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A Few Good Men
- 981 statements
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Did you describe ''A Few Good Men'' here?YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT I DID!A Few Good Men is a 1992 American drama film adapted by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin from his own 1989 play, directed by Rob Reiner and starring Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore.It is a military-themed courtroom drama in which young navy lawyer Daniel Kaffee (Cruise) defends Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison) and Louden Downey (James Marshall), two Marines accused of murdering fellow Marine William Santiago (Michael DeLorenzo) at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The accused, however, say they were acting under orders from Col. Nathan Jessep (Nicholson).The film's supporting cast includes Kevin Bacon as Jack Ross, Kiefer Sutherland as Jonathan James Kendrick, Kevin Pollak as Sam Weinberg, and J. T. Walsh as Matthew Markinson.You Can't Handle the Parody is based on Jessep's rant in the film's climactic courtroom scene.In 2018 NBC announced they would produce a live broadcast of the play, following the success of their live musical productions, which was set to air some time in 2019. However, as of early 2022, it has yet to be produced. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_109dbb51 | type |
Pull the Thread | |
| A Few Good Men / int_109dbb51 | comment |
Pull the Thread: Used with Col. Jessup. Lt. Kaffee continues to question Jessup until he catches Jessup in a contradiction: Jessup had ordered that Santiago was not to be harmed, and assured the court that his orders were always followed, to the letter. Thus, the Armor-Piercing Question from Kaffee says that if that were true, there would be no reason to transfer Sanitago off the base, as Jessup did, because Santiago shouldn't have been in any danger if Jessup's orders are always followed. It's the slight Oh, Crap! moment from Jessup which follows that begins to unravel his entire testimony. Kaffee had started pulling this same thread earlier in the questioning, asking Jessup what he'd packed for the day-trip to DC for the case. By contrast, Kaffee points out that, despite the alleged transfer order, and his having requested such a transfer multiple times in the past, none of Santiago's kit was packed for travel. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_1144041a | type |
Strictly Professional Relationship | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1144041a | comment |
Strictly Professional Relationship: LT Kaffee and LCDR Galloway clearly seem attracted to each other, but focus more on solving the case at hand than pursuing a relationship. Once the trial ends, they both go their separate ways. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_1235f055 | type |
Dirty Coward | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1235f055 | comment |
Dirty Coward: Jessep, who despite his claims of toughness, was willing to throw two Marines under a bus to protect himself. Markinson believes so strongly that Jessep will do anything to win the case and has connections powerful enough to do so (even if it doesn't makes sense—see Artistic License – Military above), that he goes on the lam, provides his info to Kaffee Deep Throat-style, and prefers to blow his brains out rather than testify when the latter subpoenas him. In his suicide note (to Santiago's mother), he states "the only truth that you need to know is that I was too weak-willed to prevent your kid's death". Santiago tossed Dawson, the only person in Guantanamo willing to stand by his side as a brother Marine and protected him from the other Marines' bullying, under the bus with testimony of a (possible, but never truly answered) grievous violation of the base's rules of engagement for the sake of being transferred back to the mainland. Commander Stone lied about Santiago being poisoned and tried to pin it on Dawson and Downey to save his own ass after he failed to spot Santiago's heart condition. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_12b6fe15 | type |
Walk and Talk | |
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Walk and Talk: It first appeared here by accident as Rob Reiner needed a way to move the first scene with Jack and Danny along. It has since become one of Aaron Sorkin's trademarks. | |
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Heroic BSoD | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1439161f | comment |
Heroic BSoD: Kaffee goes out and gets rip-roaring drunk after his star witness kills himself. | |
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Trailers Always Spoil | |
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Trailers Always Spoil: The Motive Rant that undoes Col. Jessep was the best-known moment of the movie before it came out, due to "You can't handle the truth!" being such a catchy line. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_1779f10e | type |
"Well Done, Son" Guy | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1779f10e | comment |
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Kaffee's late father was of the overachieving variety. | |
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Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1888979e | comment |
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: All of the marines repeatedly talk about loyalty and their code. Throughout the movie it becomes clear that loyalty is used as an excuse to not talk about abusive behavior and their code is just a means of intimidating people not to report criminal activity to law enforcement. They come across as no different than gangs and crime syndicates. | |
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The Cameo | |
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The Cameo: Christopher Guest, who'd starred in two of Reiner's previous films note (This is Spın̈al Tap and The Princess Bride), plays a doctor on the stand. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_1c445e86 | type |
Poor Communication Kills | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1c445e86 | comment |
Poor Communication Kills: Dawson and Downey's tendency to only give information when specifically asked leads to them to leave a very vital piece of information out of their story to their lawyers. It severely damages their case and nearly costs them their freedom. | |
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Redemption in the Rain | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1c5d0ed0 | comment |
Redemption in the Rain: Lt. Kaffee has to go out into the pouring rain to convince Cmdr. Galloway to help him finish his case. It's a redemption for his previous drunk tirade, it shows how much he truly cares for Galloway, and it sobers him up for the movie's climax. | |
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Those Two Guys | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1c79ae8c | comment |
Those Two Guys: Dawson and Downey. They are the direct co-actors in Santiago's demise and Downey relies on Dawson's judgement for everything. | |
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Disregard That Statement | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1d54d960 | comment |
Disregard That Statement: Daniel Kaffee pulls this stunt. He knows that Lt Jonathan Kendrick ordered the defendants to assault the victim (a practice known as Code Red), but on the stand Kendrick denies it; Kaffee exhaustively questions Kendrick about his draconian punishments for those that disobey him, and then asks the outrageous hypothetical "If you had ordered Dawson to give Santiago a Code Red, is it reasonable to think he would have disobeyed you again?", which is of course thrown out (we don't see the jury's reaction). The judge does eventually find Kaffee in contempt of court when he pulls the same stunt on the higher-ranked Col Nathan Jessep, but luckily for him, he's gotten Jessep so angry that Jessep launches into a Motive Rant and confession on the stand anyway (the famous "you can't handle the truth" speech). | |
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Ambiguous Situation | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1f6983f7 | comment |
Ambiguous Situation: It's never made explicitly clear whether Dawson's fence-line shooting was illegal or not. Dawson tells Kaffee that a Cuban soldier engaged and he was simply returning fire. Santiago claims in his letter that it was illegal, though he may have been lying about it just so he could get a transfer. Dawson is never charged with anything because, as the NIS agent says during the trial, the only evidence that could support the shooting being illegal would be testimony from Santiago and his death prevented the agent from questioning him. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_1f799027 | type |
Obstructive Bureaucrat | |
| A Few Good Men / int_1f799027 | comment |
Obstructive Bureaucrat: Jessep dabbles in this. Aside from refusing to transfer Santiago off base, he has the Tower Chief's logs doctored to conceal a flight. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_20860a0e | type |
Punch-Clock Villain | |
| A Few Good Men / int_20860a0e | comment |
Punch-Clock Villain: Ross is a minor version of this trope. He's opposing the heroes of the story because he is representing the US government and it's his job to do so. It's well-established that otherwise he's on very friendly terms with Kaffee. Their good-natured banter after the trial shows that, despite the often heated proceedings, there are no hard feelings on either side. Ross even reveals he doesn't think Downey and Dawson should go to jail but he still has a job to do. He also seems to really dislike Kendrick and Jessep as much as Kaffee does, as at one point he tells Kaffee, "Don't you dare lump me in with them just because we wear the same uniform." He even seems happy to be heading off to arrest Kendrick at the end. Corporal Barnes is a lesser example of this, while he's a Marine like all the other bad guys, he's very polite and good-humored to Kaffee during his cross-examination and seems like a very nice guy overall. He even seems to be pretty amused when Kaffee points out that because the location of the mess hall is not in the marine handbook, there's no way he could have ever eaten a meal. | |
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Church Militant | |
| A Few Good Men / int_2139c878 | comment |
Church Militant / Gung Holier Than Thou: Kendrick is this in spades. | |
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Chekhov's Gun | |
| A Few Good Men / int_22cf536c | comment |
Chekhov's Gun: Santiago's closet at the crime scene at the start leads to Kaffee's "Eureka!" Moment when he goes to retrieve the baseball bat at the end of the movie and looks up at his own array of uniforms and begins Spotting the Thread needed to challenge Jessep's story. For a guy who had been begging and pleading for a unit transfer and had supposedly received word he was finally getting his wish and was leaving on the first flight out the next day, why were Santiago's personal belongings and uniforms still squared away as though he wasn't leaving at 6 AM? | |
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Deadly Hazing | |
| A Few Good Men / int_2374c57 | comment |
Deadly Hazing: It's eventually uncovered that the case was not murder, as the troopers had been ordered to haze a recruit, but unbeknownst to them their teammate had a heart condition and as a result died from the stress. | |
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Patriotic Fervor | |
| A Few Good Men / int_23be181a | comment |
Patriotic Fervor: Jessep's justification for his actions. | |
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Brutal Honesty | |
| A Few Good Men / int_23ff95fb | comment |
Brutal Honesty: At the beginning of the movie, at the end of Galloway's interview for taking the case, it is suggested that she go get some coffee. She doesn't get the hint, and one of them bluntly asks her to please leave the room so they can talk about her behind her back. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_24f4c82a | type |
Semper Fi | |
| A Few Good Men / int_24f4c82a | comment |
Semper Fi: The memorable quote, "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" is mentioned when trying to explain the idea that Marines do what only they can, and that no one could possibly understand the difficult decisions that need to be made to keep America safe. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_266e4fc7 | type |
The Perry Mason Method | |
| A Few Good Men / int_266e4fc7 | comment |
Jessep's confession on the stand shocks the whole courtroom, including Kaffee, despite employing The Perry Mason Method. Kaffee is so visibly shocked that it worked, that it takes him a few moments to recover and seek a recess so Jessep can be formally arrested. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_28a5213a | type |
Small Name, Big Ego | |
| A Few Good Men / int_28a5213a | comment |
Small Name, Big Ego: Colonel Jessep, relatively speaking. Jessep is the base commander at Guantanamo Bay, a fairly important posting (note that the movie predates The War on Terror) which at least de facto borders enemy territory, and has a large contingent of Marines under his command. However, this isn't nearly enough for a man of Jessep's inflated sense of importance: he constantly plays up how he's supposedly "on the wall" defending civilization from such terrifying enemies as the Cubans and how he, a mere colonel, understands how to defend the nation (in peacetime!) better than anyone alive. | |
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Ax-Crazy | |
| A Few Good Men / int_2d4fa515 | comment |
Ax-Crazy: Colonel Jessep. He orders a Code Red that ultimately kills a marine, doesn't flinch from the deaths of Santiago or Markinson, and, after his Villainous Breakdown, lunges screaming at Kaffee. | |
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We Help the Helpless | |
| A Few Good Men / int_2d9e89f7 | comment |
We Help the Helpless: The Marines realize that "We were supposed to fight for the people who couldn't fight for themselves." | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_2dae4381 | type |
My Master, Right or Wrong | |
| A Few Good Men / int_2dae4381 | comment |
My Master, Right or Wrong: This is the Marine's code ("Semper Fidelis" - Always Faithful/Loyal) and is integral to the chain of command as highlighted in the film; you obey your superior officers no matter what or people die. Colonel Jessep hides behind this code as justification for his actions and uses it to command absolute obedience from all his men. It ultimately comes back to bite him when he can't explain the actions of Lance Corporal Dawson and PFC Downey who gave Private Santiago an illegal "Code Red" disciplinary punishment which killed him. On the one hand, he insists that he gave orders that Santiago was not to be harmed, and on the other hand, he was arranging for Santiago to be transferred to another base to prevent him from being harmednote Or so he claims: if his orders are always followed, why did he have to protect Santiago by transferring him to another base? It is this key point that Lieutenant Kaffee uses to put Jessep in a bind and force him to admit the truth via the Armor-Piercing Question. | |
