This is one of those movies that everybody seems to love, but I can't stand. Here's why.
They should have re-titled this "Ken & Barbie Go To Military Court". Cruise and Moore are completely unbelievable as their characters. They're both too young and good-looking to play navy lawyers. The roles cried out for more mature, hard-edged actors. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed both Moore and Cruise in other roles, but I think they're the wrong choices here.
The script never misses an opportunity to be obvious. The animosity between the two leads which turns to admiration. The overly sincere speeches about duty and bucking the odds. Then there's the climatic courtroom showdown between Cruise and Nicholson, which is so ridiculous I have to address with specifics:
*****************SPOILERS***************************
After his key witness kills himself, Cruise risks a court marshal by sending a subpoena to the evil Colonel Jessup (Nicholson). His strategy: he hopes to goad him on the witness stand into admitting he directly ordered the "code red" that caused Santiago's death. He thinks he can bully a hardened Marine Colonel. Forget evidence, he'll just admit the crime when he gets angry. All courtroom procedures are cast aside. Nicholson gets up in the middle of his testimony to leave. Uh, that's not allowed in court. But it does give the two macho guys a chance to yell at each other. Then the judge lets Nicholson give a long speech about how he defends the US. Aren't witnesses just supposed to answer questions? Well, not when it adds to the drama, or should I say melodrama. It's all so ridiculously over-the-top. The most cringe-inducing moment is when Nicholson finally admits he gave the order, "You're Damn Right I Did!" Nicholson the actor is too smart to be believed as a character so stupid. I rolled my eyes so much in this final scene that I think I sustained retinal damage.
Obvious, embarrassing, hackneyed, maudlin - I run out of adjectives to describe how silly this movie is. It's amazing what people will swallow when it's fed to them by big name stars.
They should have re-titled this "Ken & Barbie Go To Military Court". Cruise and Moore are completely unbelievable as their characters. They're both too young and good-looking to play navy lawyers. The roles cried out for more mature, hard-edged actors. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed both Moore and Cruise in other roles, but I think they're the wrong choices here.
The script never misses an opportunity to be obvious. The animosity between the two leads which turns to admiration. The overly sincere speeches about duty and bucking the odds. Then there's the climatic courtroom showdown between Cruise and Nicholson, which is so ridiculous I have to address with specifics:
*****************SPOILERS***************************
After his key witness kills himself, Cruise risks a court marshal by sending a subpoena to the evil Colonel Jessup (Nicholson). His strategy: he hopes to goad him on the witness stand into admitting he directly ordered the "code red" that caused Santiago's death. He thinks he can bully a hardened Marine Colonel. Forget evidence, he'll just admit the crime when he gets angry. All courtroom procedures are cast aside. Nicholson gets up in the middle of his testimony to leave. Uh, that's not allowed in court. But it does give the two macho guys a chance to yell at each other. Then the judge lets Nicholson give a long speech about how he defends the US. Aren't witnesses just supposed to answer questions? Well, not when it adds to the drama, or should I say melodrama. It's all so ridiculously over-the-top. The most cringe-inducing moment is when Nicholson finally admits he gave the order, "You're Damn Right I Did!" Nicholson the actor is too smart to be believed as a character so stupid. I rolled my eyes so much in this final scene that I think I sustained retinal damage.
Obvious, embarrassing, hackneyed, maudlin - I run out of adjectives to describe how silly this movie is. It's amazing what people will swallow when it's fed to them by big name stars.