago to be a better Marine, and places that responsibility on Kendrick's shoulders. 

       Jumping back to present time, Kaffee meets with Dawson and Downey, but seems to be fairly disinterested overall. This leads to Galloway getting herself assigned as co-counsel, having met with Downey's only living relative to suggest it's for the best. At Guantanamo, Jessup acts insanely smug and callous, and insists that Santiago was, indeed, going to be transferred, but too late. Kendrick, equally as callous, suggests that Santiago dies because he had no honor and was a lousy Marine. 

        However, upon returning to meet Dawson and Downey, they insist that Kendrick did, indeed, give them a Code Red order. On the other hand, the prosecuting U.S. Marine Captain Jack Ross of the Judge Advocate Division of the Marine Corps. adds the fact that Kendrick ordered that Santiago wasn't to be touched, and Dawson and Downey disobeyed that order. But, Ross was willing to knock off at least two charges and get them on a plea deal for the murder charge. However, Dawson and Downey refuse the plea deal, and Kaffee almost considers getting himself removed as counsel. 

      In a stunning move, however, Kaffee enters a plea of "not guilty," and thus the court martial is set to go to trial. Kaffee figures out that he was assigned the case as he was infamous for taking plea bargains, and someone wanted the matter kept quiet. So, the trio of Kaffee, Galloway, and Lt. Sam Weinberg work together to clear Dawson and Downey of the charges, and set up that they were given a Code Red order after all. 

       At the start of the trial, an agent of NIS confirms that Santiago wrote to him about an illegal fence line shooting, but as Santiago was the only witness, it couldn't be confirmed if the Marine that Santiago accused, Dawson, was actually culpable. A member of Dawson and Downey's platoon testifies that, indeed, the entire platoon was ordered by Kendrick not to touch Santiago, but he wasn't in Dawson and Downey's room when the pair received the alleged Code Red order from Kendrick. But, a bit of a setback comes from the Guantanamo base doctor, Commander Stone, who implies that the rag used by Dawson and Downey was poisoned with an undetectable poison, which sped up the process of lactic acidosis in Santiago, causing his lungs to bleed. Kaffee, while able to get the doctor to suggest that a very serious coronary condition could speed up the process of lactic acidosis, Stone is unmoved in his implication that it was an undetectable poison that caused the lactic acidosis, even with Kaffee implying that Stone would have a lot to answer for if it was discovered he gave Santiago, who may have had a serious coronary condition, a clean bill of health. 

       However, Kaffee is approached by Markinson, who had disappeared previously, who confirms several things: a Code Red order was given, the transfer order was signed five days after Santiago's death on the day that Kaffee, Galloway, and Weinberg went to Guantanamo, and Jessup orchestrated a cover up that included the doctor's poison theory and a flight from Guantanamo to Andrews Air Force Base that was removed from the Tower Chief's logbooks at both bases. With this new information, Kaffee intends to put Markinson on the stand. 

       Unfortunately, the defense suffers three major setbacks. First comes with Kendrick's testimony, as he insists that's he didn't order a Code Red on Santiago, has never given a Code Red order, but did place a Marine named Curtis Bell on barracks restrictions with only water and vitamin supplements, but no food. And, after violating that order and sneaking Bell food, Kendrick have a poor review to Dawson, which ensured that Dawson wouldn't disobey orders again. Second comes from Downey's testimony, where it's revealed that he didn't hear Kendrick give a Code Red order, and was following an order he received from his squad leader: Dawson. And, third comes from Markinson, who commits suicide out of guilt for not being strong enough to prevent the death of Santiago. 

        Having basically given up, Kaffee sees no way to win the case, but Galloway has a very dangerous suggestion: subpoena Jessup and put him on the stand. Kaffee, however, knows this is a terrible idea, and he himself could face court martial for smearing a decorated Marine Corps officer. Fed up with Kaffee's attitude, Galloway leaves. Kaffee speaks with Weinberg, and they both agree that Kaffee has been chasing the ghost of his father, the famed attorney Lionel Kaffee, this entire time. But, Weinberg suggests that while Lionel wouldn't put Jessup on the stand, both Dawson and Downey have a better chance with Daniel as their attorney. His spirit renewed, Kaffee goes after Galloway and tells her that he will, indeed, put Jessup on the stand. 

