A Few Good Men (1992)

Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writers:

Aaron Sorkin (play), Aaron Sorkin (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 26 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Lt. Daniel Kaffee
Jack Nicholson	...	Col. Nathan R. Jessep
Demi Moore	...	Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway
Kevin Bacon	...	Capt. Jack Ross
Kiefer Sutherland	...	2nd. Lt. Jonathan Kendrick
Kevin Pollak	...	Lt. Sam Weinberg
James Marshall	...	Pfc. Louden Downey
J.T. Walsh	...	Lt. Col. Matthew Andrew Markinson
Christopher Guest	...	Dr. Stone
J.A. Preston	...	Judge Julius Alexander Randolph
Matt Craven	...	Lt. Dave Spradling
Wolfgang Bodison	...	Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson
Xander Berkeley	...	Capt. Whitaker
John M. Jackson	...	Capt. West
Noah Wyle	...	Cpl. Jeffrey Barnes

Storyline

In this dramatic courtroom thriller, LT Daniel Kaffee, a Navy lawyer who has never seen the inside of the courtroom, defends two stubborn Marines who have been accused of murdering a colleague. Kaffee is known as being lazy and had arranged for a plea bargain. Downey's Aunt Ginny appoints Cmdr. Galloway to represent him. Also on the legal staff is LTJG Sam Weinberg. The team rounds up many facts and Kaffee is discovering that he is really cut out for trial work. The defense is originally based upon the fact that PFC Santiago, the victim, was given a "CODE RED". Santiago was basically a screw-up. At Gitmo, screw-ups aren't tolerated. Especially by Col. Nathan Jessup. In Cuba, Jessup and two senior officers try to give all the help they can, but Kaffee knows something's fishy. In the conclusion of the film, the fireworks are set off by a confrontation between Jessup and Kaffee.

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Plot Keywords:

lawyer | judge | famous line | guantanamo bay | honor | 

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Taglines:

You can't handle the truth!

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

With the exception of a scene where Captain Ross' captains bars are worn correctly and Lieutenant Colonel Markinson's silver oak leaves in another scene, the insignia signifying the rank of the officers are not placed on their collars correctly.

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Goofs

In the airport scene at Guantanamo, when Cpl. Barnes arrives to pick up Naval officers Kaffe, Weinberg, and Galloway as they are getting off of the airplane, Barnes fails to don his cap (or cover, in military terminology), come to attention and salute the officers. Most military branches don't allow members to wear covers around aircraft as they tend to fly off heads and may damage aircraft propellers or engines. If anything, Barnes should just come to attention and acknowledge the officers and then wait for a "carry on" or "at ease."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Drill Master: Forward, march!

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Connections

Referenced in Jerry Maguire (1996)

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Soundtracks

All I Want to Do
Written by UB40
Performed by UB40
Courtesy of Virgin Records Ltd./A&M Records

User Reviews

Can you handle the truth? Cracker(JACK) cast & script with Reiner at the top of his game

A FEW GOOD MEN (1992) ***1/2 Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Keifer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, JT Walsh, Wolfgang Bodison, Christopher Guest, Noah Wyle. Absorbing and crowd-pleasing adaptation of Aaron Sorkin's hit Broadway play from director Rob Reiner about two Marines charged with the murder of a fellow GI at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with a tangled web of power and a green defense lawyer (excellently played by Cruise) assigned to follow the motions without a trial. Superb performances all around especially Nicholson in rare form as a colonel with one hell of a Napoleon complex. Trivial note: Bodison was a production assistant to Reiner from previous films; this is his acting debut.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

11 December 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Few Good Men

Filming Locations:

Motel 6 - 1345 4th. Street NE, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$41,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,517,468, 13 December 1992

Gross USA:

$141,340,178

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$243,240,178

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Castle Rock Entertainment, David Brown Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1