Taps (1981)

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

Director:

Harold Becker

Writers:

Darryl Ponicsan (screenplay), Robert Mark Kamen (screenplay)

Stars:

George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

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

Storyline

An announcement that the venerable Bunker Hill Military Academy, a 141 year old institute, is to be torn down and replaced with condos sets off the young cadets led by their stodgy commander. Under the command of a student cadet major, the cadets seize the campus, refuse entry of the construction crews and ultimately confront the real military.

---

Plot Keywords:

student | military academy | military training | military | school shooting | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taps

Filming Locations:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$93,005, 13 December 1981

Gross USA:

$35,856,053

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,856,053

Company Credits

Production Co:

Major Studio Partners, Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Part of a mini-cycle of Hollywood movies made during the early 1980s centering around military cadet training. The pictures include Taps (1981), Stripes (1981), Private Benjamin (1980), Up the Academy (1980), The Lords of Discipline (1983) and An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). Then the mid-late 1980s saw a few more: Cadence (1990), Biloxi Blues (1988), Heartbreak Ridge (1986) and Full Metal Jacket (1987).

---

Goofs

When Cadet Major Moreland and his insubordinate friend are fighting, they clearly have blood on their faces, indicating cuts, either directly to the face or on their hands. Days later, their faces are bruised (barely - a greater degree of bruising would be expected) but there are no signs of cuts to the face or hands.

---

Quotes

Colonel Kerby: You're not a soldier! I'm a soldier, with the career goal of all soldiers - staying alive in situations where it ain't all that easy to do! You're a death-lover. Some sorry son of a bitch has got you convinced that dying for a cause is oh, so romantic. Well, that's the worst kind of all the kinds of bullshit there is!

---

Connections

Spoofed in Mission: Improbable (2000)

---

Soundtracks

Glory Be
(uncredited)
Heard during the initial church scene

User Reviews

Filmed in 1981; still applies today

"Taps" is a story of twisted priorities and conflicting ideals of what honor, valor, and a fighting man really means. This was (and still is) an unmatched screenplay that is ever so true today. It should be mandatory viewing for anyone planning a military career so that they can really evaluate their reasoning for joining the armed services. It should be especially mandatory for any ROTC cadet in college (I'm in such a program, so I speak from experience).

Everyone involved played excellent roles and made the viewer make it as if they were really caught up in such a situation in real life. It didn't seem to be an "acted" movie; it was just that good. I think that Ronny Cox also put some feeling into his role, but if it had to be made in the '90s, I'd pick Dale Dye (who played brief but great roles as a captain in both Platoon and Casualties of War).

Again, this movie should get more credit than it has because the movie's themes and issues still haunt us, even in this "new world order" we're supposedly in. Great work to all involved!