      The day of Jessup's testimony arrives, and Jessup states that Santiago was set to be transferred off base as his life was under grave threat. However Kaffee points out a discrepancy in this: Santiago didn't call any family members or pack his personal belongings, while Kaffee packed for a few days and made three phone calls. But, when it seems like he has nothing else to ask, Jessup prepares to leave, but Kaffee tells him he wasn't dismissed yet, and there are a few more questions. Kaffee them brings forth the two Tower Chief's logbooks from Guantanamo and Andrews, as well as two Airmen, O'Malley and Rodriguez, who were working ground crew at Andrews. Kaffee then points out another order: Kendrick's order that Santiago wasn't to be touched. And, Jessup claims that he doesn't believe that Kendrick ignored the order, and that the men never disobey orders by taking matters into their own hands. This leads to Kaffee's big question: if a standing order was given not to touch Santiago, and every order at Guantanamo is followed to the letter, why was Santiago's life in danger? 

      Caught in a lie, Jessup attempts to recover, and it's here where we get the legendary "You can't handle the truth" speech from Jessup. Finally, after the pressure gets to him, he admits to giving the Code Red order after all. The jury is dismissed momentarily, and Jessup is placed under arrest. Some moments later, the jury reaches a verdict in the trial against Dawson and Downey: not guilty on the charge of murder, not guilty on the charge of conspiracy to commit murder, but guilty as charged for conduct unbecoming of a U.S. Marine. With that, the judge sentences them to time already served, and the pair are dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps. Dawson is initially stunned, while Downey is confused, asking what they did wrong if Jessup gave a Code Red order. Dawson reveals to Downey what they did wrong: they were meant to fight for those who, like Santiago, were unable to fight for themselves. 

       As the pair exit the courtroom to fill out some paperwork, Kaffee tells Dawson that he doesn't need a patch to have honor, and Dawson gives Kaffee a salute. As the rest of the courtroom empties, Ross and Kaffee discuss Airmen O'Malley and Rodriguez, who were going to testify that they have no recollection of any issues with flights from Cuba. And, Ross departs to place Kendrick under arrest, and Kaffee looks around the empty court and departs, ending the movie. 

      Now, I'm not going to try and speak to the film's accuracy in how it portrays the U.S. Navy JAG Corps, the legal proceedings of a U.S. military court trial, or any of that, as I can't do that. I can only judge my opinion based on my knowledge of being a film fan. However, I do recommend checking out the YouTuber LegalEagle's video covering A Few Good Men for a more in-depth breakdown from both a real lawyer and a former U.S. Marine Judge Advocate. 

       As for my take on A Few Good Men as a movie, i think that it's one of the most fantastic pieces of cinema ever made. Every acting performance from the leads and the supporting cast are all master class performances. The main trio of Tom Cruise as Kaffee, Jack Nicholson as Jessup, and Demi Moore as Galloway are all terrific, as are Kevin Pollak as Weinberg, Wolfgang Bodison as Dawson, J.T. Walsh as Markinson, James Marshall as Downey, Kiefer Sutherland as Kendrick, and Kevin Bacon as Ross. 

        The scenario is also very well handled. The idea of two Marines being set up for murder, when there was no intent, and they were given an order to teach a lesson to the victim, and how those in charge were trying to cover the situation up certainly makes for a compelling drama. Throw into the mix a U.S. Navy JAG Corps lawyer who, given his track record, would have made the cover up a lot easier, and this sets the stage for a fascinating courtroom battle. All this complimented by the brilliant writing of Aaron Sorkin and the masterful directing of Rob Reiner. So, if you haven't already, definitely check this one out. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you in the next review.