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You Didn't Ask | |
| A Few Good Men / int_2f226fee | comment |
You Didn't Ask: This is the reason Dawson gives when Kaffee asks him why they didn't tell him about the order to give Santiago a Code Red when he first talked to them. It's also the reason Dawson and Downey didn't mention that Downey wasn't actually present when Kendrick ordered the Code Red. | |
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Narcissist | |
| A Few Good Men / int_30d4f2a | comment |
Narcissist: Jessep goes beyond even having a massive god complex. He disobeys his superior officers because he thinks he knows better than them, loves to hear himself talk, rather flippantly exploits others for his own gain, has a colossally overblown sense of self-importance, seems to think he and he alone is somehow 'special,' ("I have a greater responsibility than you could possibly fathom.") demands excessive admiration and unquestioned obedience he clearly doesn't deserve, displays arrogance and haughtiness to his peers as well as his underlings, is an Entitled Bastard, displays a clear Lack of Empathy, and is seemingly incapable of even considering the mere possibility that he is ever wrong about anything. Even when confronted with irrefutable evidence that he is, he simply blames everyone else. Kaffee lampshades this the morning that followed his decision to call Jessep in court: he knows, after having met Jessep only once, that the guy qualifies, mentioning Jessep's speech about the fact that he doesn't need medals (something he seems to take an even greater pride in than actual medals) and his Badass Boast; that's also how he knows Jessep will come in court, he just love to tell others how important he and his duty are. | |
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Logic Bomb | |
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The real question that shatters Col. Jessep is the one before this exchange. Jessep had kept his cool, arrogantly stating that his orders have always been followed and that he did not order the Code Red. Kaffee seizes on the Logic Bomb: if Jessep gave an order that Santiago wasn't to be touched, and his orders are always followed as he so claims, then why would Santiago be in danger, and why would it be necessary to transfer him off the base? | |
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Even Evil Has Standards | |
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Even Evil Has Standards: Played with yet ultimately subverted in regards to Jessep's opinion of Kendrick. He confides to Markinson in private that that he thinks Kendrick is a "weasel" but given Jessep approves of and even encourages Kendrick's worst behaviors, it's hard to figure out exactly what about Kendrick he finds distasteful. Played straight when Jessep expresses genuine respect for Kaffee's father for winning a landmark desegregation case. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_3322dd48 | type |
Hollywood Law | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3322dd48 | comment |
Jo is so hell-bent on exposing the abusive practices at Guantanamo Bay that when Jack Ross offers a plea to involuntary manslaughter (which the defendants are actually guilty of) she immediately rejects it and insists on going to trial, risking her clients getting the death penalty. This is another example of Hollywood Law, in real life, rejecting a plea bargain without consulting the client would get an attorney disbarred. | |
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Brilliant, but Lazy | |
| A Few Good Men / int_355007c3 | comment |
Brilliant, but Lazy: Kaffee is a brilliant attorney with a fantastic mind, charisma, and natural oratory skill that would give William Jennings Bryan pause. But he'd much rather practice getting his softball swing perfect. Part of it is that he's just riding out his contractual commitment to the Navy until he can get a job in the civilian world. | |
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Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping | |
| A Few Good Men / int_35b241c0 | comment |
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Kiefer Sutherland doesn't quite get the hang of his character's Kentucky accent. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_363f94c9 | type |
Awful Truth | |
| A Few Good Men / int_363f94c9 | comment |
Awful Truth: Jessep's rant at the end is about why he admits his actions might disgust people, but he feels they are necessary to protect the nation. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_363f94c9 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_375b6a06 | type |
That Was Objectionable | |
| A Few Good Men / int_375b6a06 | comment |
That Was Objectionable: The prosecution puts on a doctor to give his opinion as to the cause of Willie Santiago's death. Lt. Cmdr. Galloway objects on the basis of his qualifications. When the judge overrules her, she "strenuously objects" and is again overruled. Her "strenuous objection" prompts the judge to say "The witness is an expert, and the court will hear his opinion;" undermining her own point in front of the court members, which Sam calls her on. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_375b6a06 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_37cb353b | type |
Ate His Gun | |
| A Few Good Men / int_37cb353b | comment |
Ate His Gun: Markinson's alternative to testifying against Jessep because he feels that he failed to act sooner and refuses to betray his commander. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_37cb353b | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_37cb353b | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_37cb353b | |
| A Few Good Men / int_38d02d44 | type |
Batman Gambit | |
| A Few Good Men / int_38d02d44 | comment |
Batman Gambit: Knowing that the Dawson/Downey case is potentially embarrassing to a high-ranking marine official and trying to make it go away quickly and quietly, the powers that be assign it to Lt. Kaffee anticipating that he will follow his usual tactic of avoiding trial by making a plea-bargain for a reduced sentence. Kaffee uses Obfuscating Stupidity quite a bit on the Marines to either box them up or get their reactions. Unfortunately, Galloway clearly doesn't understand what he's doing and tips Kaffee's hand during the lunch with Jessep, clearly frustrating Kaffee. This also plays into the final scene in court, where Kaffee uses Jessep's hard-nosed reputation against him to set him up for the Armor-Piercing Question. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_38d02d44 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3ae6199a | type |
Psychopathic Manchild | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3ae6199a | comment |
Psychopathic Manchild: This is ultimately what Jessep is, an immature man who believes he has the right to act however he wants and shows no respect for anyone else. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3ae6199a | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_3ae6199a | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3c0a4666 | type |
Noodle Incident | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3c0a4666 | comment |
Noodle Incident: The Curtis Bell incident is mentioned several times throughout the film but never explained. This turns out to be a Chekhov's Gun, because the trial discusses details about the incidentnote (a Marine named Curtis Bell being confined to barracks and being given only water and vitamin supplements) driving the point home to Dawson to never disobey an ordernote (after he tried to provide Bell with food). | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3c0a4666 | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_3c0a4666 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_3c0a4666 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3fe2b13f | type |
Ungrateful Bastard | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3fe2b13f | comment |
Ungrateful Bastard: Santiago was willing to rat on Dawson, the one who wouldn't allow the others in the squad to harass him, for his own benefit. It's implied he may have been knowingly lying about the nature of Dawson's fence shooting in order to get transferred out. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_3fe2b13f | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_3fe2b13f | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_3fe2b13f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_40cc0c7e | type |
Bittersweet Ending | |
| A Few Good Men / int_40cc0c7e | comment |
Bittersweet Ending: The Marines get cleared of their charges of murder but not of "conduct unbecoming of a Marine" and are to be dishonorably discharged following the trial. On the other hand, the right man who ordered the attack has been arrested, Kaffee has become respected and learned to take his job seriously, and the Marines accept that they deserve their punishment. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_40cc0c7e | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_40cc0c7e | featureConfidence |
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A Few Good Men / int_40cc0c7e | |
| A Few Good Men / int_411fe2c4 | type |
You Can Say That Again | |
| A Few Good Men / int_411fe2c4 | comment |
You Can Say That Again: Kaffee trades clichés with the guy at his newsstand, resulting in this exchange: | |
| A Few Good Men / int_411fe2c4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_411fe2c4 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_411fe2c4 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_43c5a4b7 | type |
Court-martialed | |
| A Few Good Men / int_43c5a4b7 | comment |
Court-martialed: The entire premise of the movie. Kaffee's Heroic BSoD included saying to Galloway that putting Jessep on the stand and failing would get him court-martialed. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_43c5a4b7 | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_43c5a4b7 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_43c5a4b7 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_44fc28e8 | type |
Honor Before Reason | |
| A Few Good Men / int_44fc28e8 | comment |
Honor Before Reason: Why Dawson refuses the plea bargain. The proposed deal would have saved them from prison, but a dishonorable discharge essentially negates everything they'd done in the Corps. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_44fc28e8 | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_44fc28e8 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_44fc28e8 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_45fe3a2e | type |
Utopia Justifies the Means | |
| A Few Good Men / int_45fe3a2e | comment |
Utopia Justifies the Means: To Colonel Jessep, the only safe America is one that allows him to do whatever he thinks is necessary to protect it, with nobody allowed to question his methods or judgement, and if a Willie Santiago dies because of it, that's fine. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_45fe3a2e | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_45fe3a2e | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4604fd4d | type |
Worthy Opponent | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4604fd4d | comment |
Worthy Opponent: Subtle, but the look that Jessep gives Kaffee in the end once he realizes Kaffee played him is a mix of anger, hatred, and...admiration. Make no mistake, if there was no one between him and Kaffee, Jessep would have throttled him on the spot, but, perhaps for the first and last time in the film, he sees the lawyer as the cunning, and equal, adversary that Kaffee really was. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4604fd4d | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_4604fd4d | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_4604fd4d | |
| A Few Good Men / int_469e3e2f | type |
In-Universe | |
| A Few Good Men / int_469e3e2f | comment |
"He was never going to be transferred off that base" from Markinson changes everything for the defence, giving them a real weapon with which to fight back. In-Universe only, however, since the audience already knows Jessep had no intention of transferring Santiago. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_469e3e2f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_469e3e2f | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_469e3e2f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_482c31d4 | type |
No Hugging, No Kissing | |
| A Few Good Men / int_482c31d4 | comment |
No Hugging, No Kissing: Despite the two main characters being young singles, there's no trace of a romantic subplot. The closest it comes is when Caffey and Galloway go out for drinks together, but they never discuss anything apart from law. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_482c31d4 | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_482c31d4 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_49f20c6a | type |
Gory Discretion Shot | |
| A Few Good Men / int_49f20c6a | comment |
Gory Discretion Shot: When Markinson puts his Beretta 92SB inside his mouth, we cut away to the window just before he shoots himself dead. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_49f20c6a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_49f20c6a | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4aaffbd5 | type |
I Never Said It Was Poison | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4aaffbd5 | comment |
I Never Said It Was Poison: When Kaffee and Ross first meet about a plea bargain, Ross offers up a deal when Kaffee brings up Code Reds, but makes a point of telling him that Kendrick had met with all the Marines of the company right before Santiago was killed, and ordered them not to touch Santiago. When Kaffee tells Weinberg about this later, he realizes he never even brought up Kendrick, and that's the first time he realizes there's more to the case than he originally thought. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_4aaffbd5 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_4aaffbd5 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4d044580 | type |
Motive Rant | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4d044580 | comment |
Jessep has his famous rant, but the real breakdown comes right after when the unflappable Colonel finds he is being charged with Santiago's death and then lunges screaming at Kaffee, who doesn't even bat an eyelash. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4d044580 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4d044580 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_4d044580 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4e7c4536 | type |
Wham Line | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4e7c4536 | comment |
