A FEW GOOD MEN (1992) First Time Watching

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Original Movie: A Few Good Men (1992)
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favour of fair use. No Copyright infringement intended. All rights belong to their respective owners.

[@aharonwilliams7195]

The supporting cast in this movie is absolutely top notch.

[@orangeandblackattack]

Kevin Pollak is the man. I hear an interview years ago with his friend, Chicago DJ Steve Dahl, and it was absolutely the best interview (and laughs). If you dont know him, Steve was taken of the air multiple times by the FCC and WLS management for his "vulgar" talking. Howard Stern took Steve's skits and used them to become popular. But Steve was friends with people like John Belushi, Dan Akroyd and they loved him back. Kevin even did impressions on that show. I have it on cassette tape.

[@reservoirdude92]

Casting directors are 100% the most undervalued aspect of the filmmaking process next to stuntmen.

[@Taylorswiftfan13308]

Iit is so true. Cruise and Nicholson unsurprisingly knocked one out of the park here. But what really puts this one on another level is how great pretty much everyone was

[@rokesch]

Nigel Tufnel as the doctor was quite a surprise. Guess the musical career didn't work out.

[@paddington1670]

Kevin Ham-pork-bacon

[@DukeDarkshadow]

Fun fact, the bit where Tom Cruise did his Jack Nicholson impression ("He eats his breakfast 300 yards from 4000 Cubans trained to kill him") was completely improvised by Cruise and they loved it so much that it was kept in.

[@gmughadam76]

Wasn't it done on the first take and the reaction from Demi Moore and Kevin Pollack were real...?

[@raybernal6829]

And Kevin P does one of the best JN impressions 😊

[@BeaXRSmith]

@@raybernal6829 Pollak's stories about filming this are top-notch gut busters.

[@kylespeirs6510]

Source?

[@InlandOne]

One of the best Jack Nicholson roles. As a 20 yr military retiree he nailed that role & reminded me of some officers during my era.

[@powerpointpaladin6911]

"I have no responsibilities here whatsoever" is now firmly entrenched in the JAGC lexicon. As well as "I strenuously object."

[@marcwright8395]

I was watching GQ with Kiefer Sutherland breaking down his iconic roles, and he stated that in the final scene in the court, that he was sitting in the back eating a bagel, and a bunch of other actors from different Productions in the area had come over to watch the performance he said he was sitting there with Bruce Willis while watching them perform that iconic scene

[@technofilejr3401]

Even movie stars can be fans of other actors

[@marcwright8395]

@@technofilejr3401 he said it was one of those moments where all the oxygen was sucked out of the room

[@Elephant2024-wi2li]

Speaking of Kiefer Sutherland, he was in the superb 2023 military courtroom drama 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial', which Ames should react to. The film was dedicated to Lance Reddick (The Wire, Bosch), who died last year.

[@glasgowjohn7831]

@@Elephant2024-wi2li if you like lance reddick check out the tv show fringe

[@endless3cho]

​@@Elephant2024-wi2liLance was such an awesome actor.

[@zmarko]

JT Walsh is such an amazing, and under-appreciated (IMO), actor. Here, he just blends in with all the other excellent performances (and also because it's a smaller but pivotal part), but he's done amazing work in other films. Good Morning Vietnam, Breakdown, The Negotiator, Pleasantville, Sling Blade, and many others. RIP JT.

[@reservoirdude92]

He pulls off one of the absolute greatest villains in Breakdown. Insidious stuff, that one.

[@wrldchamps04]

Also with Jack in HOFFA

[@ps5392]

JT was an awesome character actor; one of the best ever. He died so young. Miss that guy!

[@THEFORT89.]

And the negotiator was great too. That was his last film

[@bradsullivan2495]

Nicholson was only in the movie for 10 minutes but was nominated for an Oscar. He lost out to Gene Hackman in Unforgiven. Someone who actually won an Oscar for even less onscreen time was Beatrice Straight in "Network." An excellent film that needs YOUR reaction since it was written as a parody IN 1976 but actually turned out to be a preview of what TV has become.

[@havok6280]

Anthony Hopkins won with 16 minutes of screen time.

[@stallion78]

Gene Hackman was damn good in Unforgiven though

[@ravensdark99]

@@stallion78 He was..one of the best performances of him

[@aMulliganStew]

Network is absolutely required viewing, but isn't its message a bit antithetical for content creators?

[@goldboy150]

Judi dench won with 8 minutes

[@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

I'm a Marine and am just happy they got the uniforms and structures correct. The movie made it clear that the issue was with the specific unit, not the entire Marine Corps, and it was due to a single commander who took things too far.

[@Hexon66]

But it also makes clear that it's the individual who brings honor into the uniform, and not the other way around.

[@jmurdock8303]

Ehhh questionable

[@johnfriday5169]

So does Dawson saluting uncovered at the end bug you too? They did so well until that point. Semper Fi.

[@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

@@johnfriday5169 Yes, with his apparent broken hand. Semper Fi. 3/7

[@renzero9206]

While a fictional story, the film is actually based on a real event. Arron Sorkin was inspired to write the film after a talk with his sister Deborah. She is a lawyer who did a stint in the JAG Corps. One of her cases was to represent a group of marines who had nearly killed a fellow marine. Many facts/details from the case Deborah worked on are included in the film. There's actually quite a bit with the true story and this film (including a lawsuit). And this is on top of a fantastic script, filled with great performances. Not least Cruise and Nicholson. 🙂

[@jjack-zm4sr]

Andrew Sorkin is a left-wing American hater

[@TheDinosaur82]

Rob Reiner is arguably the most underrated director in my lifetime.

