9. A Few Good Men
When most people hear the title A Few Good Men, they no doubt think of the climatic showdown between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, with Cruise yelling "I want the truth!" and Nicholson responding with "You can't handle the truth!" While this exchange is integral to the thematic concerns of the film, it only scratches the surface of the film's exploration of military life and the way in which those in authoritarian positions abuse their powers, believing somehow they're helping the country. The film begins with two United States Marines, Private First Class Louden Downey (James Marshall) and Lance Corporal Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) being accused of murdering a fellow marine named Pfc. William T. Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo) at Guantanamo Bay. They performed a "code red" on Santiago, which is a form of punishment for marines who are not pulling their weight. The two marines are defended by Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Cruise), a flippant military lawyer, with the aid of Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) and Lt. Sam Weinberg (Kevin Pollack). As the trial goes on, Kaffee has to ultimately face off against Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Nicholson) whom Kaffee gets to reveal ordered the code red. Cruise gives one of his best performances as a man who starts out not understanding what life in the military truly means, only to discover that it's a complicated search for honor, and the word honor can be used to disguise horrible crimes. Jessup believes he was strengthening the country. What's great about Jessup's speech near the end of the film, where he tells Kaffee that Santiago's death "saved lives," is that we both agree with Jessup that Kaffee has used words like honor and loyalty as punch-lines, but we also see that Jessup uses these words to defend himself and the marines from things not so honorable. Nicholson, in an Oscar-nominated role, perfectly embodies Jessup's hypocrisy and self-importance. Aaron Sorkin's script, from his play, is full of the trademark Sorkin wit and speechifying, and it all works to create a great blend of humour and thoughtful, complex military drama.