A Few Good Men is a 1992 American legal drama
film directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and
Demi Moore, with Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, Wolfgang Bodison, James
Marshall, J. T. Walsh and Kiefer Sutherland in supporting roles. It was
adapted for the screen by Aaron Sorkin from his play of the same name
but includes contributions by William Goldman. The film revolves around
the court-martial of two U.S. Marines charged with the murder of a
fellow Marine and the tribulations of their lawyers as they prepare a
case to defend their clients. It was released in the United States on
December 11, 1992.
Plot
U.S. Marines Lance Corporal
Harold Dawson and Private Louden Downey are facing a court-martial,
accused of killing fellow Marine Private William Santiago at the
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Santiago compared unfavorably to his
fellow Marines, had poor relations with them, and failed to respect the
chain of command in attempts at being transferred to another base. An
argument evolves between base commander Colonel Nathan Jessup and his
officers: while Jessup's executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew
Markinson, advocates that Santiago be transferred immediately, Jessup
regards this as akin to surrender and orders Santiago's commanding
officer, Lieutenant Jonathan James Kendrick, to train Santiago to become
a better Marine.
When Dawson and Downey are later arrested for Santiago's murder, naval
investigator and lawyer Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway suspects
they carried out a "code red" order, a violent extrajudicial punishment.
Galloway asks to defend them, but instead, the case is given to
Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, an inexperienced and unenthusiastic U.S. Navy
lawyer. Initially, friction exists between Galloway, who resents
Kaffee's tendency to plea bargain, and Kaffee, who resents Galloway's
interference. Kaffee and the prosecutor, his friend Captain Jack Ross
(USMC), negotiate a bargain, but Dawson and Downey refuse to go along.
They insist they were ordered by Kendrick to shave Santiago's head,
minutes after Kendrick publicly ordered the platoon not to touch the
would-be victim, and did not intend their victim to die. Kaffee is
finally won over by Galloway and takes the case to court.
In the course of the trial, the defense manages to establish the
existence of "code red" orders at Guantanamo and that Dawson
specifically had learned not to disobey any order, having been denied a
promotion after helping out a fellow Marine who was under what could be
seen as a "code red". However, the defense also suffers setbacks when a
cross-examination reveals Downey was not actually present when Dawson
and he supposedly received the "code red" order. Markinson reveals to
Kaffee that Jessup never intended to transfer Santiago off the base, but
commits suicide rather than testify in court because he feels that he
had failed to do the right thing by protecting a Marine under his
command.
Without Markinson's testimony, Kaffee believes the case lost and returns
home in a drunken stupor, having come to regret he fought the case
instead of arranging a plea bargain. Galloway, however, convinces Kaffee
to call Jessup as a witness despite the risk of being court-martialled
for smearing a high-ranking officer. Jessup initially outsmarts Kaffee's
questioning, but is unnerved when the lawyer points out a contradiction
in his testimony: Jessup had stated he wanted to transfer Santiago off
the base for his own safety and that Marines never disobeyed orders.
But, if he ordered his men to leave Santiago alone and if Marines always
obey orders, then Santiago would not have been in danger. Under heavy
pressure from Kaffee and unnerved by being caught in one of his own
lies, an enraged Jessup extols his and the military's importance to
national security, and eventually reveals that he ordered the "code
red". As he justifies his actions, Jessup is arrested; Kendrick is later
arrested for his actions, too.
Soon afterwards, Dawson and Downey are cleared of the murder charge, but
found guilty of "conduct unbecoming a United States Marine" and
dishonorably discharged. Dawson accepts the verdict, but Downey does not
understand what they had done wrong. Dawson explains they had failed to
stand up for those too weak to fight for themselves, like Santiago. As
the two prepare to leave, Kaffee tells Dawson he does not need a patch
on his arm to have honor. Dawson, who had previously shown contempt for
Kaffee for not understanding the Marine ethos, recognizes him as an
officer and renders a salute.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Few_Good_Men