A Few Good Men
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| A Few Good Men | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Rob Reiner |
| Produced by | David Brown Rob Reiner Andrew Scheinman |
| Written by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Starring | Tom Cruise Demi Moore Jack Nicholson Kevin Pollak Kevin Bacon J.T. Walsh and Kiefer Sutherland |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
| Cinematography | Robert Richardson |
| Editing by | Robert Leighton Steven Nevius |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures Castle Rock Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | December 11, 1992 |
| Running time | 138 min |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
A Few Good Men, a play by Aaron Sorkin, was acclaimed on Broadway and was subsequently made into a successful film in 1992. It tells the story of military lawyers at a court-martial who uncover a high-level conspiracy in the course of defending their clients, United States Marines accused of murder.
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[edit] The play
Sorkin got the inspiration for the play from a phone conversation with his sister Deborah, who had graduated from Boston University Law School and signed up for a 3-year stint with the Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. She was going to Guantanamo Bay to defend a group of marines who came close to killing a fellow Marine in a hazing ordered by a superior officer. Sorkin took that information and wrote much of his story on cocktail napkins while bartending at the Palace Theatre on Broadway.[1]
The original Broadway stage production opened at the Music Box Theatre in New York on November 15, 1989 in a production directed by Don Scardino, designed by Ben Edwards, and with music by John Gromada. It starred Tom Hulce as LTJG Kaffee, Megan Gallagher as LCDR JoAnne Galloway and Stephen Lang as Col Jessep. (Replacement actors included Timothy Busfield and Bradley Whitford as Kaffee, Perry King, Michael O'Hare, and Ron Perlman as Jessep, and Pamela Blair as Galloway. Joshua Malina also appeared.) It ran for 497 performances.
The national touring company performed through 1992 with Michael O'Keefe as LTJG Kaffee, Alyson Reed as LCDR Galloway, and Paul Winfield as the judge.
A revival of the play starring Rob Lowe in the role of LTJG Kaffee and Suranne Jones as LCDR Galloway, opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London in late August 2005 for preview showings, followed by a 3 month run in early September 2005. The stage show was directed by David Esbjornson.
Jensen Ackles appeared as LTJG Kaffee alongside Lou Diamond Phillips as Col Jessep in a production of the play at the Casa Mañana Theatre, in Fort Worth, Texas from June 5 to 10, 2007.
[edit] The film
The film version was made by Castle Rock Entertainment, Columbia Pictures and New Line Cinema. It was produced and directed by Rob Reiner with David Brown and Andrew Scheinman also as producers, Jeffrey Stott and Steve Nicolaides as co-producers and William S. Gilmore and Rachel Pfeffer as executive producers. The screenplay was by Aaron Sorkin from his own play.
[edit] Cast
The film stars:
Tom Cruise ... LTJG Daniel Kaffee
Jack Nicholson ... Col. Nathan R. Jessep
Demi Moore ... LCDR JoAnne Galloway
Kevin Bacon ... Capt. Jack Ross
Kiefer Sutherland ... 1Lt Jonathan Kendrick
Kevin Pollak ... LTJG Sam Weinberg
J.T. Walsh ... Lt. Col. Matthew Markinson
James Marshall ... Pfc. Louden Downey
Wolfgang Bodison ... LCpl. Harold W. Dawson
J.A. Preston ... Judge (Col) Julius Alexander Randolph
Matt Craven ... Lt Dave Spradling
Michael DeLorenzo ... PFC William T. Santiago
Noah Wyle ... Cpl Jeffrey Barnes
Cuba Gooding, Jr. ... Cpl Carl Hammaker
Xander Berkeley ... Capt Whitaker
Joshua Malina ... Tom
Christopher Guest ... Cdr (Dr.) Stone
Aaron Sorkin ... Lawyer bragging in tavern
[edit] Plot synopsis
(This summary is based on the film version.)
An inexperienced US Navy lawyer, LTJG Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), son of the late Lionel Kaffee (who held the positions of Attorney General and Navy Judge Advocate General), leads the defense in the court-martial of two Marines, PFC Louden Downey (James Marshall) and LCpl Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison), who are accused of murdering a fellow Marine of their unit, PFC William T. Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo), at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
Santiago was not quite up to the task compared to his fellow Marines. He complained of health conditions that his superiors ignored and was generally disliked by everyone in his company. He had gone out of the chain of command to request a transfer off the base, even going so far as bargaining for one in exchange for blowing the whistle on Dawson for an "illegal fence-line shooting" when Dawson exchanged shots with a guard on the Cuban side.
