There are a very small collection of movies that I have been witness to, in a packed UK cinema, that has led to a very unusual response. Cheering. While this might happen a lot in North America, where audiences are naturally more comfortable at expressing their delight in public, this is extremely rare in Britain.One of those occasions was watching Aliens, at the moment Ripley emerges to confront the Alien Queen with the Powerloader. Another was in What's Love Got To Do With It, when Tina Turner finally starts fighting back against bully Ike. And then there's the climax to A Few Good Men. But more about that in a second.
Based on the stage play written by The West Wing's Aaron Sorkin, A Few Good Men is a drama set within the US military legal system. Tom Cruise and Demi Moore are Navy lawyers representing two soldiers who killed an under performing fellow grunt in, what is essentially, a court room thriller. Rob Reiner, directing the last in a line of hits that started with Spinal Tap, expands the story in a pleasing cinematic manner while delicately balancing the dramatic fireworks and the lighter character moments. Wisely, he lets the cast of characters tell his story, and with a cast this good, it's a hell of a good story.
The three leads are on top form; each using their familiar screen personas to positively support the plot. Cruise is grinning and cocky, which builds nicely into his character's arc. Moore* is both sweet, vulnerable and in-your-face tough...perfect as Cruise's number two. And Nicholson is Nicholson; he's only in three scenes, but his Colonel Nathan Jessop practically devours the rest of the movie. If the rest of the cast (including Kevin Bacon, JT Walsh, Kevin Pollock, Keifer Sutherland, Christopher Guest, Noah Wylie, Cuba Gooding Jnr, Xander Berkeley) weren't on form, they'd have been in danger of being overshadowed completely.
The plot has two templates. The mythic sea tale (fitting for a navel Officer) which has a naive boy leaving 'home', confronting the monster and resolving his mandatory father issues, to return a responsible man...a hero. There's also the classic court room drama which shows us from the outset an irrefutable legal case (we witness the murder at the beginning of the movie) only to have our perceptions challenged as the movie progresses (just like the other court room classic, Twelve Angry Men).
And that finale. It all leads up to one exhilarating confrontation between Cruise, who's trying to make his witness confess, and Nicholson who maybe just too powerful (in authority AND personality) for Tom to handle. As with any great movie our heroes are beaten down but keep fighting back, despite the odds. So when victory explosively appears (all initiated by a subtle purse of Cruise lips as he's about to deliver the killer blow) it's a hell of a rush. A classic from start to finish and one of my three favorite Cruise movies (and considering he's made a LOT of good stuff, that takes some doing).
* I adore Demi Moore. This was right in the middle of her screen Goddess period where she was by far THE sexiest thing on the silver screen. Unfortunately, when she started to exploit her own sexuality in movies (Striptease/Disclosure) the appeal of her onscreen persona started to diminish, along with her popularity. Then she started making crap (although I have to admit the definition of Goddess still applies...Aston Kuchner, you git).
1 comment:
Yep, I remember it well. We were in the Odeon in Bristol watching this film when that spontaneous audience incident cheering came about. You're right. It is a rare occurance for us tradionally reserved Brits. So it's the hallmark of a truly great film when it happens. A Few Good Men is one such film. Pure brilliance on every level.
Oh yeah and Demi in uniform. Mmmmmmm......
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