An excellent film, which deserves the time we can give it, but which has a group of poorly conceived characters and a terrible protagonist.
Personally, I really like courtroom dramas, it's a genre of cinema that I enjoy and that generally works very well for me. I also have a certain tendency to like films based on the military environment. This film, combining both things, seemed like the best of both worlds and perfect for me.
Actually, I really liked it. Directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin, the film focuses on the team of lawyers who will defend two US Marine Corps soldiers in a military justice case in which they are accused of having killed a fellow soldier in the wake of a barracks prank, that is, an informal punishment for something done wrong. They claim that they did not know the comrade's health status and that they received discreet verbal orders to take that action, with the tacit knowledge of the unit commander, stationed in Guantánamo. But the evidence is completely non-existent, everything indicates that it is a completely lost case, and that they will have to make a deal to avoid a conviction and a harsh prison sentence.
The film, overall, is excellent and highly recommended. It wonderfully entertains the audience and time passes so quickly that we don't even notice it. The direction is pragmatic and effective, the editing is quite correct and, technically, it presents us with cinematography with magnificent colors, impeccable sets and costumes, convincing realism and a sense of credibility in which not even the story seems exaggerated or stilted.
However, the film has a huge problem, called Tom Cruise. I don't know the actor personally, I don't know how he is when dealing with people, but the idea that Mr. Cruise conveys of himself to others is that of someone who is deeply arrogant and a little rude. I'm not saying that he is like that, but that this is the image he conveys in interviews, in public appearances, when dealing with fans, etc. and that this perhaps has a certain impact on the type of works that are presented to him, and which almost always end up being boastful, arrogant characters, with little respect for others and egoic. That's what happens in this film, where his character is terribly irritating to everyone and everything for no reason and adopts behavior that is completely unacceptable for a military officer, even deserving of an internal disciplinary process. The character is unlikely and very difficult to swallow, considerably ruining the film.
Demi Moore is also not one of the actresses I like to watch, but she is frankly more palatable than Cruise. The actress does what she can with the character she was given, and her biggest problem is the character's weakness, which is terrible. She is an officer who does not have the firmness and authority that a superior officer should have, regardless of her gender: she is publicly disrespected by a lower-ranking soldier, she does not immediately take action to demand the respect she is due and, later, still acts like it's her fault. What kind of officer is she? In addition to this, the flirting scenes between her and Cruise should never have been included in the final cut. They are an absolute shame.
To add to all this, we have Jack Nicholson, who played the Marine commander in Guantánamo. The actor does not deserve criticism, especially because he offers us the best and most complete dramatic exercise in this film. He is one of the great actors of the 20th century, capable of shining even with unpleasant characters. And there is no doubt that this is an unpleasant character: a arrogant, arrogant officer who seems to forget that there are duties inherent to the burden of command, which always include respect for all subordinates and care for their health and safety. your needs. The mission is fundamental, discipline is essential, but humanity cannot be left behind, much less for an officer commanding troops on campaign.