In a flashback, Col Nathan Jessep (Jack Nicholson ), the CO of the Marine detachment at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is shown reading the letter detailing the incident to two subordinate officers: his executive officer LtCol Matthew Markinson (J.T. Walsh), and 1st Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland), Santiago's platoon commander. Jessep and Kendrick are incensed that Santiago would do this, and Markinson is the only one who wants to go ahead with transferring Santiago off the base. However, Jessep gives a speech about their duty as officers to train those who defend their nation, ending with his sarcastically suggesting "surrendering our position in Cuba" if just one Marine is sent packing. He thus makes the decision not to transfer him. Markinson questions it and, after Lt Kendrick is dismissed, is reprimanded for questioning Jessep's authority in the presence of another officer.
When Dawson and Downey are later arrested for Santiago's murder, Naval investigator LCDR JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) suspects that they, who were top-class Marines compared to Santiago, were carrying out a "code red" (a term invented for the film referring to a military colloquial speech term for extrajudicial punishment, in this case an unofficial act of discipline carried out with the approval of a senior officer). A lawyer herself, she asks to be allowed to defend them, but the case is handed over to LTJG Daniel Kaffee who has a reputation for settling cases out-of-court. However, she manages to soon bring Kaffee round to her point of view when, late in the day, Dawson and Downey state that they were ordered by Kendrick to deal with Santiago by shaving his head, only minutes after Kendrick had told the whole platoon not to touch the would-be victim.
Kaffee's plea-bargaining methods would have prevented the case from ever going to court and causing embarrassment to the Marine Corps and potentially mar Col Jessep's chances of advancement, since he is being considered for the position of Director of Operations for the National Security Council. Kaffee has never even been to court (except as a defendant when his driving licence was suspended) and thus can devote himself to his passion of softball. He also lives in the shadow of his late father Lionel who is considered one of the greatest trial lawyers of his time.
Goaded by Galloway and Dawson, however, he agrees to be lead counsel for the defence. Over the course of the trial Kaffee progresses from a novice lawyer to an experienced and effective Navy attorney. His relationship with Galloway evolves as well. There is friction between them the instant they meet: she believes that he does not care about his clients and that he settles cases quickly because he is afraid to actually argue in court. He thinks she is interfering with his handling of the case. They come to realize that they both want to learn the truth and give their clients a vigorous defense, and they know that they will have to work together to achieve this. Although there are some flirtatious moments between Galloway and Kaffee, they don't become romantically involved. What is more important is that they learn to cooperate and respect each other.
The third member of the team is LTJG Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak), who is good at research and preparing witnesses.
On the whole though, Kaffee has few illusions: after weeks of hard work preparing the case he simply mutters: "We're gonna get creamed!" The prosecution, led by his friend Capt Jack Ross (Kevin Bacon), himself a Marine, has a good case: Dawson and Downey have never denied assaulting Santiago, they just never intended to kill him. Things aren't helped by their personalities. It takes a lot of prompting to get them to reveal evidence crucial to the defence, such as Kendrick telling them to deal with Santiago after telling the rest of the men that he was not to be touched. Downey is a simple-minded young man, a stereotype village idiot who doesn't even appear to know where he is or the seriousness of his position. The more authoritative Dawson believes greatly in honor and duty and is determined to go all the way rather than dishonoring himself and the Marine Corps with a plea bargain. He makes his point by failing to salute Kaffee when the latter proposes a deal which would have gotten the defendants out in six months, rather then serving up to twenty years in prison.
LtCol Markinson, Jessep's second-in-command, goes AWOL and later turns up out of the blue in Kaffee's car. Earlier, while investigating the crime scene in Cuba, the defence team was told by Jessep that Santiago was to be transferred off the base. Markinson now tells Kaffee that there was never any intention of doing this and that Santiago's transfer orders were drawn up long after his death as part of a cover-up. When Kaffee is unable to find evidence to corroborate his version, Markinson sends a letter to Santiago's parents, blaming his weakness for the loss of their son, dresses up in full uniform and commits suicide.
At the same time, evidence turns up which questions whether or not Kendrick did order Dawson and Downey to carry out the Code Red, something the defence had always taken for granted. Galloway, however, is convinced that not only Kendrick, but also Jessep ordered the Code Red and tries to persuade Kaffee to cross-examine him on this point. Kaffee is horrified: there is no proof whatsoever that Jessep was involved and if he makes such accusations against a senior officer he could himself face a court-martial which will ruin his career.
Kaffee, drunk, reflects on his late father, Lionel, along with his friend and fellow lawyer Sam Weinberg. When they discuss the Jessep issue, Weinberg admits that with the evidence they have Kaffee's father would never have called Jessep to the stand. However he does state that he would have the younger Kaffee as lawyer for Dawson and Downey any day and that Daniel has to decide if it is he or Lionel who is handling the case. Daniel Kaffee finally decides to "put Jessep on the stand".
