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A Few Good Men (Special Edition) Customer Reviews (19 - 21 of 46 Reviews)

An excellent film, but with mediocre DVD features
This was one of my favorite films when it came out and it holds up if you saw it 10 years ago or if this is the 100th time that you've seen it. The plot is straightforward with few twists and turns, at least in the sense that what you think happened in Cuba after watching the first 15 minutes of the film is, in fact, what happened. The tension in the film is having the main defense lawyer (played by Tom Cruise) prove what happened in a court of law. The result is definately worth watching.

A lot gets made out of the cast of this film. While it's true that there are a lot of movie stars, a lot of credit should go to director Rob Reiner since many of his 'stars' had not shown the ability to act up until this point in their careers. Of course, you have established actors like Jack Nicholson in key roles, but remember that Tom Cruise was still mainly rembered for Top Gun and Demi Moore for Ghost when this film came out. There is an excellent supporting cast of up-and-comers, including future Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr, Noah Wiley, and J.T. Walsh. But what makes this movie work is Reiner's direction, which keeps what could easily become an average Law and Order episode interesting for more than two hours.

The DVD has a couple of special features, including a wide array of language options ranging from Thai to French. The featurettes are above average and provide some interesting insight instead of basically being trailers for the film. However, the director's commentary is substandard, with long stretches where Reiner simply doesn't say anything. Some of the comments are even inaccurate, such as when he claims that the rifle team was recruited from the University of North Carolina (in fact, according to the credits they are from Texas A&M).

As a film, I'd rate A Few Good Men with 5 stars, while as a DVD it comes in at a pedestrian 3. This is not because the film loses anything on the small screen, but just an indicator that the features are mediocre. At the end of the day, the reason to buy this DVD is for an excellent film that is well written, surprisingly well acted (given the cast), and extremely well directed. If you're looking for DVD features that will keep you engaged for hours, look elsewhere. Unless you want to work on your Thai.

Another Slam Dunk by Jack Nicholson!
This is a great movie and features incredible performances by Tom Cruis, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, and of course the supporting role by one and only Jack Nichilson.

"You f....d with the wrong Marine!"
Written by Aaron Sorkin ("The American President", "The West Wing") based on his play, "A Few Good Men", the story is centered around the nature of an assault and subsequent death of a Marine by two other Marines at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Was it premediated? Did the base commander (Jack Nicholson) or his lieutenant (Kiefer Sutherland) order it or know about it? Prosecutors Demi Moore, Tom Cruise, and Kevin Pollak are sent to Cuba to find out. The suspenseful courtroom confrontation results in an oft-quoting line from Jack Nicholson.

Well acted by all, including JT Walsh, Kevin Bacon, Cuba Gooding, Noah Wyle, a nearly unrecognizable Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap), and director Reiner's former assistant Wolfgang Bodison.

I did not care for Tom Cruise's character, Lieutenenat Kaffee, because of his continual smart-ass attitude. As a lieutenant with a single piece of fruit-salad on his chest, his behavior toward superior officers, including a Navy Lieutenant Commander and a Marine Colonel, is inexcusable and would have him in trouble long before. Some of the rare humor in the movie is based on Kaffee never having a pen when he needs one, and not knowing how to interpret military time. His complete disregard for things military, including saying "yeah" instead of "yes" to the judge as his first word at the pre-trial meeting is more evidence of his lack of maturity and disrespect. I understand the point of the salute at the end of the trial, yet I feel it was undeserved and weakened the ending. Those are my only gripes.

"You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls...and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know - that Santigo's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives! You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties...you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall! We use words like "honor", "code", "loyalty". We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide...and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn...what you think you are entitled to!"

This is only one of a long list of good movies from Rob Reiner (Stand By Me, Spinal Tap, Misery, The Princess Bride, The American President, When Harry Met Sally).

The reasonably-priced DVD includes the widescreen movie, director Rob Reiner's somewhat sparse commentary, a behind-the-scenes, a bit about the development of the script, and the usual trailers, cast/crew/production info, subtitles, etc. And Demi keeps her clothes on, thanks.

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