[@holddowna]

He’s done some films I love!

[@coldflamebluedragon196]

This was arguably one of Jack Nicholson’s finest ever performances

[@nooneofconsequence1251]

Good movie, great performance, but it sure would have been a lot more believable if it had been made sometime other than during the longest period of uninterrupted peace in modern American history. Guantanamo Bay isn't exactly an active warzone. If the US withdrew from it it would cost us exactly zero American lives. But Nicholson's character is written like he thinks he's Leonidas at Thermopylae...

[@SweetLou0523]

@@nooneofconsequence1251 Well for one, we had just ended the Gulf War the year prior so not so much with the uninterrupted peace. But I get the gist of what you were trying to say and a large part of that subtext is that Jessup is a self aggrandizing egotist. His actual strategic value may have been minimal but his ego made him believe that he was some sort of critical linchpin to the protection of the country. His repeated references to "saving lives" comes across as phony because the transfer of one marine would have ever risked lives. Jessup eating within rifle shot of the fence because of showmanship wouldnt ever have saved lives. The existence of GitMo wouldnt have ever saved lives. But in his mind, he was the last bastion of freedom and as such everything he ordered his men to do was correct, necessary, and critical to securing the country.

[@corkyduke8673]

Jack Nicholson played the perfect part; he accurately portrayed every Colonel I ever met in the Corps. We never referred to what we were doing as saving lives though, we were training for war.

[@truthguide1742]

Overall a great reaction. You guessed correctly on some follow- up scenes and actions. The editing encompassed a lot of scenes other reactors cut out. A good one you left in was the courtroom exchange between LCDR Galloway & LtJG. Weinberg. Why you hate them so much? Why do you like them so much? Galloway's ...."cause they stand on a.wall, and they say nothing gonna hurt you tonight, not on my watch. " When I work security I try and take that to heart. I change the words " cause they stand on a wall" to " I stand a post", " and they" the rest stays the same. An Interesting note. Captain Ross and Lt. JG. Sam Weinberg had different opinions considering which side they were on. Ross as the prosecution (I don't believe your clients belong in jail) Weinberg on defense (Yes, I believe every word they said, but believe they belong in jail). This is how the American legal system is supposed to work. Opinions and feelings don't matter as much, the evidence professional conduct, following the Constitution, is to make sure everybody gets a fair trial. There an issue I must bring up. When Galloway was giving her resume to Caffey, you automatically assumed it was because she was a woman. She didn't have much trial and courtroom experience herself. Although a little more than Caffey.

[@corkyduke8673]

@@truthguide1742 Every time Moore says that line I feel like, yea, I stood on that wall too, she understands!

[@dangroz03]

RIP to Kiefer Sutherlands Dad Donald Sutherland who passed away 3 days ago On June 20 Canada Lost a Canadian Treasure.

[@holddowna]

So sad RIP

[@phila3884]

I'll throw in my favorite Donald Sutherland movie, the psychological thriller "Don't Look Now", which has one of the most controversial scenes (debunked) of the 70s- if you know, you know.

[@jmurdock8303]

One my favorite of all time

[@bradsullivan2495]

The father of Kiefer Sutherland ( Kendrick) was also a major actor who just passed away on Thursday. The father was great in "Ordinary People"--another excellent film that deserves a reaction.

[@emanymton713]

RIP Donald Sutherland. 😢

[@davidward9737]

Ordinary People is a great film, won Oscar for best film and a Oscar for Supporting Actor.

[@John-ir4id]

I was so sad when I heard. Donald Sutherland was one of those actors from my childhood that, as a child, I had just assumed would live forever. Like Christopher Lee.

[@dewelrivera3305]

Donald Sutherland was great in "Citizen X".

[@svtinker]

😢😢😢

[@451whitworth4]

I was at MCCDC in Quantico, VA in the summer of '91. Myself and a fellow Marine were walking across the parade ground when we paused because a platoon of OCS candidates were being drilled and crossing in front of us. As we stood there waiting for the platoon to march away I heard voices behind us. I looked back and Kevin Bacon was standing behind me escorted by two officers. I just said "Morning Sir".

[@technofilejr3401]

1:48 This movie makes the second time Tom Cruise portrayed a US Naval officer. The first movie was of course Top Gun. A few years after this movie, veteran tv producer Donald Bellisario had a fantastic idea - what if Cruise’s character in this movie and in Top Gun were the same person. From that idea came the tv series JAG. In this decade running show we followed the adventures of a Harmon Rabb Jr. Rabb started as a fighter pilot and then due to a vision problem became a JAG officer. The show started on NBC for season 1 and switched to CBS for the rest of its run. From JAG a spin-off series was launched called NCIS. This show followed the adventures of federal agents who investigate crimes dealing with the U.S. Navy and Marines. NCIS then spawned other shows NCIS Los Angeles, NCIS New Orleans, NCIS Hawaii and NCIS Sydney. 2:46 John Jackson the actor playing the Captain in this scene was part of the cast of JAG playing Admiral Chedwiggen the Judge Advocate General for the US Navy.

[@Greybeardmedic]

3rd movie now... don't forget Top Gun Maverick.

[@MrLovegrove]

​@@Greybeardmedic yes but that came years later, so this is still the second movie where he plays a naval officer.