In court, Kaffee confronts Jessep and produces rather weak but convincing evidence that Santiago was never to be transferred. The two men get into a shouting match, during which Jessep, in an outburst, finally admits to ordering the Code Red. He justifies his actions on the grounds that transferring Santiago could have resulted in transferring all the Marines off the base and thus weakening the nation. Because he defends his country, Jessep does not see why Kaffee, who has never seen action, should question his methods: "I would rather you just said 'Thank you' and went on your way." Santiago's death "while tragic, probably saved lives."
At the prompting of Kaffee and the Judge (J.A. Preston), prosecutor Ross then places Jessep under arrest and reads him his rights. Jessep, who feels that he was just doing his job, leaves the stand and is ready to depart the courtroom but told to stand his ground. Jessep is charged with the crime stemming from the incident. In surprise and disbelief at the levelling of charges against him, he lunges at the defence counsel, claiming that "all you did was weaken a country today, Kaffee. That's all you did. You put people's lives in danger. Sweet dreams, son." Kaffee answers back by telling Jessep not to call him "son" and that the Colonel is now going to face charges of his own.
Kaffe later admits to Ross to a little bluff which unnerved Jessep enough to cause his downfall. Ross then announces that Kendrick will also be arrested.
Dawson and Downey are later found not guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, but are found guilty on the charge of "conduct unbecoming a United States Marine" and are dishonorably discharged from the Corps. PFC Downey is shocked and angered by the sentence, asserting that Jessep's confession demonstrated that they did nothing wrong. LCpl Dawson, reflecting momentarily, points out that they did do wrong by failing in their duty to fight for those unable to fight for themselves, like Pvt Santiago.
As they leave, Kaffee tells Dawson that he doesn't need to wear a badge on his arm to have honor. Dawson reacts by saluting Kaffee, displaying a new respect for the man, having purposely refused to do so earlier when he dismissed Kaffee's plea-barganing methods as cowardice.
[edit] Awards and Nominations
[edit] Academy Awards
The film was nominated for four Academy Awards:
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jack Nicholson)
- Best Film Editing
- Best Picture and
- Best Sound
[edit] Golden Globe Awards
The film was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards:
- Best Director (Rob Reiner)
- Best Motion Picture - Drama
- Best Actor (Tom Cruise)
- Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson)
- Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin)
[edit] Production Notes
- The line "You can't handle the truth!" was voted the twenty-ninth greatest American movie quote of all-time by the American Film Institute.[2]
- It is the debut of Wolfgang Bodison (Harold Dawson) who was not an actor, but a film location scout.
- The Silent Drill at the film's beginning was not done by Marines. It is actually the Texas A&M University Fish Drill Team.[3]
- The second baseball game that Daniel Kaffee watches during the movie is an actual game played between the Baltimore Orioles and the Minnesota Twins on June 17, 1991, halting the Twins' 15 game win streak
[edit] Military Law in Fact and Fiction
- The two Marines are charged with and found guilty of "Conduct Unbecoming a United States Marine". There exists no such crime in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The closest crime to this would be "Conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman" or Article 133 of the UCMJ, which applies to only commissioned officers, or those holding appointed office in the US Military or cadets of any of the United States Military Academies or ROTC programs. The two defendants were enlisted Marines, neither were officers, nor held to "gentlemen" standards as such. As enlisted Marines, they are held to conduct standards of any Military personnel, but not to the extent of an Officer who by definition has moral, legal, and higher decision-making authority. In reality, they would have been served dishonorable discharges on general dishonorable conduct. In reality, the two Marines tried at Court-Martial, of the 10 enlisted Marines involved, were acquitted at court-martial, and were subsequently awarded administrative discharges under other than honorable conditions by an administrative review Officer, not by a legal proceeding.
- Marines do not salute whilst indoors, unless under arms (ie, carrying a weapon and wearing cover)
- The term "Code Red" has never been used to describe extrajudicial punishment in the US Marines; and was never used at the US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay during the period in question to describe or refer to any kind of activity. The most commonly used term in that respect is actually "blanket party".
[edit] Trivia
Play is based on real life trial lawyer Donald Marcari's first case as a JAG lawyer.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ A Few Good Men London theatre tickets and information. ThisIsTheatre.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
- ^ AFI Quotes
- ^ Corps Fish Drill Team reinstated - Front Page
- ^ BEACH'S ``FEW GOOD MEN BRINGS BACK LAWYER'S REAL-LIFE TRIAL. pilotonline.com/archives. Retrieved on 1994-11-17.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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