Fans of courtroom dramas are in for a treat tonight as A Few Good Men airs on Film4 at 9pm. The 1992 legal thriller, hailed by audiences as a 'masterpiece' and 'best film of all time', stars Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore in the principal roles.
The supporting cast includes Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, J. T. Walsh, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Kiefer Sutherland. Rob Reiner directed from a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, who adapted his own 1989 stage play of the same name.
Inspiration and plot
Sorkin drew inspiration for the play after a telephone conversation with his sister Deborah, a Boston University Law School graduate who had enlisted for a three-year posting with the US Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps.
The film's official synopsis reads: "A military lawyer intends to prove that two US Marines charged with murdering a fellow Marine were only following their base commander's orders."
Box office and acclaim
A Few Good Men opened on December 11, 1992, and took $243 million at the worldwide box office against a production budget of $40 million. It secured four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Sound and Best Film Editing.
Remarkably, Sorkin drafted much of the narrative on cocktail napkins while working as a bartender at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. He and his flatmates had bought a Macintosh 512K, and upon returning from bar shifts he would empty his pockets of napkins and type the hastily written notes onto his computer.
Critical and fan reaction
Critics were captivated, with one writing: "A Few Good Men has a whole cast of good men - and one good woman - and it's this ensemble that makes director Rob Reiner's conventional courtroom drama so enthralling."
Another reviewer said: "The courtroom scenes are gripping, the complexities of the plot (screenplay by Aaron Sorkin from his play) well controlled. And Jack Nicholson lights up the screen with his rage and bitterness and his final bluster."
One fan said on Rotten Tomatoes: "This movie is a classic and I have watched countless times over the years. It has everything a great movie needs. The cast is amazing, story line is fantastic, plot will keep you interested and the ending is brilliant!!!"
A user review on IMDB says: "This is my all-time favourite movie. I've probably watched it 300 times and I can recite it line by line. The acting is superb and Aaron Sorkin's story sucks you in from the opening minute. There is so much great dialogue, headlined by Tom Cruise's courtroom battle with Jack Nicholson at the movie's climax."
Another audience member's review reads: "What a film, absolutely a masterclass in acting, story. Just finished the movie for the first time, and let there be no doubt, it shall not be the last." One fan said: "Pure Gold. I still have goosebumps from this fine specimen of a movie. Such a wonderful script, so many brilliant performances."
A Few Good Men airs tonight on Film4 at 9pm. It is also available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