Wham Line: "He was never going to be transferred off that base" from Markinson changes everything for the defence, giving them a real weapon with which to fight back. In-Universe only, however, since the audience already knows Jessep had no intention of transferring Santiago. Jessep's confession on the stand shocks the whole courtroom, including Kaffee, despite employing The Perry Mason Method. Kaffee is so visibly shocked that it worked, that it takes him a few moments to recover and seek a recess so Jessep can be formally arrested. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_4e7c4536 | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_4e7c4536 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_4e7c4536 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_50b05d30 | type |
Disproportionate Retribution | |
| A Few Good Men / int_50b05d30 | comment |
After being convicted of conduct unbecoming, Dawson and Downey are given a dishonorable discharge. In real-life, this would be seen as an act of Disproportionate Retribution, especially considering that the government had Jessep to make an example of, and would be what you'd expect them to receive (along with jail time) if they had set out to murder Santiago. The actual punishment would more likely be a bad conductnote Sometimes known as a less severe-sounding "other-than-honorable" discharge discharge, which "only" sees the recipient ejected from the military and stripped of all veterans' benefits; a dishonorable discharge additionally sees the recipient banned for life from owning any firearms, and is treated by many states as legally equivalent to a felony conviction. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_50b05d30 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_50ca4422 | type |
Unresolved Sexual Tension | |
| A Few Good Men / int_50ca4422 | comment |
Unresolved Sexual Tension: Kaffee and Galloway become attracted to each other as they work on the trial together. However, other than Galloway asking Kaffee out on a date, nothing comes of it, and the ending implies that they'll go their separate ways now that the trial is over. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_50ca4422 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_50ca4422 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_52488c54 | type |
Drowning My Sorrows | |
| A Few Good Men / int_52488c54 | comment |
Drowning My Sorrows: After Markinson commits suicide, Kaffee suffers a Heroic BSoD and gets drunk. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_52488c54 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_52488c54 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_52488c54 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5466745d | type |
Clear Their Name | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5466745d | comment |
Clear Their Name: What Kaffee must do for Dawson and Downey who, while they carried out illegal orders, were forced to do so by a higher authority who left them high and dry. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5466745d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5466745d | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_5466745d | |
| A Few Good Men / int_59907e4f | type |
Police Are Useless | |
| A Few Good Men / int_59907e4f | comment |
Police Are Useless: The M.P. security detail keeping custody of Markinson didn't felt it necessary to take away his sidearm for some reason, which allowed him to blow his brains out rather than use any other method to commit suicide. Kaffee lampshades their effectiveness when he drunkenly points out the absurdity of the situation. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_59907e4f | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_59907e4f | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_59907e4f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5a36f8bc | type |
Not His Sled | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5a36f8bc | comment |
Not His Sled: In the play, Kaffee exposes Jessep because Markinson sent him the flight log book from Andrews Air Force Base, which Jessep forgot to change to match the GITMO book, indicating that the earlier flight Santiago could have been on did in fact exist. In the film, Jessep remembered to do this, so instead Kaffee exposes him by pointing out a flaw in Jessep's testimony: If Jessep ordered that Santiago was not to be harassed by his squad and Jessep's orders are always followed without question, then why would Santiago be in danger of being harmed and have to be transferred? | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5a36f8bc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5a36f8bc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_5a36f8bc | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5aa8d3d8 | type |
Friendly Enemy | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5aa8d3d8 | comment |
Friendly Enemy: Prosecutor Jack Ross. He and Kaffee are friends outside the courtroom, and Ross even privately believes the two Marines shouldn't be jailed, but in his own words: Ross' personality is contrasted by Kaffee's friend and co-counsel, Lt. Weinberg, who is personally disgusted by his clients' actions regardless of whether they were following orders or not. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5aa8d3d8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5aa8d3d8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_5aa8d3d8 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5bad2ab4 | type |
Military Maverick | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5bad2ab4 | comment |
Military Maverick: Colonial Jessup makes no secret out of the fact that he thinks he is one of these, lampshading more than once how he considers himself to be successful for being able to do things other people aren't ready to do like punishing one of his subordinates in a way that is forbidden in the military. He is a fairly strange case since he claims that this case of him disobeying the rules was necessary in order to ensure that orders are always followed, and also because he is high-ranking enough and/or simply stationed on a place remote enough (on Cuba) that his violations of the laws of the military never got him into trouble prior to the film. Deconstructed since at the beginning of the film, a marine dies because of the illegal punishment he ordered, and when the military sends people to investigate, it becomes clear that high-ranking or not, Jessup still committed a crime for disobeying the rules and will be punished himself for it. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5bad2ab4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5bad2ab4 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_5bad2ab4 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5ce2c9c6 | type |
Suddenly Shouting | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5ce2c9c6 | comment |
Suddenly Shouting: Dawson does this when he rejects the plea bargain Kaffee had gotten from Ross: | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5ce2c9c6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_5ce2c9c6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_5ce2c9c6 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_60194b82 | type |
Spanner in the Works | |
| A Few Good Men / int_60194b82 | comment |
Spanner in the Works: It becomes apparent that the Department of the Navy very much wants the case of United States v. Dawson & Downey to be quietly resolved by a Plea Bargain so as to prevent incident from causing too much embarrassment to the Marine Corps. This plan is undone by the dual spanners of Galloway and Dawson; Galloway, because she senses something isn't right, and goads Kaffee in doing his due diligence for once instead of rushing to a Plea Bargain. Dawson, meanwhile, is too hardcore of a jarhead to willingly accept a dishonorable discharge because it'd be easier for him, telling Kaffee to take his plea bargain and shove it. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_60194b82 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_60194b82 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_60194b82 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6070670f | type |
Complete-the-Quote Title | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6070670f | comment |
Complete-the-Quote Title: Comes from a well-known USMC recruitment slogan of the era: "We're looking for a few good men." | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6070670f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6070670f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_6070670f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_61b8f9e2 | type |
Bunny-Ears Lawyer | |
| A Few Good Men / int_61b8f9e2 | comment |
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Kaffee, while legitimately undisciplined and a little lazy for a military man, is incredibly able to pick up on the smallest irregularities throughout the film to indicate something is off about the whole case, eventually uncovering the whole plot. Including the fact the case was assigned to him. He is also shown to be very good at plea bargaining, which is not an insignificant skill for a lawyer - he still needs to get the best deal for his client while satisfying the prosecutornote Anyone who works in the legal/courtroom trial arena (or has even sat on a jury) knows that a lawyer who is doing their job will do everything possible to keep their client out of a courtroom. Because as soon as you go into a courtroom, you lose all control over your fate and are at the mercy of the judge and jury. While bargaining, you at least retain some control.. Jo Galloway is almost an inverted example. She's referred to by her superiors as an excellent investigator but her focus and determination to seek justice at all costs make her a terrible trial lawyer, who can't see when compromise is the best option. | |
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1.0 | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_61b8f9e2 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_62434fe2 | type |
Sanity Slippage | |
| A Few Good Men / int_62434fe2 | comment |
Sanity Slippage: From the moment Jessep enters the courtroom onward all the little psychological cracks he works so hard to hide start unraveling, culminating in his frothing Motive Rant and subsequent Villainous Breakdown. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_62434fe2 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_62434fe2 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_627264e0 | type |
Death Glare | |
| A Few Good Men / int_627264e0 | comment |
Death Glare: Kaffee gives the doctor one as he finishes his examination after all but outright blaming him for being negligent in assessing Santiago's well-being and physical incapacity as a Marine. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_627264e0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_627264e0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_674fcb07 | type |
Signature Line | |
| A Few Good Men / int_674fcb07 | comment |
Signature Line: "You can't handle the truth!" | |
| A Few Good Men / int_674fcb07 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_674fcb07 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_674fcb07 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_69391768 | type |
Expecting Someone Taller | |
| A Few Good Men / int_69391768 | comment |
Expecting Someone Taller: A variation is inverted and then played straight. Earlier in the film, Kaffee makes fun of Downey's aunt Ginny (as Downey is from somewhere rural and is not that bright, Kaffee assumes Aunt Ginny is some kind of hillbilly). When the trial begins, he finally meets Aunt Ginny... and is surprised to find she's an attractive, intelligent woman who isn't all that impressed with him. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_69391768 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_69391768 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_69391768 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_69cce3dc | type |
Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap! | |
| A Few Good Men / int_69cce3dc | comment |
Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: When Kaffee questions Doctor Stone, he proposes a "hypothetical" scenario that Santiago had a congenital heart condition, and asks the doctor what the symptoms of such a condition would be. The doctor describes the symptoms... and realizes they were exactly what Santiago was complaining of during his routine physical. Meaning the doctor failed to diagnose a serious condition that not only gave Santiago an excellent reason for requesting a transfer away from Gitmo (and the Marine Corps an excellent reason for wanting him off the line), but also rendered him fatally vulnerable to the hazing he received from Downey and Dawson. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_69cce3dc | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men / int_69cce3dc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_69cce3dc | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6a6e2a10 | type |
Don't Call Me "Sir" | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6a6e2a10 | comment |
Don't Call Me "Sir": Kaffee says this to Dawson but he's too by-the-book to obey. When Dawson eventually does, it's a sign that he's lost any respect for Kaffee as an officer. And then finally a sign that Kaffee has earned it back at the very end. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6a6e2a10 | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_6a6e2a10 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6b05b601 | type |
Jerkass Has a Point | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6b05b601 | comment |
Jerkass Has a Point: Kendrick says Santiago is dead because "he had no code, he had no honor, and God was watching." Kendrick is a jerk, but Dawson was the one person who stopped the other marines from beating up Santiago, and Santiago tried to get a transfer in exchange for testimony against Dawson for an illegal shooting Dawson may not even have committed. Jessep is right that, as tragic and undeserving as Santiago's death was, Santiago was a substandard Marine and his incompetence was a burden to his unit. Somewhat subverted in that it's clear that Santiago has some sort of medical condition that should necessitate a medical board discharge from the Marines but Jessep won't even entertain a transfer from the unit. Jessep makes a minor salient point when he castigates Markinson for directly disagreeing with him in front of a junior officer/platoon leader, which is considered poor form in the military. He condescendingly reminds Markinson that he's "been promoted up through the chain of command with greater speed and success" than Markinson, but that doesn't mean he's wrong. Jessep was also right about officers being responsible for training the people under their command. While Santiago's problem was medical, Jessep had no way of knowing that. Had he gone about it the right way, deciding to help a substandard officer get better instead of shipping him off to be someone else's problem could have been considered the more noble approach. After Dawson rejects the six-month offer, Kaffee wants to be taken off the case. Jo calls him "a used car salesman" and "an ambulance chaser with a rank". Jo is a terrible lawyer and her smug sense of superiority is completely unjustified. But, JAG officers don't get to choose who they represent. Kaffee was assigned to represent Dawson and Dawson had every right to reject the offer, even if it was a stupid decision. Once Dawson rejected the offer, Kaffee's job was to represent Dawson at trial. The fact that Kaffee thought he could quit the case just because he disagreed with Dawson's decision, proves that he was as lazy and entitled as Jo assumed. Kaffee is a lazy jerk who's just looking out for his own ass but he's right to be frustrated with Dawson turning down an impossibly good deal (pleading guilty to a manslaughter that would get him home in six months when he's facing a first degree murder charge for a crime he has openly confessed to and with his only defense being that he was ordered to do so which he can't even definitively prove) out of a misplaced sense of honor and with Dawson's ingratitude and barely concealed disrespect for him in general. His later harsh rebuttal of Jo's plan to get Jessep to confess to giving the order is also on point as he is absolutely correct that such a plan could go catastrophically wrong and that it'd be him getting destroyed as a result, not her. Not helping is that this is in response to a massive fuck-up (Downey revealing he wasn't present for Kendrick's order without telling Kaffee first) that occured in part because of her not getting the full story when coaching him prior. | |