[@r.b.ratieta6111]

"Knees weak, Mom's spaghetti" caught me off guard. 🤣🤣

[@mamalannightshyaman]

I was a host for a restaurant in college. I would ask people if they wanted a table, and if someone said they wanted the booth I’d say “You can’t handle the booth! “ Ok I did that once

[@oneguerrero]

I don't work at a restaurant, but I want to say that so bad! 😂

[@agp11001]

I've used the "I have no responsibilities whatsoever" line for years as a junior art director at pitches together with our senior AD XD

[@zamdrist]

As stacked as this movie is with great actors, Jack steals every scene he's in. Just so riveting.

[@paulharvey1947]

And he only had 10mins of screentime during this whole movie, but was still nominated for an Oscar for his role

[@kevinmoore2929]

As an Army veteran, I can say that I knew there was NO way Dawson and Downey were going to escape the Conduct Unbecoming charge. Kendrick issued an unlawful order from Jessup, Dawson did the same to Downey. Kendrick should have been disciplined when he withheld food from one of his Marines earlier.

[@hawkeyegeorge]

JT Walsh was an underrated actor.

[@t.c.thompson2359]

The divisions in all the branches that do the parades and synchronization have the strictest dress code in the entire military and the most stringent drilling a person can fit into a day. They are all very impressive and take their main job (funerals) VERY seriously.

[@SweetLou0523]

I would counter that with The Sentinels at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. If anyone has the strictest uniform standards, and the strictest drilling it would likely be them.

[@energeez]

@user-vv5zw4wz1kspoken like a true marine. All soldiers in the Army do funeral details, for obvious reasons.

[@BillF1967]

Great review, Ames. If you’ve not seen “The Hunt for Red October,” I would recommend it highly.

[@holddowna]

I watched it and had a very big blunder hahahahha I had a hard time getting into that movie !

[@MrLovegrove]

​@@holddownawhat was the blunder?

[@VulcanDeathGrip44]

I love the Mission Impossible movies, but I really miss this Rain Man, Days of Thunder, The Firm Tom Cruise.

[@Jasoux]

...and Born on the Fourth of July

[@RestyMervinPonio]

I wish he went back to doing dramatic movies.

[@rdyer8764]

As soon as I saw that YOU were reacting to this film, I IMMEDIATELY jumped at it! Rob Reiner has talked about how Jack Nicholson did his courtroom speech 7 times, once for each of the reaction camera shots of the other characters in the scene, and he did every read at full energy for one reason...he loves to act. There are KZbin videos of interviews of many of the actors from when they appeared on the Rich Eisen show.

[@michaelwilson9483]

Tom doing the Jack impression was spontaneous and not scripted, their reactions were real!

[@anthonyvasquezactor]

34:14 Every time I see someone reacting to this movie on KZbin, they are shocked that Kaffee is revealing everything to Ross. It's because he HAS to, by law! During a trial, opposing attorneys absolutely MUST disclose ALL the evidence and witnesses that they have with each other. They are not allowed any surprises!

[@jeffreysmith236]

Two things, this is not a civilian trial, so there are different rules, not that I remember them. And while I know that all prosecutorial discovery has to be disclosed to the defense, I am not aware that defense has to disclose to the prosecution anything other than a witness list, and that goes to the court, correct?

[@holddowna]

I shoulda Know better I watch a lot of LAWTUBE

[@anthonyvasquezactor]

@jeffreysmith236 Doesn't matter if it's a civilian or military trial, the laws of disclosure still apply. And it works both ways for opposing counsels.

[@theendistheend123]

was wondering if someone was gonna mention this

[@BuccWylde]

​@@holddownaIf you love great back and forth between top tier actors, you would love Crimson Tide with Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington and Virgo Mortensen. That movie has some seriously high tension in it.

[@00rabbit7]

This. 12 Angry Men. 1776. Some of the best scenes of just people talking in a courtroom or congressional setting

[@Osprey850]

I love 1776. Unlike 12 Angry Men, hardly anyone reacts to it. I don't expect Ames to, since she's Canadian, but it'd be nice to see some American reactors discover it, maybe this upcoming 4th of July.

[@00rabbit7]

@@Osprey850it’s so witty and well cast and some of those Dickinson vs John Adams scenes are just masterfully written. Not to mention the song Molasses to Rum is absolutely chilling

[@Soxruleyanksdrool]

Don't forget Amistad. If that speech by Hopkins doesn't move you, your feelings are dead.

[@jasonmcewen436]

There's not enough training to get a bunch of actors to execute those drills with precision. This is a classic movie and a great reaction. Cheers!

[@stegwise]

more specifically there's only one training and one type of man capable of producing those drills and they earn it for life

[@jessecortez9449]

The drill team in the intro were ROTC cadets from Texas A&M (or University of Texas, I forget which). They'd be Officers once they graduate. The actual Marine Corps Silent Drill Team is even more precise.

[@jeremiahspassion]

FUN FACT: The actor that plays Dawson, was the director, Rob Reiner's, personal assistant. When Reiner couldn't find the right person to play Dawson, he asked his assistant. He had never acted before. He read for the part and got the role. And the rest is movie history.

[@bgfundy]

And, of course, Rob's old friend Christopher Guest plays the base doctor.

[@josephdocis1488]

Navy vet here: We didn't call it "code red" and it certainly isn't as intense as the movies (maybe the Marines, idk) but yes "unofficial disciplinary action" is a common and probably necessary part of military life. Maybe not anymore, though, I hear often how training has gotten even softer over the past several years.

[@tvdroid22]

Another example was depicted in Full Metal Jacket when the group was told they would be punished every time private Gomer Pyle messed up.

[@TheBTG88]

Jack did his courtroom monologue dozens of times while they were getting all the reaction shots. The director Rob Reiner and cast said he nailed it every time.

