MovieChat Forums > A Few Good Men (1992) Discussion > Anti-military?

Anti-military?

posted 9 years ago by RomaVictorrrr
11 replies | jump to latest

Love this movie. Love watching it every time they play it on cable. The story bubbles, the dialogue sparkles, and the drama is tense and engaging.

That said, wasn't this movie just a tad bit anti-military? And the "bad guys" in the movie are religious, sexist, use homophobic slurs, and talk a lot about codes and honor, almost as if the writers were grouping ALL these traits together as "bad".

The innocent soldiers also talk about code and honor--to their own detriment. They come off looking stupid (the little one) or stubborn (the taller one--whose performance I appreciate more and more every time i see it).

And the good guy Kaffee has a father who helped end segregation in schools. How charming. The politics of the writer (the incredible Aaron Sorkin) is so obvious, it's a little annoying.

[–] justin-wjn 9 years ago

If the writers and the protagonist thought Dawson's belief in code and honor was "bad", then the protagonist Kaffee wouldn't have gone out of his way to defend him, against his better judgments.

[–] Steppy412 9 years ago

@RomaVictorrrr
Yes, Sorkin's politics are on full display - as they always are. Anyone surprised by this hasn't been paying attention. I don't always agree with Sorkin's political stances, but he is a hell of a writer.
It wasn't "anti-military", or anti religion/code/honor/whatever. All of the main characters were military. If anything, it showed there are good and bad people everywhere.

[–] spookyrat1 8 years ago

You want me on that wall! You need me on that wall!

Because they stand on a wall and say, "Nothing's going to hurt you tonight, not on my watch.

Lines like that don't come from a guy who's anti-military IMO. Not to mention the fact that Aaron Sorkin's sister was in the military when he originally wrote the play the film is based upon and who gave him real life examples, on which he developed the story.🐭

[–] acidraindrop (3055) a year ago

Facts.

People who think this movie is anti-military are betraying their superficial reading of the film.

[–] rj-27 8 years ago

"You don't have to wear a uniform to have honor."

I think this film is more anti-military than neutral, because it certainly isn't pro-military, which are the three basic stances.

When this movie was being made, the first "Shock and Awe" of Desert Storm in Iraq had recently concluded.

The serious worship of the military was just getting under way. I think this movie was a way of providing a little bit of balance to the glorification of the military and all that it stands for.

Democracy is the pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. H.L. Mencken

[–] joedonato234 8 years ago

Yes the film is anti-military, annoyingly so. Nicholson's character seems to be modeled after Nixon somewhat. Even if what he says is true, his power and position have corrupted him.

[–] jpssteveshanahan (399) a year ago

"Nicholson's character seems to be modeled after Nixon". Never thought of it that way.

[–] the_bamboo_spear 8 years ago

Like The Rock, it was mostly just anti-Marine.

"It was Shnoke. He shedushed our shon to the Dark Shide"

[–] Kawada_Kira (7269) 5 years ago

This is part of the problem with the US, this attitude that if the military isn't held up like some divine unaccountable thing that no one can touch, it's "anti-military". It's quite frightening actually. And this cult has only intensified in the years since this movie, such that the military culture displayed in this movie is dwarfed by the sheer fanaticism that the US has developed for the military in the time since. I can't imagine the military actually being held accountable to anything today, or being able to be depicted as anything other than utterly and completely immaculate and heroic in a film today. This movie was very pro-military, annoyingly so at some points. The movie isn't anti-military; it's pro-law and order, and anti-the idea that the military should be above the law. The fact that there are people who see that as "anti-military" is downright terrifying.

[–] liscarkat (16476) 4 years ago

You are so easily terrified.

[–] liscarkat (16476) 3 years ago

Yes, it is anti-military. It was directed by Rob Reiner. What else would you expect?