Friday Film Noir
A Few Good Men (1992) is a superb courtroom drama directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. The story follows Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), a Navy lawyer known for negotiating quick plea deals, who is assigned to defend two Marines accused of murdering a fellow soldier at Guantánamo Bay. Alongside Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) and Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollak), Kaffee begins to uncover inconsistencies in the official account of the death of Private Santiago. As the case moves toward trial, the defense centers on whether the Marines were acting under orders known as a “code red,” bringing Kaffee into direct conflict with the base’s commanding officer, Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson). The trial builds toward a tense courtroom confrontation that places military authority, obedience, and accountability under oath.
Filmed primarily in Los Angeles, with key exterior scenes shot in Washington, D.C., the production relied on detailed courtroom and military interiors built on soundstages to replicate life on a naval base. Adapted from Aaron Sorkin’s stage play, Rob Reiner required the cast to rehearse extensively and approach key scenes as if they were performing a live play. Jack Nicholson’s climactic testimony was filmed over several days to maintain consistency as the confrontation escalated. Nicholson deliberately delayed his delivery of certain courtroom lines during rehearsals to throw the timing off, forcing Tom Cruise to adjust in real time. Kevin Bacon approached Captain Jack Ross as a tightly controlled presence, deliberately keeping his performance restrained against the film’s more explosive courtroom moments. At the Oscars, A Few Good Men earned four nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Jack Nicholson.