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Meaningful Echo | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6bd689ca | comment |
Meaningful Echo: Jo twice emphasised her superior position of Special Counsel for Internal Affairs. The first time she pushed her way into the Dawson/Downey case even though Kaffee was assigned as lead counsel. The second time, she warned Kaffee that his last ditch attempt to coax the truth out of Jessep could end badly, this time out of genuine concern. | |
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Improperly Placed Firearms | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6cb4cb70 | comment |
Improperly Placed Firearms: Lt. Colonel Markinson commits suicide with a nickel-plated Beretta 92SB. While this is a fairly common stand-in for the M9 variant of the Beretta 92 and is only really visually distinguishable by the rounder trigger guard, later on in court, it's mentioned that Markinson used a .45. This is probably due to the original play being written in the late eighties, only a few years after the M1911A1 was replaced. It was probably originally supposed to be this, but the script was probably never updated. Some cuts of the film redubbed the line swapping out ".45" for the more generic "pistol". | |
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Artistic License – Military | |
| A Few Good Men / int_6eb4e408 | comment |
Markinson believes so strongly that Jessep will do anything to win the case and has connections powerful enough to do so (even if it doesn't makes sense—see Artistic License – Military above), that he goes on the lam, provides his info to Kaffee Deep Throat-style, and prefers to blow his brains out rather than testify when the latter subpoenas him. In his suicide note (to Santiago's mother), he states "the only truth that you need to know is that I was too weak-willed to prevent your kid's death". | |
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A Few Good Men / int_6eb4e408 | |
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Internal Affairs | |
| A Few Good Men / int_71598ac8 | comment |
Internal Affairs: Lieutenant Commander JoAnn Galloway is Internal Affairs — because she's a rotten lawyer, so making sure everyone else is doing things right is a perfect fit for her. And when there's a military conspiracy that needs taking down, that's a good combination to have. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_71598ac8 | |
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Politically Incorrect Villain | |
| A Few Good Men / int_729c69f3 | comment |
Politically Incorrect Villain: Col. Jessep's speech about superior officers is shockingly misogynist. Interestingly, Jessep was also wrong. Dr. Antonia Novello was the US Surgeon General when A Few Good Men was released. As the head of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Surgeons General always hold the rank of vice admiral. Jessep would have been required by law to salute her. Grace Hopper, still living at the time of the film's release, was promoted to Commodore on 15 Dec 1983 and her rank converted to Rear Admiral (Lower Half) when the rank of Commodore went away in 1985. Jessep would also have been required to salute her. Jessep also calling Kaffee's uniform "faggoty" won't win him the audience's sympathy either. Though his respect for Lionel Kaffee's civil rights work implies that, horrible as he is, at least he's not a racist. | |
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Arc Words | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7464705c | comment |
Arc Words: Colonel Jessep has a preference for saying "we're in the business of saving lives" to justify the bullying way he manages his base. "Code Red", the unwritten, unofficial (and quite illegal) order to punish (read: haze) any Marines Jessep considers incompetent. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_7464705c | |
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Weakness Is Just a State of Mind | |
| A Few Good Men / int_75ea39c3 | comment |
Weakness Is Just a State of Mind: Marine Col. Nathan Jessep has rationalized that the tough atmosphere in his platoon is because "[they're] in the business of saving lives" and can't afford to have anyone lose their integrity. Unfortunately, his soldiers have taken the axiom too far, and their hazing to toughen up Pvt. William Santiago leads to his death. Jessep and the other Marines saw Santiago as weak and incompetent, when it was actually and provably impossible, in a medical sense, for him to keep up with the rest of the troop. | |
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They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7a08e8d1 | comment |
They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: At one point during Kaffee's examination of Jessep, the latter states, "I'd appreciate it if you address me as 'Colonel' or 'sir'. I believe I've earned it." He then mutters to Judge Randolph, "I don't know what the hell kind of unit you're running here." This immediately prompts Randolph to reply, "The witness will address this court as 'Judge' or 'Your Honor'. [giving Jessep a look] I'm quite certain I've earned it. Take your seat, Colonel." Not entirely incidentally, things begin to go downhill for Jessep right after. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_7a08e8d1 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7ac1f1e5 | type |
Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7ac1f1e5 | comment |
Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist: Jack Ross. The audience knows that the defendants didn't mean to kill Santiago, but from Ross' point of view, Santiago was going to testify against Dawson, Dawson killed him, the doctor said the rag was probably poisoned, and the only evidence that Dawson was given an order was the killer's word. Ross was being an honest prosecutor by putting Dawson and Downey on trial. | |
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Armor-Piercing Question | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7b6e47a5 | comment |
This also plays into the final scene in court, where Kaffee uses Jessep's hard-nosed reputation against him to set him up for the Armor-Piercing Question. | |
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"The Reason You Suck" Speech | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7d89315b | comment |
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: The original stage production had Kaffee respond to Jessep's Motive Rant as follows: | |
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Miranda Rights | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7f6a54f2 | comment |
Miranda Rights: Ross recites these after Jessep confesses on the stand. Impressively, he recites the whole of the terms without missing a beat while Jessep is in the middle of yelling and raving at the courtroom and threatening Kaffee. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_7febc23b | type |
Establishing Character Moment | |
| A Few Good Men / int_7febc23b | comment |
Establishing Character Moment: Done early, and it sets the stage for the critical plot point later. While discussing Santiago, transferring him off the base to just get rid of the problem comes up. This clearly pisses off Jessep, who starts saying they should just transfer everyone, shut down the base, and withdraw from Cuba completely. Taking it up a notch, he calls for one of the Marines in the outer office to come in and starts telling him to call the President and inform him that he's shutting the base down and sending everyone home. While his voice is dripping with sarcasm, the important part of the scene is that the Marine he is addressing does not bat an eye and turns around when Jessep is done, fully prepared to go call the President. Jessep has to stop him and specifically tell him not to call the President before he can let him leave the room. Bottom line, Jessep's orders are always obeyed. As everyone knows, this fact comes back to bite him in the ass hard. Kaffee is introduced playing softball, seemingly skipping out on a meeting with the prosecutor on his current case. When said prosecutor tracks him down, Kaffee manages to get a sweet plea bargain for his client simply by appealing to his desire not to have this relatively stupid case (the defendant smoked oregano thinking it was pot) consume three months of his life. It shows Kaffee is lazy and undisciplined, preferring to take the path of least resistance, but also a smart and practical lawyer. Galloway enters the movie over-rehearsing her planned plea to her commander about how she believes Dawson and Downey are victims of circumstance and wants to fight for them (and then flubs it, anyway). This and the subsequent discussion about her reveal she's a principled and thorough lawyer, but she overthinks everything and refuses to compromise on anything when it simply isn't worth the effort. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_7febc23b | |
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Actually Pretty Funny | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8042e814 | comment |
Actually Pretty Funny: When Kaffee turns Ross' own cross-examination of one of the Marines against him – Ross points out "Code Reds" aren't in either the Marine handbook or the handbook about operating on Gitmo, and Kaffee shows that mess halls aren't in the latter either, which doesn't mean Gitmo doesn't have one – Ross is seen smiling and chuckling. He also chuckles at the end when Kaffee reveals the two airmen whom Kaffee brought in to testify that Jessep forged the log books actually had no information whatsoever. | |
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He's Back! | |
| A Few Good Men / int_81bdc398 | comment |
He's Back!: Downey's terrible examination for the defence combined with the suicide of their star witness Markinson causes Kaffee to get drunk and blame their seemingly inevitable defeat on Galloway. Weinberg's reminiscing about Kaffee's father and encouragement that only Kaffee could put Jessep on the stand and win enables him to mend fences and build towards winning the case. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_81bdc398 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_82785455 | type |
Plea Bargain | |
| A Few Good Men / int_82785455 | comment |
Plea Bargain: Dawson refuses to take one. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_82785455 | |
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Artistic License – Law | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8391b1c7 | comment |
Artistic License – Law: Quite a lot of this, as enumerated by a real lawyer here, and again here with a retired Marine Corps Judge Advocate officer. When Ross offered a plea to involuntary manslaughter, Jo rejected it. Attorneys are not allowed to do this. Attorneys have an obligation to convey offers to their clients and only the client can accept or reject them. In fact, both Kaffee and Ross would have been obligated to report her for breaking this rule. Jessep wouldn't be allowed to say "This is ridiculous, check the tower logs for Christ's sake!" That would be opining, and Kaffee would be entitled to object and have it struck from the record. Kaffee wouldn't be allowed to question Jessep in such detail about what Kendrick did with regard to his orders, or what he thought of them, without first establishing exactly how Jessep knew with such certainty what Kendrick did or thought. As it's presented, it's speculation and would be disallowed. Jessep's question "You ever serve in an infantry unit, son?" would be disallowed. Witnesses aren't normally allowed to ask questions of the attorney when they're on the stand. Kaffee could ask the judge to order Jessep to answer the question, but in this case, it's arguably justified that he doesn't because he's leading Jessep into a trap. Kaffee wouldn't be allowed to interrupt Jessep when they're going back and forth about what Jessep said; neither is Jessep allowed to interrupt him. It would result in a muddy and unclear trial record. Kaffee's question "Santiago shouldn't have been in any danger at all, should he, colonel?" is far from the only argumentative question that Kaffee asks Jessep (an argumentative question presumes its own answer, in this case, that Santiago was in danger.) Kaffee wouldn't be allowed to start shouting at Jessep. At this point, however, and going along with the other two points above, Jessep and Kaffee had become invested in a personal confrontation with each other and had repeatedly ignored orders from both sides to knock it off; had Jessep not completely snapped and gone on his Motive Rant that essentially brought the whole trial to a screeching stop, it's likely they both would have been physically restrained and removed from the court room in contempt of court, at the very least (in fact, when Kaffee starts shouting, Rudolph can be heard threatening to hold him in contempt). Not only does Judge Randolph commenting on Kendrick's "impeccable" service record have absolutely nothing to do with the proceedings at hand, but doing so is actually "Commenting on the Evidence", which is against the law. Such a comment would be grounds for Kaffee to object to Randolph continuing to oversee the case on the grounds that he's proven a bias against the defendants. Most of the objections from both Jo and Ross are complete nonsense. Even with all of the objections being overruled by the judge, the lawyers shouldn't be making them in the first place: Ross objects to one of Kaffee's questions about Markinson by saying he wants to know what Kaffee's implying. In essence, he's demanding that Kaffee give him his trial strategy