[@polhokustaa4989]

Crimson tide is also a brilliant 90's movie!

[@joshuatunis6732]

YES! Love that one.

[@vivek27789]

True... Very True

[@pantlessreactions]

Wolfgang Bodison (Dawson) KILLED it in this roll (his first) with the limited time on screen. His confronting Kaffee about honor & putting his hands in his pocket, his realization after the verdict of his own culpability, and his salute of Kaffee at the end. Outstanding.

[@kilroy987]

"Did you order it!?" "Yes!" "...k" roll credits

[@surf101-]

Your comment is lacking so many words. What are you TRYING to say???

[@ravensdark99]

Watch the interviews from the cast about Nicholson..there is a reason he is one of the greatest actor in the world..that guy during the entire shooting starting from the table read never missed a WORD. He was apparently letter perfect and always did the maximum effort performance...the speech at the end took TWO takes..and they only did take 2 because the director figured he might give it an other go.....it is INSANE

[@Karaokuma]

My favorite is from Kiefer Sutherland: "I don't think any of us realized how hard Jack Nicholson worked to be Jack Nicholson."

[@holddowna]

I gotta watch!

[@Karaokuma]

@@holddowna The story goes that Rob Reiner shot all of the reaction shots to Nicholson's monologue first so that Jack would have the day to get a feel for the material. What he didn't know was that Nicholson had already memorized the monologue inside and out, and on every. single. take. Nicholson was just as fire and brimstone as he is in his close-up.

[@Anon54387]

Bear with me, there is a point here. I was reading an instructional book on oil painting by a professional artist. He said that the resulting painting should look like the paint just blew onto the canvas, that the painting should look effortless even if one struggled with it, and to illustrate it he talked about when Humphrey Bogart was asked who his favorite actor is. Bogart said Spencer Tracy because you can't see the wheels turning, ie he made it look effortless. Speaking of Bogart, he did a great job in his role as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny. If Ames sees this she should check that out, the book on which it is based also is worth a read.

[@Anon54387]

@@holddowna I don't think actors would be able to do that rifle drill. For some reason Tom Cruise is enamored of the navy/marines. Top Gun and this movie.

[@CrazeeAdam]

This is one of the most gripping just "talking" movies imo. There really is no action. The action is the actors talking. And it's epic

[@rydirban]

You saw a Code Red in Full Metal Jacket when they beat the guy with soap.

[@holddowna]

Ahh!

[@Anon54387]

@@holddowna One of my shop teachers in high school mentioned that they sometimes did stuff like that to the foul ups in their group when he was in the military, a different era to be sure. What prompted it is that sometimes when one in a group messes up the whole group gets punished. It was because someone destroyed an expensive piece of shop equipment and wouldn't admit to it, so none of us got the usual end of year pizza and soda party at the end of the school year. Not a major punishment compared to getting whacked by bars of soap in socks while taped to a bunk, but the principal was the same.

[@jessecortez9449]

That was a blanket party. It came from the recruits themselves and not any higher authority. They should've cover Pyle's entire head so he couldn't identify whom it was that attacked him but Kubrick needed the audience to see his face to convey the emotion. Also, Code Red is more a movie thing whereas blanket parties happen much more often than civilians like to think. I was Marine Corps infantry and never heard of a Code Ref outside of this movie but know of plenty blanket parties. A higher commander is more likely to attack someone on paperwork that'll ruin a career, ruin pay, ruin any chances of promotion.

[@paulharvey1947]

​@@jessecortez9449spot on - this current generation has been raised weak and instead of facing a challenge and overcoming it, they chose to hide and avoid it. Unless they learn these tough lessons, they could very well be the last generation of Our Republic 😢

[@rickcrane9883]

Holy Crackamoley, Ames. You are an astute observer. You stayed one step ahead of the script throughout this film. Well done. You deserve a YooHoo.

[@FeaturingRob]

This was Aaron Sorkin's first big splash. He wrote it as a play while working as a bartender in Broadway theaters during intermissions, based on a real case he learned about through his JAG Corps lawyer sister. Somehow, the script made its way to the desk of David Brown (legendary producer of Jaws) who immediately wanted to make a film. Sorkin wanted it to be performed as play first. Somehow, Sorkin won and Brown produced the play on Broadway in 1989. As the play was running, Sorkin worked on the screenplay. The original cast had Tom Hulce (Mozart in Amadeus) as Kaffee, Stephen Lang (Col. Quaritch in James Cameron's Avatar films) as Jessup, Clark Gregg (Agent Coulson in the MCU) as Lt. Jack Ross, and at one point, Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy) was a replacement for Jessup during the run. After A Few Good Men, Sorkin wrote The American President which was also directed by Rob Reiner starring Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, and Michael J. Fox. That led, eventually, to one of Sorkin's biggest hits The West Wing. One hallmark of Sorkin's writing...actors must learn their lines letter perfect, and are never allowed to improvise! Sorkin even appears as a lawyer in the bar next to Kaffee (23:10). The role of Dawson was almost impossible to cast. Wolfgang Bodison, who plays Dawson, originally worked for Rob Reiner at Castle Rock as a location manager after working his way up from being a file clerk. Reiner asked Bodison if he had ever acted, he had in school, and then asked him to read for the role. Bodison did...and got the job immediately. Recognize the Doctor on the stand? (28:33) That's Christopher Guest, Reiner's collaborator on This Is Spinal Tap (he co -wrote it and played Nigel Tuftnel), and played the six-fingered Count Rugen in The Princess Bride. He's also Mr. Jamie Lee Curtis, and (I am not kidding) the 5th Baron of Haden-Guest in the British peerage, a hereditary title (Lord Christopher and Lady Jamie..although they never use the titles). The final scene, Reiner knew that Nicholosn only had so much time left on the schedule, so he thought he would shoot Jack first and let him wrap, and then shoot coverage on everyone else. Nicholson decided to let everyone else get shot first, all the other coverage in the scene. Meanwhile, as Reiner shot everything else, Nicholson was doing the full performance each time, letter perfect, and giving everyone a show. Reiner came to him, and asked him if he shouldn't conserve his energy, or be a little less with each take he wasn't being filmed. Nicholson turned to Reiner and said, "Rob, you don't get it! I love to act!" Nicholson had some of the juiciest material to really play with, and he wanted to make it last. Many of the actors in the film, especially Demi Moore, have all referenced the story as the height of professionalism and a high standard to live up to.

