Wednesday, March 23, 2005

A Few Good Men - 1992

Another good movie. A very talented (and deep) cast makes this well written movie work well. The story involves the death of a marine at Guantanamo. The actions that led to this aren't really in doubt, in fact they're shown in the opening scene. The questions that the attorneys wrestle with have to do with who issued the orders that led to the death. Which is also revealed to the audience. This isn't a whodunnit as much as a how will they catch 'em.
The most memorable moment is undoubtedly Jack Nicholson's 'You want the truth?' speech. The idea behind this movie is the unhinged military man who has nothing but contempt for the civilians that he protects. This seems to be a common Hollywood figure. I wonder how common they really are though?
Watching this post 9/11, the thing that really stood out for me is the question of how legalised of an approach to war can a nation have and still effectivly fight an asymetrical opponent. It'd be nice to see a balanced movie about this set of questions.

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