Taps (1981)

Director:

Harold Becker

Writers:

Devery Freeman (novel)
Robert Mark Kamen (writer)

Release Date:

20 December 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

This school is our home, we think it's worth defending.

Plot:

Military cadets take extreme measures to insure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

Plot Keywords:

Military | Military Academy | Tragic Events | School Closing | Teen

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe.

Cast

George C. Scott	...	General Harlan Bache
Timothy Hutton	...	Cadet Major Brian Moreland
Ronny Cox	...	Colonel Kerby
Sean Penn	...	Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer
Tom Cruise	...	Cadet Captain David Shawn
Brendan Ward	...	Charlie Auden
Evan Handler	...	Edward West
John P. Navin Jr.	...	Derek Mellott
Billy Van Zandt	...	Bug
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Cadet Captain J.C. Pierce
Donald Kimmel	...	Billy Harris
Tim Wahrer	...	Cadet Major John Cooper
Tim Riley	...	Hulk
Jeff Rochlin	...	Shovel
Rusty Jacobs	...	Rusty

Also Known As:

The Siege at Bunker Hill: T.A.P.S (UK) (TV title)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | UK:PG | USA:PG (certificate #26439) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The gate seen at the end of the quad area was built specifically for the film and was dismantled after filming ended.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Brian tells Kerby that he'll surrender if General Bache orders him to, Kerby says that General Bache died at 6 o'clock yesterday. In a military case, he would have said that the General died yesterday at 1600 hours.

Quotes:

[the cadets have taken over the academy]
Master Sergeant Kevin Moreland: Let me tell 'em it was growing pains - the wrong execution of the right idea.
Brian Moreland: "The wrong execution of the right idea"?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Home Improvement: Taps (#6.24)" (1997)

Changing perspectives

The biggest kick I got was seeing Hutton, Cruise, and Penn as teenagers turning out amazing performances at such a younger age. I guess some actors are just destined to rise to the top.

George C. Scott also turned in a great, believable performance as an old wartime General. However I find it interesting, after seeing this movie over 20 years later, how it's context has changed for me personally. While in '81, the story was perhaps designed to generate sympathy for the General and his plight, I look at his situation today and feel nothing but pity for him, as I would for any Shakespearean tragic hero, who because of their narrow-sightedness, could not see the bigger picture. And in this case, their consequences caused a chain of events that took on an uncontrollable life of their own. Funny how the years can sometimes dictate understanding and perspective.

The previous review mentioned for this flick is 100% bang on.