BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore star in Rob Reiner's unanimously acclaimed drama about the dangerous difference between following orders and following one's conscience. Cruise stars as a brash Navy lawyer who's teamed with a gung-ho litigator (Moore) in a politically explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier, they are confronted with complex issues of loyalty and honour - including its most sacred code and formidable warrior (Nicholson). Superbly directed with a trio of powerhouse performances and an outstanding supporting cast including Kevin Pollack, Kiefer Sutherland and Kevin Bacon, A Few Good Men, is "entertainment to be seen and appreciated... consistently gripping" (Desson Howe, Washington Post).

FILM REVIEW: "A Few Good Men" is first-rate drama and intrigue combined with a quality, super star cast. It gives you the feeling of how movies used to be made, where it was just story, characters and drama without location hopping and extensive CGI. This film is based on the stage play of the same name from Aaron Sorkin (who would later go on to create The West Wing) and one can see the roots of this story in the film with its character-based set pieces. However, it is to Rob Reiner's credit that he expanded the film's scope to make it more alive than a stage play and work as a film. Everything really clicks with this film, including the all-star cast who seem to have challenged each other to get their best work on screen. Overall, this is a film not to be missed.

The film sets us up with what appears to be a straight-forward murder mystery; two marines are accused of intentionally killing another marine at their base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Tom Cruise's Lt. Caffee is assigned the case and at first tries to plea bargain the best deal for his clients but is eventually forced to look closer by firebrand Lt. Cmdr Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore). He is joined by his friend Kevin Pollack and as the three look closer, the more they realise that they've barely scratched the surface of this complex case which could in fact implicate the commander of Guantanamo Bay, Col. Jessop (Jack Nicholson) due to an alleged order given to the two marines to give the victim a form of disciplinary action called a 'Code Red'.

This type of story immediately draws you in with its intrigue. A story where nothing is at it seems is delicious when executed correctly and "A Few Good Men" doesn't disappoint. The story works so well not only because it's so well constructed, both in screenplay form and in its direction, but the dialogue and acting is also spot on. Watching an all star cast in Cruise, Moore and Nicholson, and amptly backed up by Pollack, Bacon, Sutherland and the late J.T. Walsh is a joy, with all of them appearing like they enjoyed working with such strong material. The court room scenes, despite their static nature, are the strongest of the lot, with the most famous being the final scenes between Cruise and Nicholson. Given the fact that its a character piece and plot driven, the film also has a number of twists and surprises which are not forced and make the viewing of the film all the more enjoyable.

Performances across the board are excellent. Tom Cruise, otherwise annoying in his cheeky Top Gun-esque roles, is spot on with his character of Daniel Caffee. We see a growth in Cruise as a character in this film, almost as if it's a vehicle to transport him from his early 80's roles to something more complex and deep. Demi Moore and Kevin Pollack work brilliantly as Caffee's legal team, with Kevin Bacon playing the role of the DA quite well, expertly trying to outmanouevre Caffee at every turn. Kiefer Sutherland is downright creepy as Lt. Kendrick but the true powerhouse performance comes from no one other than Jack Nicholson. He's only in the film for maybe 30 minutes but it's so strong that it'll leave a lasting impression. His infamous line, "You can't handle the truth!" has been constantly quoted in popular culture.

The film looks great and as I said before, it's to Reiner's credit that he actually makes this a 'film'. He could have very easily been lazy and locked himself in to static sets, especially as this is a courtroom drama, but Reiner takes us out and about, including a trip down to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The film is shot with an old-style sensibility, further lending credence to the theory that it's style pays homage to the old Studio-style films of the forties and fifties. Great stuff.

An excellent film that will keep you on the edge of your seat through riveting performances and a great story.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The transfer of this film is first rate. The picture is crisp, colourful and sharp throughout. Impressive considering its a single disc with this amount of extras. The sound track is also first rate, and peculiarly, the dialogue will actually give your home theatre system a work out, particularly in the final courtroom show down between Cruise and Nicholson. A well produced disc.

EXTRAS REVIEW: We have a fine collection of extras on this disc. It's a shame they had to re-release this disc as an "Anniversary Edition" before we got all of these extras! We first have a 35 minute documentary and a 14 minute featurette which cover the making of the film and go well beyond the promotional featurette style, including a look back at its stage origins. There is also an extensive audio commentary from director Rob Reiner who provides us with a lot of insight in to the production, as well as trailers and talent profiles. The fact that they were able to squeeze all of this on to one disc with an exceptional transfer of the film is a job well done. A great collection of extras!

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.