just because he asked a question, which would defeat the entire purpose of a trial strategy. Later on, during Jessep's cross-examination, Ross objects that Kaffee is only trying to smear Jessep's name and asks that he be excused entirely. The problem with this objection is three-fold. First, this type of speaking objection isn't a valid objection and is given with no real basis. Second, such an objection implicitly confirms that the alleged strategy is working and that Kaffee's questions are making his witness look bad, essentially saying that the questioning should be stopped because Ross' witness is flunking. Third, it completely rejects the rights of the defendants. In front of the jury, Kaffee offers to stipulate that Kendrick told the entire platoon not to touch Santiago at a meeting if Ross will stipulate that none of the other platoon members were near Dawson and Downey's room during the timeframe afterwards when Kendrick had a conversation with them the other platoon members were not privy to. There's nothing wrong with such a stipulation per se, but it would never be offered in front of the jury, as it would damage Kaffee's case if he offered it and Ross turned it down. Instead, Kaffee and Ross would speak privately to the judge, after which the judge would inform the jury of the stipulation (for those not in the legal community: a stipulation is something that both sides agree to, and the jury is to treat it as an absolute fact). The Just Following Orders defense is actually a valid defense in this circumstance, but not for the reason illustrated in the movie. In essence, it is a defense to say "I was ordered to do something", but only if a person in that specific circumstance did not know the order was illegal; with how often Code Reds occur on the base, it's perfectly viable for Dawson and Downey to claim that they thought it was a legal order (Downey, at least, genuinely doesn't understand that the order was illegal even after the trial is over). The film instead presents it as a straight "they committed no crimes because they were just following their orders" to lay more of the blame at Jessep's feet. However, even with this defense, they would still at least be liable for manslaughter, even if it wasn't outright murder (though this one falls on the prosecution, whose only theory is premeditated murder). Kaffee wouldn't be court-martialed for asking officers on the witness stand, no matter how highly-ranked, whether they committed a crime. If he gets out of line, the prosecution will object and the judge will decide if the court allows such questioning. However, defense lawyers are allowed to make such questions and not face any kind of court-martial; if anything, if they have evidence of their accusations, they're ethically required to confront the witness with that information. | |
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Necessarily Evil | |
| A Few Good Men / int_83f3983b | comment |
His "you can't handle the truth!" speech is essentially him making one of these about how the armed forces (and especially him) are Necessarily Evil. It backfires — doubly so in the play — because it paints him further as a "my way or the highway, and to hell with all other laws set by man and God" tyrant to everybody else in the courtroom. | |
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Accidental Public Confession | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8513bc0f | comment |
Accidental Public Confession: Col. Nathan R. Jessup angrily admits to ordering the code red in his famous speech. | |
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Fatal Family Photo | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8560c16f | comment |
Fatal Family Photo: Subverted. We see Sam taking a walk in the park with his baby daughter and the whole business seemed shady. Then nothing happened. | |
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Badass Boast | |
| A Few Good Men / int_86b21114 | comment |
Badass Boast: Col. Jessep gives one to Danny when the latter is persuading him to confess about having ordered code red: His "you can't handle the truth!" speech is essentially him making one of these about how the armed forces (and especially him) are Necessarily Evil. It backfires — doubly so in the play — because it paints him further as a "my way or the highway, and to hell with all other laws set by man and God" tyrant to everybody else in the courtroom. | |
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Iwo Jima Pose | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8763fb60 | comment |
Iwo Jima Pose: Washington's Memorial is displayed at one point. | |
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Black-and-Gray Morality | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8767b1f3 | comment |
Black-and-Gray Morality: Jessep and Kendrick are certainly the villains here, issuing illegal orders and then denying involvement when things went awry. But Dawson and Downey both display practically no remorse over killing a fellow Marine (accident or not, they entered his cabin with intent to hurt and humiliate), sticking to their belief they did nothing wrong because they were following orders against a known screwup. In the end, they do receive just punishment (a dishonorable discharge) and Dawson realizes it's fair, even if Downey probably would have gone to his grave thinking he was in the right if Dawson didn't spell it out for him. Even Santiago, though put in a difficult situation, was willing to rat on a fellow marine, the one who wouldn't allow the others to harass him no less, for his own benefit, and may have been knowingly lying about the nature of Dawson's fence shooting in order to get transferred out. None of the three parties come out looking all that great. | |
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Privacy by Distraction | |
| A Few Good Men / int_896592a8 | comment |
Privacy by Distraction: This exchange: | |
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A Few Good Men / int_896592a8 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_89f2f8aa | type |
Misidentified Weapons | |
| A Few Good Men / int_89f2f8aa | comment |
Misidentified Weapons: Lieutenant Colonel Markinson is described as shooting himself with a .45 calibre pistol. However, his suicide is captured onscreen and in the scene in question, he uses a Beretta 92 variant, which is chambered in 9mm. Likely, the writers didn't bother to update the relevant dialogue from the original stage production, which was written when the Marines were still using the M1911 in .45, promptly making it The Artifact when the props department for the movie grabbed the Beretta that most of the Marines had since switched to. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_89f2f8aa | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8ae880f7 | type |
Deconstruction | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8ae880f7 | comment |
Deconstruction: Jessep serves as one of these on the concept of a Colonel Kilgore who is essentially given a blank check to do anything he wants as long as it is for the sake of national defense. In having this mindset, however, he practically steps on everything he claimed to uphold for the sake of his own ego, and then, when a call he made ended up killing one of the Marines under his command, he immediately throws two other Marines (also under his command) under the bus and follows up by doing everything in his power to cover up his involvement. Suffice to say, instead of being A Father to His Men who had to make a tough call, he comes across as a cowardly, egotistical, incompetent commander who shouldn't have been trusted to run an outhouse let alone a military prison whose ego and pettiness killed a young man whose worst crime was that he wasn't as cut out for the Corps as he thought. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_8ae880f7 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8b442f50 | type |
Did Not Get the Girl | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8b442f50 | comment |
Did Not Get the Girl: Once the case is over, Kaffee and Galloway don't get together. They just leave. The pair were only brought together due to the legal case the plot follows. Though they have chemistry, it is noted that they have no grounds for a dedicated relationship once the trial is over. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_8b442f50 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8b6e8d7 | type |
Anachronic Order | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8b6e8d7 | comment |
Anachronic Order: The film opens with Dawson and Downey ambushing Santiago in his quarters and assaulting him. Col. Jessep's meeting with his officers about Santiago, which leads to the assault (or Code Red) is shown later. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_8b6e8d7 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8c918c9d | type |
Broken-System Dogmatist | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8c918c9d | comment |
Broken-System Dogmatist: Jessep. When Kaffee finally has him on the ropes, Jessep angrily rants that he is the only one keeping America safe from its enemies, and if anyone has to die to do it, so be it. | |
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The Vietnam Vet | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8d83bed9 | comment |
The Vietnam Vet: Jessep and Markinson are managed as having served in Vietnam together. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_8d83bed9 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8ed5c6e4 | type |
Asshole Victim | |
| A Few Good Men / int_8ed5c6e4 | comment |
Asshole Victim: Averted. It's implied Santiago tried to sell Dawson out for a transfer even though Dawson was his only ally. Nevertheless, he didn't deserve to be hog-tied and left to suffocate. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_8ed5c6e4 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_90e31482 | type |
Laser-Guided Karma | |
| A Few Good Men / int_90e31482 | comment |
Laser-Guided Karma: Jessep getting charged with Santiago's death after trying to pin it on Dawson and Downey. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_90e31482 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9311f1d8 | type |
Gung Holier Than Thou | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9311f1d8 | comment |
With Dawson, it's his own Gung Holier Than Thou attitude that makes him refuse an easy (well, easier) way out of the mess he and Downey are in because he sees it as dishonorable (he was Just Following Orders, so it couldn't have been that illegal, right?). He realizes at the end of the movie that his willingness to follow an immoral order made him dishonorable anyway. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_9311f1d8 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_957e5fc2 | type |
Villainous Breakdown | |
| A Few Good Men / int_957e5fc2 | comment |
Villainous Breakdown: Jessep has his famous rant, but the real breakdown comes right after when the unflappable Colonel finds he is being charged with Santiago's death and then lunges screaming at Kaffee, who doesn't even bat an eyelash. Then his meltdown continues with an insincere commendation to Kaffee for endangering the country by arresting him. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_957e5fc2 | |
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Heel Realization | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9591377d | comment |
Heel Realization: Dawson realizes that they deserve dishonorable discharges for "conduct unbecoming of a Marine" at the end. He even takes the time to explain it to the amazingly slow-witted Downey. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_9591377d | |
| A Few Good Men / int_96a33f11 | type |
Riddle for the Ages | |
| A Few Good Men / int_96a33f11 | comment |
Riddle for the Ages: Whether or not the fence shooting actually happened and the specifics regarding it. The only one who can testify is Santiago, and not only is there plenty of implication that he was lying that he had evidence in order to try to save his own ass but he also takes the information to the grave. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_96a33f11 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_96b68af2 | type |
Desk Sweep of Rage | |
| A Few Good Men / int_96b68af2 | comment |
Desk Sweep of Rage: It looks like the case is about to be lost, and Kaffee is drowning his sorrows. Galloway says that Kaffee should just put Jessup on the stand, but the risk involved gets Kaffee to go on an angry rant, finishing with doing this to the paperwork on his desk. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_96b68af2 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
| A Few Good Men / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: Col. Nathan Jessep. Dawson and Downey acted on his illegal orders and Kaffee and his legal team have to thwart his attempts to evade justice and throw them under the bus. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_970c790a | |
| A Few Good Men / int_973d220f | type |
Never My Fault | |
| A Few Good Men / int_973d220f | comment |
Never My Fault: Many of the Marines suffer from this, believing that they are above reproach because of the nature of their work and their ultimately good intentions. Jessep is the worst for it. Even after admitting to being behind Santiago's death, he's still incensed at being held responsible for it, blaming Kaffee, whom he accuses of endangering the country by having him arrested. Dawson and Downey have an extreme case of this as well, but grow out of it by the end. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_973d220f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_97fa0a10 | type |
Mass "Oh, Crap!" | |
| A Few Good Men / int_97fa0a10 | comment |
Mass "Oh, Crap!": When Jessep confesses, the whole courtroom goes dead silent. Galloway looks like she's seen a ghost, Jack Ross looks like he's about to cry, and Kaffee's expression is a mixture of "I cannot believe that actually worked" and "you guys all saw that too, right?" | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_97fa0a10 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9843be73 | type |
As You Know | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9843be73 | comment |
As You Know: Delivered by Jessep to Markinson, but then played with in that it allows him to get to the real point of what he's trying to say: | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9843be73 | featureApplicability |
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A Few Good Men / int_9843be73 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_99926ad3 | type |
Inter-Service Rivalry | |
| A Few Good Men / int_99926ad3 | comment |
Inter-Service Rivalry: The good guys are all Navy while the villains are Marines. The good guys see the Marines as Knight Templar fanatics who will endanger their own men's lives for the sake of reputation while the villains see their Navy counterpoints as weak and having no concept of what it truly takes to keep the country safe. Somewhat qualified by Col. Randolph, the judge, a Reasonable Authority Figure; Ross, who's friends with Kaffee and is at worst a Punch-Clock Villain; as well as the likable Corporal Barnes, who offers the visiting Navy officers friendly advice on how not to get shot. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_99926ad3 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9c00c209 | type |
