MovieChat Forums > A Few Good Men (1992) Discussion > Dawson called the Ambulance and stayed. ...

Dawson called the Ambulance and stayed. This is HUGE.

posted 8 years ago by rp0383
11 replies | jump to latest

Kaffee briefly talks of this with Dawson and asks "did anyone see" (you make the call). Who else would have made the call? AND the fact that Dawson and Downey were still there when the ambulance arrived is also HUGE. Is that still manslaughter? Yes probably, but still gives the whole trial a much different tone and consequence. I know that Kaffee (even before meeting Dawson and Downey) suggested involuntary manslaughter but I still wonder why the phone call and non-flee wasn't brought up more . He could have even mentioned it in the opening statement. "They weren't there for kicks on a Saturday night... In fact they called the ambulance and stayed with William until it arrived"

[–] wlp325 8 years ago

Dawson and Downey had no where to flee. They're going to cross over the boarder into Cuban territory, or go for a very long swim? Of course they'd call the ambulance and stay. They were ordered to perform the code red, so it was known they'd be in his room.

My biggest problem was the supposed poison on the rag. If it cannot chemically be detected, it would never carry the weight it did in D&D's trial. I know the doctor stated the deceased fluid-filled lungs was consistent with a poison, but once Kaffee got him to agree other causes, as well, could lead to the lactic acidosis condition, the poison as evidence should have become moot.

Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You were the best.

[–] rp0383 8 years ago

Agreed. The rag could have (and I think would have) been important evidence and would have been contained and subjected to physical analysis at a lab.

Also, I wonder why Kendrick chose Dawson to perform the code red. Considering the tight knit group, ANYONE should have been willing and able to carry out the order. Perhaps it was a safety net (in case something went wrong (like it did)) then Dawson had motive (since he was the one that was being ratted on for the illegal fence line shooting) and could therefore be blamed. Wouldn't this have been interesting twist in the story if the story was about Dawson and Downey doing this to Santiago after someone else (say PFC Pete Johnson) did the illegal shooting and was being ratted on.

[–] wlp325 8 years ago

I believe Kendrick chose Dawson precisely because of his implication in the fence line shooting. He probably felt Dawson, of anyone, would give a code red treatment to Santiago he wouldn't soon forget.

Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You were the best.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] KSzir 8 years ago

I don't think Kendrick was sadistic. He was unlikeable but HE WAS ORDERED by Jessup. Kendrick didn't issue the Code Red himself, he was following the order given by Jessup. As Jessup brings up in court: his orders are always followed. Kendrick might have been a jerk to Kaffee, but he might have still been a good Marine officer. It wasn't the first Code Red Kendrick had given, just the first one that ended with someone dead.

Kaffee chose Dawson for the Code Red to test Dawson. It's brought up in the trial that Dawson had not gotten his promotion to Corporal, like many in his class because of one bad conduct report. Kendrick even admits that the bad conduct report, which results in Dawson being passed over, was because Dawson disobeyed Kendrick on the earlier Code Red by sneaking food to the Marine being punished for stealing liquor. I get that Kendrick was giving Dawson another chance by Kendrick to do the Code Red on Santiago and if Dawson would have done his duty, he might have gotten his promotion to Corporal. That's why Dawson is chosen. I don't think Kendrick wanted them to kill Santiago. As the doctor's report points out, Santiago died by accident. He had an undetected heart problem that caused him to die from not being able to breathe with the rag in his mouth. Downey says they were just going to shave his head. It wasn't a brutal Code Red. It just happened to get out of hand.

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] mikeyg24 8 years ago

the poison as evidence should have become moot.

But was it not moot all along? Kaffee wasn't even trying to disprove poison exclusively he just wanted to prove it could have been something else too. Even the Judge admits it's the Doctors expert opinion. I never got the impression the poisoned rag theory would have been taken as fact by the court members.

24/04/1916

[–] shawnc101 8 years ago

This always bugged me as well. If they intended to kill him, why call the ambulance and wait for it?

[–] ncdwbmk6 8 years ago

I don't think anyone accused them of trying to kill him. They were on trial because their actions resulted in his death.

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Fowler's knots? Did you say ... fowler's knots?

[–] toddwelch-1 7 years ago

They were on trial for murder so yes, they were accused by the US Government of killing Santiago.

[–] Sir_Cadogan 7 years ago

One of the crimes they are on trial for is "conspiracy to commit murder". That would mean that one of the things the accusers were trying to prove was that they were trying/planning to kill him.