[@Rickhorse1]

Hearing interviews with Kiefer, Pollack & Bacon, they ALL talked about how great an actor Jack Nicholson is. The entire crew burst out in applause after his "you can't handle the truth" monologue.

[@rickwelch8464]

Two great quotes in this movie come from Demi: 1. "Don't look now Danny, but you're making an argument" 2. "Because they stand on a wall, and they say nothing's gonna hurt you tonight. Not on my watch"

[@LogicalNiko]

Santiago was to stay there because as an enlisted soldier who went through and passed basic training you are expected to do your duty unless there is a reason you cannot. Especially so as the marine core training generally should have washed out anyone unable to be a marine in the first place. So the Colonel is correct that when you are assigned to a unit it is the job of the unit to ensure you are able to do your job. Obviously here Santiago had some sort of rare medical condition that none of the physicians were equipped to detect but the symptoms were so mild to not impact other duties. Which is possible for that to exist in reality, and for multiple medical staff to miss, and only present after basic training, but it would be extremely unlikely (although then we wouldn't have a story).

[@MrLivewire1970]

Back in 2010 my brother-in-law was the highest ranking lawyer in the Military. He was a Brigadier General and lead attorney for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He definitely wasn't some office type lawyer. Because of his experience he went to a lot of dangerous places and many few people know of. He was a Cornell under General Stanley McChrystal before he was promoted.

[@andreshernandez1180]

YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH! Speaking of which, please watch *Arlington Road* starring *Jeff Bridges* and *Tim Robbins*

[@bossfan49]

Great suspense.

[@erivej]

Sam was played by Kevin Pollack, who had a lot of supporting roles in the 90s and 2000s, including The Whole Nine Yards. He has that straight faced wit, coming from his origins as a stand up comic

[@CoastalNomad]

He also plays a son in "Grumply Old Men," and "Grumpier Old Men".......

[@izzonj]

And if course, Pollack was in The Usual Suspects

[@Anon54387]

I love that line, the rest of this is just smoke filled coffee house ..

[@MisterItchy]

"Don't ever question my orders in front of another officer." This statement most assuredly was a threat and a well-deserved one.

[@MJ-we9vu]

It was the military version of, "Fredo, don't ever take sides against the family again."

[@wightrat1207]

A Stir of Echoes is vastly underrated and I watch it every October.

[@phila3884]

Doctor (Commander) Stone, who determined the cause of death, is the same actor in "This is Spinal Tap" who utters the immortal, "but it goes to 11!!"

[@adambydand1214]

[1:43]Little easter egg here, the Captain in this scene? The Actor's name is John M Jackson, and in 4 years after this film was released, he played *THE* Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy in the TV Show "JAG", as Admiral A.J. Chegwidden.

[@technofilejr3401]

14:31 I like Tom’s character Kaffee in this movie. But he is far too flippant to Galloway. She is at least 2 ranks and several years his senior in age. Which is why I’m glad the director Rob Reiner decide to ditch the love story between them.

[@ComandoPadentro]

There was no "love story" In the original play Jo Anne was Joe Galloway, a dude. They changed this for the film and the studio briefly suggested a love story (since they were changing the gender of the character) but Aaron Sorkin and Rob Reiner decided that it wasn't necessary.

[@chillysauceprophecii]

one of the best movies ever. A Masterful performance by the whole cast. I watched this movie at least a dozen or so times, never gets old.

[@danielkillian1222]

He had to. It's called disclosure. My Cousin Vinny taught us that.

[@holddowna]

I must watch that movie!!! It’s on the top of my list !

[@danielkillian1222]

@@holddowna one of the funniest movies you'll ever watch. Marisa Tomei is awesome in it.

[@anthonyvasquezactor]

Absolutely! Every time I see somebody react to this movie, they're shocked that Kaffee is revealing everything to Ross, completely unaware that he's required to by law.

[@MrLovegrove]

​@@holddownayou really really need to. It's absolutely brilliant!

[@michaelwatson266]

Say what you want about Tom Cruise and his craziness with scientology and Katie Holmes, but the man has delivered some great performances. This is one of my favourite courtroom dramas.

[@technofilejr3401]

I’ve yet to see a Cruise movie in which he doesn’t deliver. He puts butts in seats for sure.

[@razorsfury6519]

I don't thing anyone cares about the scientology and katie holmes thing. No ones talked about it in like a decade.

[@razorsfury6519]

@@technofilejr3401 the last mission impossible didn't really do that well in the box office i think. Doesn't mean it wasn't good though. I haven't seen it.

[@dupersuper1938]

@@razorsfury6519 That and his crazy running and stunts are the only things I ever hear people say about him.

