This was the movie that started it all. After seeing this in the cinema I started paying attention to script, dialogue, acting and delivery. Before that I was just watching movies, now this is still my gold standard on how it‘s supposed to be done. That Aaron Sorkin script and the Nicholson delivery. sigh I miss Nicholson.
Another of my 'Go To' movies. Cruise and Nicholson are excellent and the drama is great and keeps you interested throughout
Outrageously great, as I had previously heard it would be; it doesn't disappoint.
A tonne of outstanding acting, brilliant dialogue and an utterly compelling story. It all makes for superb viewing, I don't think I have any negatives to say about 'A Few Good Men'. Kudos to all involved.
Tom Cruise (Kaffee) is fantastic, definitely one of the (if not the) best performances I've seen from him. He has played similarly-ish before, but here his mix of comedy and drama is perfectly connected.
Demi Moore is also terrific, supporting Cruise as Galloway supremely. Jack Nicholson (Jessup) also gives the top level, as he gets a now famous quote. Others, like Kevin Pollak (Weinberg) and Kevin Bacon (Ross), are also noteworthy. They nailed the casting.
Everything else is just as class, from the pacing to the tension building to the cinematography. One thing though, and this isn't the film's fault whatsoever, but the late swerve didn't fool me as I practically knew it was coming due to the television show 'Suits'. Darn you Mike Ross!
I had always heard the best about this film, so I'm delighted it lives up to the hype. Not seen this? Do so asap!
A riveting courtroom drama from early-career Aaron Sorkin, one that's absolutely stuffed with taut suspense, gripping dialog and A-list actors delivering lifetime performances. Not bad for a first-time screenwriter. It's an intelligent film that smoothly toes the line between spelling things out and relying on legalese to skim the details. The audience gets a thorough understanding of the issue, the limits of the law and the goal of both teams, but that information is slowly rationed and rarely over-explained.
We see vivid flaws in our heroes and earnest values in our villains. Each important player gets their chance to shine, and boy, do they all smack the ball out of the park. None moreso than Jack Nicholson, whose "You can't handle the truth" outburst has become synonymous with the picture. That speech still holds incredible power today, not just for the substance of the words (which remain pertinent, nearly thirty years later) but for the raw, unguarded emotion of Nicholson's delivery. It's easy to overlook the fact that he's scarcely on-screen for fifteen minutes, that climactic delivery resonates for so long. Tom Cruise and Demi Moore also bring their very best - I don't think Jack's moment burns quite so bright without Cruise there to egg him on - and a whole mess of supporting players are equally motivated, but that's just water under the bridge. It's all about getting to that speech, about earning that speech, and then basking in the afterglow of what it meant.
Daring, unflinching, passionate moviemaking that keeps us guessing to the very last breath. It's still every bit as good as I remembered.
At the risk of repeating myself (and I know I do) I aprreciate those movies so much more now then I did 20 years ago. Because those movies do what most movies today don't: the tell a story (Aaron Sorkin, need I say more), the have actors that actually act (Nicholsons scene in the the court room is great and even Cruise is way above his usual performance), and they do it all without the help of CGI and SFX. Granted, it wasn't available that readily at the time but I am sure today they would find a place for it in such a movie somewhere. And althought you could say they hinted that there is a connection between Kaffee and Galloway they don't go there. Make this movie now and they sure as hell end up in bed.
You really like movies than this is one you should seriously consider.
A Few Good Men was pretty good. The courtroom scenes were by far the best part, and so it's unfortunate it took an hour for the movie to really get going. Tom Cruise was really good in it, though I wasn't a huge fan of the rest of the performances, and while I quite liked the script, I wish it had been faster-paced, similar to Sorkin's later work. The finale was great and deservedly iconic.
Tom & Demi together are just amazing s2
A young Tom Cruise does a decent job at being a smug lawyer. Nicholson's monologue is legendary. The cast is pretty good. The writing is darn good and the delivery is excellent. This movie's a classic and you should watch it if you haven't.
Me: You want a review?
You: I think I'm entitled to them.
Me: You want a review?!
You: I want the truth!
Me: You can't handle the truth!
Son, we live in a world that has movies, and those movies have to be watched by people with TVs. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for IMDB, and you curse the Trakt reviewers. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know -- that IMDB's downfall, 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 reviewing content -- you need me reviewing content.
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 that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it.
I would rather that you just said "thank you" and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a subscription and stand the post. Either way, I don't give a DAMN what you think you're entitled to!
"Take caution in your tone, Commander. I'm a fair guy, but this fucking heat is making me absolutely crazy."
Will we ever get a legal drama this good again?! You get Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson going at each other in court with Sorkin at the helm of writing... it's cinema.
one of a kind. every scene just builds up to the end.
"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"
The rest is history.
This is all Sorkin, Cruise and Nicholson. Very fun to watch masters of a craft work together.
Just watch it I guess
Fun fact: I became aware of and interested in this movie because I stumbled upon a parody done of one the courtroom scenes; in which it's argued whether or not Santa is real.
The big screen's introduction to the words of Aaron Sorkin. And the big brother to his much-inferior Trial of the Chicago 7.
I miss the courtroom films of the 1990s. A Few Good Men, A Time to Kill... Grandstanding lawyers in movies that assumed the viewer was intelligent enough to understand a plot.
We have a young-ish Tom Cruise, riding high on his wave of a decade-long excellent output - some box office failures but mostly top-notch performances by the man himself. An extremely capable supporting cast and a brilliant performance by Jack Nicholson.
This film has spawned catchphrases - "You can't handle the truth!" being the most famous. And the whole film is a class-act under the direction of Rob Reiner.
Watching again after 25 years, I realised something at the end... This should have become the starting point for a quite brilliant legal drama on TV. Sadly the transition from film and TV back then was crossing a chasm in quality. TV writing was poor, movies were excellent. Had it been made today, you could expect a brilliant series to follow with a slight recasting of key actors and it could live happily on Netflix.
Instead sadly we got JAG. Life isn't fair.
9/10
Fantastic work. This is a movie you can watch over and over and it doesn't get old. Great cast, especially a strong supporting cast with all the regular faces. Watch it!
Legar Thriller brilliantly conceived. Exceptional Tom Cruise.
Shout by Simon MasseyVIP 11BlockedParent2014-08-16T02:35:50Z
A great script which has a fantastic cast to deliver it. Whilst Nicholson has the grandstanding speech, there is plenty of performances worth watching here, though Cruise comes across as a little too smug throughout the film. It can't spoil a compelling story though, and strikes a good balance between presenting both sides of the argument, even in its resolution.