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.

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Plot Keywords:

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

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Taglines:

School's out

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Most of the battle names mentioned during the film are well-known. Two lesser-known ones are from the Vietnam War. The first, Pleiku, is a town in the central highland region of Vietnam, the site of a U.S. base during the Vietnam War. It was the scene of a major Viet Cong attack in early 1965. The second, Plei Me, was a camp, forty kilometers south of Pleiku city, attacked and besieged in October 1965 by the 33rd Regiment of the North Vietnamese Army.

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Goofs

When taking inventory of the armory, the man counting the weapons states they are ".45 millimeter caliber 1911's". M1911 pistols are .45 caliber, meaning the bore is .45 inches in diameter, and not the metric measurement of 45 millimeters (a significantly larger measurement, to the point where they would be classed as artillery, rather than small arms). In countries which issued the M1911 (or copies), and to whom the Metric system was common, the cartridge was referred to as 11.43x23mm.

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Quotes

David Shawn: [about firing his assault rifle at the townies and cops, to facilitate their escape] I saw my duty, and I did it.

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: ¡Hasta nunca, Doctor! (2011)

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Soundtracks

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
Written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell
Performed by Stevie Nicks

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!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taps

Filming Locations:

N. Wayne Ave, Wayne, 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 Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1