[@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

He does anger very well, probably because he is like that in real life.

[@blizzywilk]

I remember screening this movie back in the day just b4 it came out and my feelings remain the same. Incredible acting by Cruise and Nicholson. Great reaction. ❤

[@coinsaver]

"Code Red" was the "Wentworth Barracks, Guantanamo Bay" term for 'unauthorized violent training', so to speak. In the 3rd MAW / FMF Pac ((

[@karenvondermehden5054]

This is why Jack is the best actor ever.

[@MarcoMM1]

Great reaction Ames like always.This story was actually inspired by the real "Code Red" of Marine Pfc. William Alvarado. Alvarado was hospitalized and survived the attack, but ten Marines were arrested and charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Seven accepted plea deals and were discharged. The other three elected to stand trial, arguing that they were following the orders of a commanding officer. After a four day trial, the three were cleared of charges and returned to duty. And a Fun-fact as a testament to how great Jack Nicholson is as an actor, the entire last scene in the courtroom was all done in one take. Not only that, but Jack Nicholson was doing his part there long before the camera started rolling. The other actors were thinkin, "Shouldn't you save your best chops for the take?" Jack Nicholson replied something like, "Nah, I live for this." Because he could go 100% at any given moment. Everyone on the studio lot stopped by to see Jack Nicolson performance in the court room scene. It was director Rob Reiner, who, the story goes, questioned Nicholson on whether he really wanted to go 'full blast' on all the rehearsals. Nicholson's reply was something close to, "Lemme tell you something. I'm an actor. And I love to act. The essence of it, wasn't so much I live for this, but more like, Opportunities to play a character like THIS, saying stuff like THIS really don't come around very often. So, when it does come up, man I wanna enjoy it to the full." I always take from that story that even celebrity actors like Nicholson, are completely dependent on writers and others to create the characters and good scripts in the first place, otherwise, they'd have no character to play. And Nicholson was acknowledging that, with his comment. Thanks for the reaction

[@PhatLayCes7825]

You can't find a better ensemble cast, and a tight sealed script nowadays. Aaron Sorkin is absolutely magnificent when it comes to exposition/ building up tension.

[@Carpartz]

Effective for story purposes, but the idea of a lawyer "being in trouble" or being court marshalled for interrogating or embarrassing (or however they want to phrase it) a "high-level officer" is fabricated. They are all held to the same standards regardless of rank. A good video to watch about this, as it pertains to going through this particular movie, is LegalEagle's vid Real Lawyer Reacts to A Few Good Men (with Real JAG!), with a military lawyer.

[@Ernwaldo]

Glad you mentioned LegalEagle’s vid. Good stuff. In that video they also mention how terribly inaccurate the court room scenes in this film (and many others) actually are. When examining or cross-examining a witness the lawyers aren’t allowed to testify (make statements), only question. A lot of the drama here would never actually happen.

[@thomasgraham1138]

Not sure if I am repeating anyone but I have read that during all the different takes of Nicholson's court room monologue so they could set up all the varying camera angles, Jack ran his lines with the same amount of intensity each and every time. A true pro!!!!

[@donaldmacias4634]

Nicholson set the tone for the entire movie at the very first reading of the script. He did the reading as if the cameras were rolling. He also did the final banter with Tom Cruise about 10-20 times in the exact way all 20. I don’t know what the Marines thought of this movie but the Navy hated the movie “Crimson Tide” with Gen Hackman and Denzel Washington because they never wanted to drill or even think of the situation represented in the movie. It’s a great movie and you should check it out. It’s very dramatic and exciting. And great performances by both actors.

[@PatrickPrejusa]

OPENING DRILL SEQUENCE WAS PERFORME BY THE texas a&m DRILL TEAM.

[@holddowna]

It’s AMAZING

[@sydneycarton9973]

The Texas A&M Fish Drill Team did us proud. As they always do.

[@SilentBob731]

7:43 One of the best lines in a movie brimming with brilliant dialogue.🤣 "You can't handle the truth!" was very dramatic, but it never really did it for me. 13:47 Here's another. 😂 18:02 This bit, however, is my favourite. Jack at his absolute hilariously-menacing best (at least for this movie).🤣🤣🤣

[@Filard25]

Cpl. Barnes is Noah Wiley. He ended up becoming a “heartthrob”. Great movie. I really think you would love The Departed if you have never seen it

[@vermithax]

Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter and author of the original play, has a brief cameo as a guy in glasses talking to a woman at the bar.

[@EXFIREMEDIC]

One of the best movie scenes ever. Also, Demi Moore is gorgeous 🥰

[@joshuawells835]

Interesting that Tom Cruise has two well known roles where his character is technically in the US Navy, but who don't serve on ships and don't like the water.

[@thunderstruck5484]

When Jack was giving his acceptance speech for “as good as it gets” he mentioned several names of friends of his that were no longer with us but were in his heart including JT Walsh who had recently passed away, I thought that was touching then and now, and if you haven’t seen As Good as it gets then its a must watch, probably my favorite Jack performance, thanks

[@BigMike246]

As I watched the last sequence, I was chatting with a buddy who was one of the Jurors. Seriously, I never get tired of watching this film. Have you seen Departed? I'm sad that Nicholson has retired. He is so good in everything I've seen him in.

[@tvdroid22]

Cruise said the Nicholson impersonation happened when they were doing a script read thru. He was just clowning, but it went over so well they decided to leave it in. That scene with Nicholson at the end. Think about it. 30+yrs later and "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" is still out there. Brilliant performance.