Hurricane of Aphorisms | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9c00c209 | comment |
Hurricane of Aphorisms: Kaffee exchanges sayings with an old guy at a newsstand (this appears to be the entire basis of their relationship). Inevitably, it ends with, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings." "You can say that again." "It ain't over till the fat lady sings." | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_9c00c209 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9d12bbc1 | type |
Foreshadowing | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9d12bbc1 | comment |
Foreshadowing: Markinson criticises Kendrick over his handling of "the Curtis Bell incident" in the first meeting the pair have with Jessep about Santiago. This incident forms the basis of Kaffee's questioning of Kendrick in the courtroom and is revealed to have been a Code Red. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_9d12bbc1 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9e1f8fde | type |
Good Lawyers, Good Clients | |
| A Few Good Men / int_9e1f8fde | comment |
Good Lawyers, Good Clients: Averted. Ross is the opposing prosecutor in the court case where Kaffee is the defense attorney, but both respect each other, and Ross's anger at Kaffee's last-ditch plan to make Jessup confess to his involvement is clearly tinged with some concern, as Kaffee would have certainly been held in contempt if Jessup hadn't slipped up. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_9e1f8fde | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a084f0e0 | type |
Never Speak Ill of the Dead | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a084f0e0 | comment |
Never Speak Ill of the Dead: Lieutenant Kendrick refers to the dead Private Santiago as an average Marine while on the witness stand. Lieutenant Caffey points out that by Kendrick's own reports he was not cut out to be a Marine at all. Kendrick states he did not want to trample on a man's grave. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_a084f0e0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a30a7977 | type |
Highly-Conspicuous Uniform | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a30a7977 | comment |
Highly-Conspicuous Uniform: Zig-Zagged. Weinberg tells Kaffee to wear his white dress uniform when they go to Guantanamo Bay because of how hot it is in Cuba. When they arrive, Galloway is wearing a khaki work uniform. The Marine private that drives the trio from the airfield suggests that Kaffee and Weinberg put on a pair of camouflage jackets he keeps in his jeep, reasoning that, "if the Cubans see an officer wearing white, they might think it's something they want to take a shot at." | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_a30a7977 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a4c37cbe | type |
Mood Whiplash | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a4c37cbe | comment |
Mood Whiplash: After Jack tells Kaffee he was bullied into the courtroom by the memory of his dead father, Kaffee responds by shouting the mildly hilarious, "YOU'RE A LOUSY FUCKING SOFTBALL PLAYER, JACK!" Then it turns sad when Jack ignores his outburst and replies with apparently genuine regret, "Your boys are going down, Danny. I can't stop it any more." | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_a4c37cbe | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a6cda066 | type |
Rule of Three | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a6cda066 | comment |
During questioning, Colonel Jessep answers questions about three phone calls. The first two calls are about the military. The third one turns out to be a call to his sister asking her if she wanted to have dinner. For all his flaws as a soldier, he seems to be a decent enough brother. Additionally, when the defence team are down in Cuba Jessep presents himself as an admirer of Kaffee's late father for his work defending civil rights. He's also Nice to the Waiter. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_a6cda066 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a7aef9ff | type |
Obfuscating Stupidity | |
| A Few Good Men / int_a7aef9ff | comment |
Corporal Barnes is a lesser example of this, while he's a Marine like all the other bad guys, he's very polite and good-humored to Kaffee during his cross-examination and seems like a very nice guy overall. He even seems to be pretty amused when Kaffee points out that because the location of the mess hall is not in the marine handbook, there's no way he could have ever eaten a meal. | |
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1.0 | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_a7aef9ff | |
| A Few Good Men / int_aba8065b | type |
Fatal Flaw | |
| A Few Good Men / int_aba8065b | comment |
Fatal Flaw: With Jessep, it's the fact that he's a Gung Holier Than Thou hard-ass that doesn't tolerate his orders being questioned in any way, shape or form, nor anybody else in the military performing in a way he thinks is poorly (even if justified because of such reasons like bad health or being a woman). He's so arrogant that when Kaffee asks him if he ordered the code red, Judge Randolph tells him he doesn't have to answer the question... and Jessep answers it anyway because he's that proud of what he did. With Markinson, it's his Undying Loyalty to Jessep even in the face of a crime that he acknowledges is going too far (and so when he's confronted with having to testify, and thus betray Jessep, he decides to take the coward's way out and puts the blame on his lack of willpower to prevent it in his letter to Santiago's mother). With Dawson, it's his own Gung Holier Than Thou attitude that makes him refuse an easy (well, easier) way out of the mess he and Downey are in because he sees it as dishonorable (he was Just Following Orders, so it couldn't have been that illegal, right?). He realizes at the end of the movie that his willingness to follow an immoral order made him dishonorable anyway. With Downey, it's his stupidity, which makes him follow orders unhesitatingly (and, furthermore, apparently doesn't seem to have much in the way of common sense). With Jo, it's her Knight Templar tendencies (that made her refuse any and all plea options and go straight to court, which could have gotten Dawson and Downey executed or imprisoned for life and may have gotten Kaffee a black mark on his file, be expelled from the Navy or worse if his courtroom antics hadn't worked) and desire to catch those actually responsible for Santiago's death and other misconducts on Gitmo (namely Jessep), even if that is not the actual objective of her assignment and she's embarrassingly wet behind the ears as a JAG attorney (doubly so as a Lieutenant Commander, a grade which requires at least 12 years in the service to reach). | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_aba8065b | |
| A Few Good Men / int_abc28948 | type |
Straw Misogynist | |
| A Few Good Men / int_abc28948 | comment |
Straw Misogynist: Jessep makes chauvinistic comments about Galloway and military women in general right to her face. To say nothing of his disparaging remarks about Kaffee's "faggoty white uniform." It's pretty clear that Nathan Jessep thinks anyone who isn't Nathan Jessep is beneath him. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_abc28948 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_aca32000 | type |
Armor-Piercing Response | |
| A Few Good Men / int_aca32000 | comment |
Armor-Piercing Response: Weinberg, after Galloway asks him why he has so much obvious contempt for Dawson and Downey: | |
| A Few Good Men / int_aca32000 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_aca32000 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_aca32000 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ad1db87c | type |
Oh, Crap! | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ad1db87c | comment |
Oh, Crap!: Played with: after Jessep confesses, the look on Kaffee's face is a mixture of righteous indignation and shock. It takes him a moment to recover. Understandable, considering what he just pulled off. Jessep has a few when Kaffee begins to Pull the Thread during his examination and reveal the flaws/lies in his story. An extremely subtle one: just before Ross confronts Downey about not having gotten back to the barracks until after the Code Red was ordered, Kaffee can be seen closing his eyes in the background as he realizes what's about to happen. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_ad1db87c | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ad9fbc1e | type |
Pyrrhic Victory | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ad9fbc1e | comment |
Pyrrhic Victory: Colonel Nathan Jessup is accused of manslaughter after carelessly ordering a hazing which killed one of his men. He instead admits that he knew the consequences of his orders. He saved his reputation but he is going to prison for the rest of his life for a crime that doesn't exist. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_ad9fbc1e | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ada62584 | type |
Reminder of Duty | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ada62584 | comment |
Reminder of Duty: The tragic lesson that the two soldiers on trial must learn, even after Col. Jessop exposes that he gave the order that led to Santiago's death, as they are dishonorably discharged. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_ada62584 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ae2ae3 | type |
I Won't Say I'm Guilty | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ae2ae3 | comment |
I Won't Say I'm Guilty: Dawson's position on the Code Red—yes, he did it, but since his commander ordered him to do it, he won't allow himself to plead. Unusually for this trope, Dawson changes his mind at the end. Having been acquitted of the major crimes, he accepts a dishonorable discharge for "conduct unbecoming a Marine," admitting that he should have stood up for Santiago. This is partially foreshadowed when he refuses to plea bargain: | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_ae2ae3 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_ae2ae3 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ae3d6438 | type |
Deadpan Snarker | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ae3d6438 | comment |
Deadpan Snarker: This is a Sorkin film so this is expected. Even in a cast full of snark, Kaffee reigns supreme. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ae3d6438 | featureApplicability |
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A Few Good Men / int_ae3d6438 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b52a20be | type |
Take Five | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b52a20be | comment |
Take Five: | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b52a20be | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b52a20be | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_b52a20be | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b58b4e3c | type |
Too Dumb to Live | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b58b4e3c | comment |
Too Dumb to Live: Private Louden Downey. Galloway states at one point he has no idea what's going on. And when the time comes to put him on the stand, his panic is palpable to the point that Dawson needs to direct him on what to do in front of everyone. And ultimately justified. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_b58b4e3c | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b58b7975 | type |
Kindhearted Simpleton | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b58b7975 | comment |
Kindhearted Simpleton: Downey. He's more polite to his superiors than Dawson and he only knows how to follow orders. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b58b7975 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b58b7975 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_b58b7975 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b5b4c0cf | type |
The End | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b5b4c0cf | comment |
The End: Used straight, in a fairly rare example for a film made in the 1990s. Rob Reiner says on the DVD commentary that it felt right, with the story being a sort of old-fashioned morality play. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b5b4c0cf | featureApplicability |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_b5b4c0cf | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b7475a74 | type |
Bothering by the Book | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b7475a74 | comment |
Bothering by the Book: This is Kaffee's preferred method of plea bargaining. When a prosecutor threatens jail time for Kaffee's client who was caught smoking oregano (thinking it was marijuana), Kaffee threatens to draw out the case for months by filing several motions and burying the guy in paperwork over this trivial matter unless he agrees to a plea. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_b7475a74 | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_b7475a74 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b894042e | type |
False Dichotomy | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b894042e | comment |
False Dichotomy: Colonel Jessup, after having been accused of killing one of his own men (admittedly by accident): "I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post." In other words, you are either at war or not a soldier — and he uses this argument against a military lawyer. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_b894042e | featureConfidence |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_b894042e | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b9b5af3e | type |
The Film of the Play | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b9b5af3e | comment |
The Film of the Play: A film adapted from a play by its screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, a play that was first produced on Broadway by David Brown in 1989. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_b9b5af3e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_b9b5af3e | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bb18a227 | type |
It's All About Me | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bb18a227 | comment |
It's All About Me: Jessep has this in spades. He has no remorse for ordering a weak marine killed and only becomes angry when his validity as a soldier is questioned or his orders disobeyed. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_bb18a227 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bb222e09 | type |
Danger Takes a Backseat | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bb222e09 | comment |
Danger Takes A Back Seat: Lt. Kaffee is on the receiving end when Lt. Col. Markinson is waiting in his car. Markinson points out that he left the back door unlocked. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_bb222e09 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bb40e7e0 | type |
