Tom Cruise, often considered the last Hollywood movie star, has been an iconic presence in the industry since the ’80s, when he debuted in a couple of minor roles before landing his first lead role inLosin' Itin 1982. A year later,Risky Businesschanged his career, and he became one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men.
1986’sTop Gun, amemorable 1980s movie associated with one song, became his highest-grossing film until then, and a decade later, he starred in the movie that would eventually define his career. Cruise is known today for his death-defyingstunts, especially in theMission: Impossiblemovies. However, the versatile actor had a much more diverse filmography before the 2010s.
The ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s saw Tom Cruise deliver memorable and compelling dramatic, romantic, and comedic performances. However, his star persona will always be associated with realism because he performs the most daring stunts himself and often on location. Even one of the most memorablelines fromTop Gunhas a hidden meaningabout the real-life military.
A Marine Corps Leader Gave A Few Good Men’s Trial Scene A Perfect Score
He Says It’s Very Realistic
Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay, Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson’s performances, and Rob Reiner’s emotionally charged direction all contribute to makingA Few Good Menone of Cruise’s best films ever. It is often considered the greatest courtroom film ever made, and a recentinterview fromInsiderproves that real Marine Corps leaders hold it in high regard:
“This one is so iconic, I got to give it a 10 out of 10. I mean, maybe there are some quibbles on the margins, but I think whatA Few Good Menis saying is very realistic.” – Elliot Ackerman, via Insider
Ackerman, a former Marine Corps Special Ops team leader, applauds the movie’s depiction of the court-martial trial and explains thatthe hazing incident and the law enforcement’s reactions to it are realistic. He says that the military takes such incidents very seriously and that there are almost always major consequences of participating in hazing (see below from 22:34).
Ackerman also says that the film gets a little too zealous in its depiction of the major’s involvement in the training of a rookie, as he realistically wouldn’t have the time to track the rookie’s development that closely. However, Ackerman appreciatesA Few Good Men’s depiction of the culture of accountability in the military and its understanding of martial law.
What Ackerman’s Comments Mean For A Few Good Men
It Only Adds To The Film’s Legacy
Aaron Sorkin is known for his clinical writing of courtroom proceedings. FromThe Social NetworkandMolly’s GametoThe Trial of the Chicago 7andA Few Good Men, thescreenwriter has proven his ability to create drama while mostly adhering to acceptable standards of realism. Ackerman’s comments prove he succeeded withA Few Good Men.
Courtroom proceedings are difficult to bring to life in a movie, which has expectations of dramatic tension and entertainment value.Jack Nicholson’s courtroom speech inA Few Good Menis the perfect demonstration of how to strike a balance, because, as Ackerman confirms, the trial is realistic, but the monologue is as iconic and cinematic as it gets.
With a lifetime gross of 141 million USD,A Few Good Mencontinues to be the highest-grossing legal drama in Hollywood history. (viaBoxOfficeMojo)
A Few Good Menhas the reputation of revolutionizing the portrayal of the military in Hollywood and permanently changing how trial proceedings were presented on screen. Elliot Ackerman’s praise of the film as a former Marine Corps leader himself further confirms that the film isn’t just cinematically great, but also realistic in its depiction of the military.
A Few Good Men
Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, and Kiefer Sutherland star in A Few Good Men, a legal drama that follows military lawyer Daniel Kaffee, who defends two Marines on trial for murder, uncovering a high-level conspiracy in the process. The 1992 movie is based on the eponymous stage play written by Aaron Sorkin.