[@surferdjnj]

Aaron Sorkin wrote this. AKA West Wing, News Room, Social Network. Walk n Talks, good dialogue with interruptions. Love the writing.

[@phj223]

For more Demi Moore, check out "G.I. Jane" (1997), also starring the ever green Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn you know). Demi plays a Navy analyst who volunteers for SEAL training as the first woman. Directed by Ridley Scott. Also for another fantastic court room drama (well mostly court room drama), check out "A Time To Kill" (1996). Stacked cast with Matthew McConaughey, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Kiefer Sutherland, Ashley Judd, etc the list goes on. :)

[@holddowna]

Never seen GI JANE!

[@phj223]

@@holddowna I added "A Time To Kill" (1996) as a recommendation in an edit, don't know if you saw my post before or after the edit so I'll just give a heads up. :)

[@isabelsilva62023]

@phj223 Yes, it may be Samuel's best role ever at least in the amazing way he "disappears" into the character and it also has Kiefer's dad Donald Sutherland who has just left us.

[@4nthr4x]

Upvote for GI Jane

[@clarkness77]

I still can't wait for the sequel

[@zatornagirroc7175]

I enjoyed this video so much. Thank you! I am a content person rather than a content provider loyalist - if reactors are reacting to something I like, I can generally sit through and enjoy it, but if the reactor chooses something I don't like, even if I am loyal to that reactor, I wont watch it. What I am saying is that I have seen quite a few reactions to this movie as I really love this movie, but I also really enjoyed your reaction! You were there one hundred percent, you didn't seem distracted by things that weren't instantly clear (this happens a lot with others) - even the code red - and you just followed the movie and saw it's treasures without being distracted by the flaws. Excellent job, and thank you so much. You just earned a subscribe!

[@dracusmoon4822]

As a Marine, we depend on the Marine next to us to stay alive in combat. If a squad member is seen as not doing their job, it means your life and the entire squad's life may be in danger because of it. Normally unfit members are winnowed out but there is still 'squad/platoon' unofficial things done to encourage the person to get up to speed. Nothing as deadly as portrayed in this movie to my knowledge. People who have never been in combat don't understand this stuff literally IS life and death to those involved. Not doing your job and getting someone killed is no joke and it is not tolerated.

[@DiedrichKnickerbocker1783]

Love the part where, "You're a used car salesman!" "You're nothing. Live with that." Later in the movie Caffee in drunken stupor calls Galloway intergalactically stupid. Then he apologizes. I think she should apologize those insults first.

[@janseyveloz8515]

This is my favorite movie all time. On the other hand your reactions are the ones I enjoy the most. So, it didn´t take me a second to clic on the video. Keep it up girl!

[@holddowna]

🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

The doctor at 28:26 is Christopher Guest. Or, Nigel Tufnell from Spinal Tap 😊

[@matthewhawkins517]

To me the best part of this movie is the writing. This is Aaron Sorkin's first professional writing. Aaron Sorkin, writer of The West Wing, is a genius.

[@Lei-AICPhD]

Kevin Pollack you’ve seen him is She’s all That, but you must watch him in the following movies: “The Whole Nine Yards”, “The End Of Days”, “Jwanna Mann” “The Wedding Planner” and the best: “Rool” in the movie “Willow” and the list goes on. I’m a huge fan of him, and maybe have a huge crush on him too!

[@greggoryshaw2510]

Thanks for the reaction, my dad was stationed there during the 80s, best place to grow up, 13 beaches, 5-6 pools, 4 outside movies (saw Terminator there), we actually played next to mine fields (2nd large mine field in the world), and fishing with my dad (selling them to the Jamaicans) !!! Russians ships coming through, all the women trying to get them to wave (they could only line-up and watch) as they went to GTMO City.

[@TheCoreyd1086]

The movie was based on a book that was based on real life events that actually happened at Guatanmo Bay. The real PFC was given a code red in the same manner but he didn't die. The court martial wasn't as dramatic but didn't get out to much publicly. Tom Cruise's imitation of Jack Nicholas was improvised so Demi Moore's laugh was a real reaction that wasn't cut out. In a court room any witness, or evidence must be disclosed to the other attorney. So Caffey going to Jack Ross to say I have Markison was legal. He couldn't just spring that on him. It's like that in real life. Very good reaction. If you want another great Demi Moore military movie check out G I Jane

[@raremage]

Just an aside - I played football years ago with one of the Marine guards that grabs Jack Nicholson when he dives at Tom Cruise after the testimony. I didn’t know until many years later - he was a Light Colonel when he retired.

[@jillfromatlanta427]

Love all of the performances in this movie. That includes the judge - "I'm quite sure I'VE earned it" directed at Jessup.

[@bradlymiller4936]

I am impressed you knew hockey had an 82 game season. Love all your reactions.

[@holddowna]

LOL I’m a hockey gal 🥹🥹🥹

[@bradlymiller4936]

@@holddowna very nice, Red Wings fan here now living in Texas. I still get the chance to watch every game though on ESPN.

[@user-kj5iu8bs1p]

If you enjoyed Nicholson's performance (as a seasoned actor playing a military officer) consider watching "Gardens of Stone." James Earl Jones & James Caan nailed it as old school Senior NCOs.

[@bgfundy]

Written by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, Trial of the Chicago 7, Molly's Game, Moneyball, The Social Network, Charlie WIlson's War, which I HIGHLY recommend, and more), based on his play of the same title.

[@TenTonNuke]

The only real flaw in this movie is the idea that high-ranking soldiers can't be questioned. They made that up so that there were higher stakes if Cruise couldn't get the confession.