Failed Future Forecast | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bb40e7e0 | comment |
Failed Future Forecast: Can affect perceptions of Jessep's attitude. The play was written in the mid-'80s, but the Soviet Union broke up during the production of the film, which makes it even less likely that the Cuban Revolutionary Army forces on the other side of the Guantanamo perimeter fence would be stupid enough to pick a fight with Jessep's Marines: said another way, Cuba's most significant military ally was in no position to back them up even if it wanted to be the aggressor in World War III. But Jessep still appears to think the Cold War could go hot at any moment. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_bbfaa837 | type |
Knight Templar | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bbfaa837 | comment |
Knight Templar: Colonel Jessep. He reiterates several times throughout the movie the phrase "We're in the business of saving lives," indicating that he truly believes he's doing the right thing. The view in his courtroom speech might be a reasonable statement of the unique role of the military in protecting a free society and the compromises that come with that. When that turned into ordering assaults on his own men and covering it up... Jo is so hell-bent on exposing the abusive practices at Guantanamo Bay that when Jack Ross offers a plea to involuntary manslaughter (which the defendants are actually guilty of) she immediately rejects it and insists on going to trial, risking her clients getting the death penalty. This is another example of Hollywood Law, in real life, rejecting a plea bargain without consulting the client would get an attorney disbarred. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_bbfaa837 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: Kaffee is fine when Ross tells him he was bullied into taking the case to trial (Ross even admits he practically dared Kaffee to do so), but gets very upset when Ross claims the memory of Kaffee's father (a renowned trial lawyer) also did the trick. Jessep responds to Kaffee, telling him he needs Santiago's transfer orders for his file by essentially biting his head off and insisting Kaffee ask "nicely". While this plays into Jessep's obsession that people take his authority as unquestionable, it also might have to do with the fact that no such orders existed as Santiago was never going to be transferred. Kaffee asking for it forces Jessep to give him a fake one Markinson signed after Santiago's death. Judge Randolph is a remarkably neutral authority figure for most of the film, but even he doesn't take it lightly when Jessep mouths off to him one too many. Kendrick has the same flaw as Jessep. When Kaffee brings up how Dawson disobeyed an order to not bring food to a Marine on barracks restrictions and questions what exactly Dawson did wrong, he only responds with barely concealed rage at having his authority questioned and seems like he wants to physically attack Kaffee for doing so. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_bc74ef27 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bce728ca | type |
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal | |
| A Few Good Men / int_bce728ca | comment |
Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Possibly on Dawson's end, as he was the only guy who protected Santiago from the wrath of their fellow marines only for Santiago to try to sell him down the river for an incident that was implied to have not even been Dawson's fault just so he could get his transfer out of Guantanamo. It certainly adds a whole new layer to why Dawson doesn't seem all that contrite, and it's certainly hard to blame him. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_bce728ca | |
| A Few Good Men / int_be991863 | type |
The Neidermeyer | |
| A Few Good Men / int_be991863 | comment |
The Neidermeyer: Colonel Jessep and Lieutenant Kendrick. Neither show the honor and loyalty to their troops which they espouse and would sooner have one physically punished illegally and so dangerously that he dies from the encounter which they then cover up, rather than send him away on point of principle. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_be991863 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_beb8cab5 | type |
Dressing to Die | |
| A Few Good Men / int_beb8cab5 | comment |
Dressing to Die: Lt. Col. Markinson donned his full dress Marine uniform before he Ate His Gun. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_beb8cab5 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c18c22e8 | type |
Colonel Kilgore | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c18c22e8 | comment |
Colonel Kilgore: Being a man who eats breakfast three hundred yards away from men who are trained to kill him, Colonel Jessep feels that he is fighting a war all the time to protect America and will not have his methods questioned, no matter how disgusting or illegal. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_c18c22e8 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c222c94f | type |
Hiding Behind Religion | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c222c94f | comment |
Hiding Behind Religion: Lieutenant Kendrick claims being Christian in his testimony, but simultaneously exposes his absolute absence of compassion. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_c222c94f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c2c15b23 | type |
Bait-and-Switch Comment | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c2c15b23 | comment |
Bait-and-Switch Comment: As Galloway and Weinberg are leaving Kaffee's apartment the night before the trial starts: | |
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A Few Good Men / int_c2c15b23 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c3478f1d | type |
Badass Bookworm | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c3478f1d | comment |
Badass Bookworm: Danny Kaffee and Jack Ross both qualify. They are leading counsel for the defense and prosecution respectively in the case and display extensive legal knowledge in both public and private situations. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_c3478f1d | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: The title, to the Marines recruiting commercial whose tagline is "We're looking for a few good men". | |
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A Few Good Men / int_c75df49a | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c82e751f | type |
Unspoken Plan Guarantee | |
| A Few Good Men / int_c82e751f | comment |
Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Averted, where the night before Jessep is put on the stand, the lawyers have an onscreen meeting about their plan to make him confess, and the next day it's executed perfectly. Roger Ebert cited this as a flaw in the film, saying it's no fun if nothing goes wrong after you've already heard what's going to happen. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_c82e751f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_cd54bed4 | type |
Last-Second Term of Respect | |
| A Few Good Men / int_cd54bed4 | comment |
Last-Second Term of Respect: Lance Corporal Dawson has little respect for his attorney, Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, but because Kaffee's his superior officer, Dawson always addresses Kaffee as "sir", but he makes clear his disdain when doing so. After one particular rant at Kaffee, Dawson waits for almost two beats before adding, "Sir". | |
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A Few Good Men / int_cd54bed4 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ce70175b | type |
Sociopathic Soldier | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ce70175b | comment |
Sociopathic Soldier: Like Colonel Jessep, Lieutenant Kendrick is callous, cruel, and entirely without scruples. He lacks Jessep's outward charm though, so his nastiness is far more obvious. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_ce70175b | |
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Co-Dragons | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ce767e6f | comment |
Co-Dragons: Markinson is Jessep's Only Sane Man counsel who tried to offer reasonable, legal options for dealing with Santiago, while Kendrick is his attack dog who was more than eager to follow the brutish commands of his colonel. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_ce767e6f | |
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Sarcastic Well Wishing | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ceb924d5 | comment |
Then his meltdown continues with an insincere commendation to Kaffee for endangering the country by arresting him. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_ceb924d5 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d129e13e | type |
"Eureka!" Moment | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d129e13e | comment |
"Eureka!" Moment: Kaffee retrieves his baseball bat from his closet and has an epiphany. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_d129e13e | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d24c24ed | type |
Backfire on the Witness Stand | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d24c24ed | comment |
Backfire on the Witness Stand: The cross-examination of Downey almost single-handedly derails the defense when Ross manages to make Downey confess that he was not given the orders for the Code Red directly from the brass, but rather that it was Dawson (a man who would want Santiago dead as accuser and sole witness of the fence shooting Dawson allegedly committed) who got them and told Downey to come along. As for why neither Marine told Kaffee this little bombshell, the answer is "You Didn't Ask". | |
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A Few Good Men / int_d24c24ed | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d487c864 | type |
BackhandedCompliment | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d487c864 | comment |
Backhanded Compliment: | |
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A Few Good Men / int_d487c864 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d52d28b6 | type |
Hypocrite | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d52d28b6 | comment |
Hypocrite: For all of his talk about how Marines never disobey orders, Jessep thinks nothing of ignoring the orders of his own superiors because he thinks he knows better. He lectures about loyalty yet is more than willing to throw two of his men under the bus to save his own hide. Best illustrated when he insists on being addressed by his proper rank in court and given the respect he feels he's earned before mouthing off and openly disrespecting the judge who responds with barely concealed rage. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_d52d28b6 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d5b7a6e3 | type |
Denied Food as Punishment | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d5b7a6e3 | comment |
Denied Food as Punishment: It is mentioned at one point that Lt. Kendrick had placed a misbehaving Marine Private on "barracks restriction" where he was confined to his barracks and given nothing but water and vitamin supplements for a week. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_d5b7a6e3 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d5d34629 | type |
Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d5d34629 | comment |
Treachery Is a Special Kind of Evil: A major theme in the film where different moral codes and conceptions of treachery clash with each other. Colonel Jessep ordered the Code Red on the victim, Willy Santiago, because he tried to exchange incriminating information against a transfer, but then automatically sacrifice those who loyally apply that order. Lieutenant Kendrick candidly declares in court that the victim died because he has no honor and that Dawson once committed a crime by giving food to a punished man. Lieutenant-Colonel Markinson commits suicide because he can't bear his guilt and refuses to testify against his superior. After Judge Randolph orders Downey and Dawson to be dishonorably discharged from the marine corps, the latter concludes they indeed betrayed the victim and the principles they were supposed to defend as Marines. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_d5d34629 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d69c3cdc | type |
Permission to Speak Freely | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d69c3cdc | comment |
Permission to Speak Freely: Lt. Kaffee comes back to Cpl. Dawson, his client, with a deal; if he pleads guilty to a lesser charge (Dawson had accidentally killed Private Santiago when he and Private Downey were trying to give him a Code Red), Dawson and Downey will both get nine months. Dawson just looks at him impassively, even after Kaffee sarcastically points out it's a good deal. Then: | |
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A Few Good Men / int_d69c3cdc | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d7472e4f | type |
Kicked Upstairs | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d7472e4f | comment |
Kicked Upstairs: How Jo ended up in Internal Affairs. She took several months to close a simple case, forcing a promotion to a desk job. | |
| A Few Good Men / int_d7472e4f | featureApplicability |
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A Few Good Men / int_d7472e4f | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dbb414ed | type |
Hand Wave | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dbb414ed | comment |
The film tries to Hand Wave this by saying Jessep is about to be appointed to the National Security Council as the Director of Operations and thus he has enough political clout to be able to pull the necessary strings to make the flight records. However, this is actually averted in the original play; Jessep is able to cover up the flight taking off (which as the commander of the base, is at least slightly plausible) but not the flight landing, and Kaffee is able to obtain the logs of the latter through Markinson. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_dbb414ed | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dca70c44 | type |
Reasonable Authority Figure | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dca70c44 | comment |
Reasonable Authority Figure: Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Markinson quietly objects to Colonel Jessep's hardline attitude and actions towards his men, but is too spineless to stand up to him or call him out when he causes the death of Private Santiago. Meanwhile, Judge Randolph is, well, a judge and so stays neutral, never showing preference for either side and giving everyone a fair chance and as much leeway as he can. What makes him this instead of a prop with dialog is the fact that he makes clear he will not tolerate disrespect and in his courtroom, he is the one who calls the shots, not Jessep: | |
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A Few Good Men / int_dca70c44 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dca97045 | type |
Just Following Orders | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dca97045 | comment |
Just Following Orders: Kaffee proposes using this as the basis for his court defense of Downey and Dawson: they were ordered by superior officers to discipline Santiago, and their "Code Red" just got out of hand. Weinberg retorts that that line of defense didn't work at Nuremberg and it didn't work at My Lai and it's not going to work now. Kaffee fires back that the difference with the Marines is that they were just carrying out a routine order they didn't think would result in any physical harm. But of course, Code Reds are illegal, regardless of what harm might ensue, so their clients should properly have refused the order. Kaffee ultimately gets them acquitted of the most serious charges largely by tricking their CO into admitting on the stand that he had given said illegal orders. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_dca97045 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dcb9c541 | type |
Ship Tease | |
| A Few Good Men / int_dcb9c541 | comment |
Ship Tease: Kaffee and Galloway eventually develop a mutual attraction, and the latter actually shows up at the former's house to ask them out on the spot; however, it doesn't go anywhere, and they both go their separate ways at the end of the filmnote Roger Ebert, who was known for criticizing films for cramming romance into them, actually pointed out that it was kind of unusual for nothing to happen between these two attractive singles. | |
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| A Few Good Men | hasFeature |
A Few Good Men / int_dcb9c541 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_de5e9f69 | type |
Bluffing the Murderer | |
| A Few Good Men / int_de5e9f69 | comment |
Bluffing the Murderer: The climax of the film has the defense lawyer provoking the base commander into a rage in the hope that he would admit to ordering the beating that killed the Marine. It's the sequence that the very famous line does not come from. The bluff hinged on the base commander lying about the time of a particular flight. The defense attorney brought in two airmen that he implied were going to testify as to the actual time of the flight. Turns out that the airmen had absolutely no recollection of anything. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_de5e9f69 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e0c3f8bf | type |
Punch-Clock Hero | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e0c3f8bf | comment |
Punch-Clock Hero: Kaffee's assistant Sam Weinberg loathes his clients Dawson and Downey, but still does his damnedest to help defend them in court because it's his job. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e0c3f8bf | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e0e8cce6 | type |
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids! | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e0e8cce6 | comment |
Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Colonel Jessep calls out Lt. Caffe's naivete while trying to justify his own harsh (and illegal) methods of discipline: | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e0e8cce6 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e288e579 | type |
Lying to the Perp | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e288e579 | comment |
Lying to the Perp: With Jessup on the stand, Kaffee starts talking about a flight from Guantanamo that (he knows, but can't otherwise prove) Jessup has scrubbed from the records, then indicates two Air Force ground crew, who'd been working at the base the day in question, he intends to call to the stand. Jessup is visibly shaken, and later proceeds to the famous meltdown. Confronted by Ross after the trial ends, Kaffee admits that the two men would have testified they hadn't the foggiest memory if there had been a flight that day. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e288e579 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e2d457 | type |
The Ditz | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e2d457 | comment |
The Ditz: Downey is very, very, very dim, to the point that he needs Dawson's lead. It's even lampshaded at one point when Jo warns Kaffee that, even if they have rehearsed the night before, he must remember to ask Downey's questions in the simplest words possible (and when Ross' cross-interrogation blind-sides them with an up-to-then unknown detail, Downey spends a long time asking Dawson what to do (and then answers when Dawson orders him to) rather than answer on his own initiative). Furthermore, at the moment of being sentenced, he also needs to have it explained that, yes, they did commit a crime regardless and deserve a dishonorable discharge. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e2d457 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e313b4e7 | type |
Manchild | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e313b4e7 | comment |
Manchild: Jessep is remarkably childish for a full bird colonel in the United States Marine Corps. Not only is he a He-Man Woman Hater, a Narcissist, and an imperious, contemptuous asshole in just casual conversation, he also seems to actively undermine his superior officers out of sheer egotism and acts more like an arrogant, callous, power-mad, self-absorbed, self-important school-yard bully than an actual commanding officer. Becomes most painfully obvious during his Villainous Breakdown at the end of the film, where he actually to tries to physically assault Kaffee in a courtroom filled with people the moment it sinks in that for once things aren't going to go his way. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e313b4e7 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e35ab565 | type |
Indy Ploy | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e35ab565 | comment |
Indy Ploy: Ultimately, all the false transfers, doctored logs, and witness testimonies mean nothing in regards to proving the case. Kaffee's last-minute hail mary to Jessep's ego saves the day. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e35ab565 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e3cee2e7 | type |
Empathic Environment | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e3cee2e7 | comment |
Empathic Environment: It's pouring rain the day the team has a bad day in court and seriously considers that the guys are doomed. It's a beautiful and sunny day when they get over their collective Heroic BSoD and get their acts together. After Markinson commits suicide, a rainstorm starts up again and lasts the whole night as the group believes that they've just lost the whole case. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e3cee2e7 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e4b69188 | type |
Very Loosely Based on a True Story | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e4b69188 | comment |
Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Sorkin based the story on a real case where his sister worked for the JAG corps, where a marine in Guantanamo was nearly killed in a hazing that a superior officer ordered. | |
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A Few Good Men / int_e4b69188 | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e5a11ab1 | type |
Stopped Dead in Their Tracks | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e5a11ab1 | comment |
Stopped Dead in Their Tracks: When Kaffee inadvertently ends up driving Markinson (see Danger Takes a Backseat above), they're chatting until Markinson says, "Santiago was never going to be transferred off the base," at which point Kaffee slams on the brakes and asks him to repeat what he said. | |
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Hate Sink | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e5fd8bc2 | comment |
Hate Sink: Commander Stone is easily the most detestable character in the film. After misdiagnosing Santiago's health problems during his medical examination, he lies about the cause of death (claiming the rag the Marines used was poisoned despite there being no evidence of such) to save his own ass. Col. Jessep isn't that far behind Stone. His only redeeming quality is that some of the arguments he makes are not completely wrong. Personality-wise though? He's an arrogant, misogynistic, petulant, narcissistic bully, whose incompetence indirectly led to the death of one of his men, which he then attempted to cover up by throwing two more of his men under the bus. Lt. Kendrick is almost as bad as Jessep, being a rude, egotistical weasel who represents every terrible stereotype about Marines. He doesn't even pretend to be charming or less of a macho dickhead like Jessep does. | |
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Mildly Military | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e7c671f3 | comment |
Mildly Military: Kaffee is chronically tardy, doesn't want Dawson to call him "sir," and plays softball while his clients are sitting in jail. Galloway calls him on it several times, and the Marines can barely contain their disgust. It's more or less portrayed as his entire office is like this as his Commander at the beginning barely accosts Kaffee for being late. Also, one marine salutes Kaffee near the end of the movie. Indoors. And without any headgear. This one is forgivable, however. Indoor salutes are done during ceremonies and certain other occasions. The chain of command for the Gitmo Marines is incredibly strange. For a situation involving a Private's death, the Company Commander (the officer that should theoretically exist between Col. Jessep and Lt. Kendrick) is nowhere to be found. The idea that a full bird Colonel would be communicating directly to a Platoon Leader about an enlisted is laughable. | |
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O.O.C. Is Serious Business | |
| A Few Good Men / int_e83f211c | comment |
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Kaffee grills Jessep in court over the Code Red, Ross breaks his Punch-Clock Villain persona shouting "DAMMIT KAFFEE!!!", in a tone that shows more worry than anger. He broke character because he was afraid Kaffee was going too far and was trying to snap him out of it. | |
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Ham-to-Ham Combat | |
| A Few Good Men / int_eb0df85e | comment |
Ham-to-Ham Combat: The famous climactic scene between Kaffee and Jessep. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_ec0ce986 | type |
Spotting the Thread | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ec0ce986 | comment |
Spotting the Thread: A downplayed example when Kaffee explains why he decided to stay on as lead counsel: Jessep's initial questioning, in which Kaffee points out that Jessep had packed quite a few items for a one-day trip - while Santiago hadn't done any packing whatsoever, despite his reported imminent transfer out of Guantanamo. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_f16da697 | type |
Undying Loyalty | |
| A Few Good Men / int_f16da697 | comment |
With Markinson, it's his Undying Loyalty to Jessep even in the face of a crime that he acknowledges is going too far (and so when he's confronted with having to testify, and thus betray Jessep, he decides to take the coward's way out and puts the blame on his lack of willpower to prevent it in his letter to Santiago's mother). | |
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Cliché Storm | |
| A Few Good Men / int_f300ca44 | comment |
Cliché Storm: Invoked; Kaffee has a throwaway conversation with the local newsstand vendor involving each of them trying to wryly out-cliché the other. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_f492089e | type |
Quote-to-Quote Combat | |
| A Few Good Men / int_f492089e | comment |
Quote-to-Quote Combat: Done twice between Lt. Daniel Kaffee and Luther, the newsstand attendant. It appears to be part of their daily routine, a friendly verbal quote competition. Here's the first one: | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_f51f4509 | type |
Tagline | |
| A Few Good Men / int_f51f4509 | comment |
Tagline: "In the heart of the nation's capital, in a courthouse of the U.S. government, one man will stop at nothing to keep his honor, and one will stop at nothing to find the truth." | |
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The Dilbert Principle | |
| A Few Good Men / int_f63acc9c | comment |
The Dilbert Principle: Kaffee and Weinberg are both better lawyers than Jo, but she outranks them because promoting her was the quickest easiest way to get her away from trial work. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_f8e010ce | type |
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good | |
| A Few Good Men / int_f8e010ce | comment |
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When the jury exits the courtroom after Jessep confesses, his reaction is not anger or denial, but confusion at something that strikes him as ridiculous, asking "Colonel, what the hell is this? I did my job and I'd do it again" with the bored irritation as if someone just stole one of his French fries at lunchtime. | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_fa83658b | type |
Surprise Witness | |
| A Few Good Men / int_fa83658b | comment |
Surprise Witness. Subverted when Kafee points out two airmen who he implies would prove that part of Jessep's testimony was a lie. After he pulls a Perry Mason and gets Jessup into a Motive Rant, he admits to the prosecutor that it was a con, and the "surprise witnesses" wouldn't have been able to prove a thing. | |
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Not Even Bothering with an Excuse | |
| A Few Good Men / int_fb739a16 | comment |
Not Even Bothering with an Excuse: Lt. Kaffee walks into a meeting late, and his CO says, "Don't worry, I know you don't have a good excuse, so I won't force you to come up with a bad one," to which Kaffee responds with a cheerful, "Thank you, sir!" | |
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| A Few Good Men / int_fe0330fb | type |
Brick Joke | |
| A Few Good Men / int_fe0330fb | comment |
Brick Joke: It starts with this line: Later on when it looks like the case is slipping away from them)—->Galloway: I'm sorry I cost you the steak knives. | |
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Pet the Dog | |
| A Few Good Men / int_ff7f34c5 | comment |
Pet the Dog: During questioning, Colonel Jessep answers questions about three phone calls. The first two calls are about the military. The third one turns out to be a call to his sister asking her if she wanted to have dinner. For all his flaws as a soldier, he seems to be a decent enough brother. Additionally, when the defence team are down in Cuba Jessep presents himself as an admirer of Kaffee's late father for his work defending civil rights. He's also Nice to the Waiter. It's extremely minor but Kendrick, despite being a complete bastard, does respond that he saw Santiago as an average Marine rather than substandard as he had said in his reports, claiming he "saw no need to trample on a man's grave". | |
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A Few Good Men |
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