[@realBkay]

The people involved are not soldiers - they are Marines.

[@TenTonNuke]

@@realBkay I know. But the military hasn't figured out what to collectively call a member of the armed services, so I go with "soldiers," as in "an individual serving in a military unit." Also I do enjoy how much it pisses Marines off. Hooah.

[@fusiliers]

I don't know if it is a flaw or intentional character choices for Jessup, but the thing that always irks me is his "woman President" jibe. I know he was trying to disrespect Galloway, but Jessup is a only colonel, so he would have had to salute any woman flag officer as well as any colonel or O-6 equivalent who was senior to him. Spread across all the services, there were literally hundreds of women who outranked him at the time.

[@TenTonNuke]

@@fusiliers Yeah I was surprised when I learned he was a Colonel. The way he acted you would think he was a 5-star General or something. And the way he talks down to his Lt. Colonel friend, it's like "Yeah, you outrank him technically, barely, but that's not how that works in real life."

[@bigpictureguys8415]

I’ve been swinging a bat in my apartment ever since I saw this movie. It really is calming

[@jeffburnham6611]

The writers really did a good job of bringing the rivalry between the US Navy and the Marine Corps into being. Except for the gaff about charging two enlisted Marines with "Conduct Unbecoming". No such charge exists for enlisted personnel, it's only the Officers that can be charged with that crime under the UCMJ. There are other charges that they could have been slapped with. I've been to GITMO and even toured the fenceline. It's true, there is a ferry that crosses the Bay, connecting the Windward and Leeward side of the base.

[@Ferruccio_Guicciardi]

47:40 ! Crystal !!! Awesome reaction ! Always deeply invested in the film you react !!! Best reactions ever !

[@brandonmartin08]

Kevin Bacon was great in Mystic River too! Directed by Clint Eastwood

[@Fantasyremix]

This is a real old-school movie where the whole film is just there to provide the meaning and context for one memorable scene at the end. That's what keeps it from being an all-time classic, even though the courtroom scene is an all-time classic scene.

[@ComandoPadentro]

What are you talking about? The wole movie is a masterpiece of writting, acting and directing and it IS an all time classic.

[@hopsonkim4952]

When they were shooting Nicholson’s big monologue on the stand, as always they have to do it several times to get different angles and reaction shots. Normally everybody does their lines but with the intensity of Nicholson’s speech the actor wouldn’t normally give it 100% just so they don’t burn out. As the story goes, Nicholson bodied that entire speech from start to finish, full effort each time. When they asked him why he just responded “I love acting.”

[@rayvanhorn1534]

What a cast, everyone just nailed it. One of the best legal/courtroom films out there.

[@JMUDoc]

This is the only role that Nicholson considered "money well spent".

[@bigdream_dreambig]

28:30 I only now realized that the doctor is played by Christopher Guest (from the Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap -- but it looks like you may not have seen either of those yet)!

[@meanmax9663]

I served 4 years in the Marine Corps (1982-1986) and we didn't use the term "Code Red" for unofficial disciplinary actions, but we did "police ourselves" internally by the use of a "blanket party" where the same type of discipline was given. I struggle with Col. Nathan Jessep being accused of a crime, I believe that he acted appropriately in giving the order for the Code Red. But I do believe that he was wrong to cover it up after it went badly. I have a lot of sympathy for the position that Lance Corporal Dawson and PFC Downey were put in by being found guilty for the charge of Conduct Unbecoming of a Marine. They were dishonorably discharged from the Marine Corps for following orders. My time in the Marine Corps was the most honorable time of my life, I can't imagine having that stripped from me. Great review of a really great movie! Thank you for all of your time and effort on all of your content. Semper Fidelis!

[@dracusmoon4822]

Semper Fi Marine!

[@charlize1253]

The logical crime that Jessep was arrested for at the end was almost certainly perjury, because earlier he had denied giving the Code Red order under oath. The same with Lt. Kendrick. The judge wouldn't have had jurisdiction to have him arrested inside the courtroom immediately for any crime committed outside of the courtroom, such as giving an unlawful order; a crime committed outside of the judge's courtroom would have required the judge to refer prosecution to the JAG corps (the judge isn't a roving police officer who arrests people for random crimes, but he is the enforcer over crimes that happen inside the courtroom).

[@KevinThomas-ok2ev]

One of the inherent risks in dealing with stories written and/or directed by people who have a pronounced bias against the military. Specifically Aaron Sorkin and Rob Reiner. They invariably manage to slip in some digs at the military in general, as they really don’t understand the culture or the mission. Compare that to the overall respect shown in either “Rules of Engagement” or the old classic “The Caine Mutiny.” Both handled the same sort of moral dilemmas while retaining a healthy degree of respect for the military. I’ll freely admit I’m no fan of Rob Reiner, and stuff like this figures strongly in my distaste for him.

[@kevinsommerfield6341]

I didn't think anyone else had seen Stir of Echoes! Great movie, unfortunately overshadowed by The Sixth Sense. Thanks for the reaction!

[@kimghanson]

Plot holes are so common in movies. Early in the movie when they checked Santiago's room, I wondered why nobody questioned his closet being full and neatly organized. I just passed it off as a plot hole. Confusing a subtle hint with a plot hole is too easy. I do that a lot and I'll bet a lot of others do to.

[@mikebrown7799]

Hello Ames!😊 You followed the court action very well.👍🏻Military court can be difficult to follow as it varies greatly from a civilian court. Military court is much swifter justice. You called it right about Martinson.😉 Nice reactions to this pretty accurate military court film, Ames!!!!🎬👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