PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
A Few Good Men (1992)

A Few Good Men (1992)

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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Drama	DVD Teaser Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	1992
Running Time	132
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Rob Reiner
Studio Distributor	Sony Pictures Home Entertain	Starring	Tom Cruise Jack Nicholson Demi Moore Kevin Bacon Kevin Pollak James Marshall J.T. Walsh Kiefer Sutherland
Case	Brackley-Trans-No Lip	Starring
RPI	$36.95	Music	Marc Shaiman

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English MPEG 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	English Polish Czech Hungarian Cantonese Italian Greek Hebrew	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore star in this courtroom drama. The story revolves around the events that follow the death of Private Santiago, a marine stationed in Cuba who is given a "code red", which is an unofficial punishment for being sub-standard or for ratting on one's mates. Unfortunately, it turns out that Private Santiago apparently has a weak heart, and this results in his "code red" turning from a mere disciplinary action into a murder.

Lieutenant Danial Kaffee (Tom Cruise), who is a lawyer known for out-of-court settlements, and Lieutenant-Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), who is an overly-conscientious naval investigator, are dispatched to Guantanamo Naval Air Station in Cuba to investigate the events surrounding the death of Private Santiago. During the course of their investigations, it becomes clear that the commanding officer of the unit, Colonel Nathan R. Jessep (Jack Nicholson) gave the order for the "code red", and is thus responsible for Private Santiago's death, rather than the two privates who are initially charged with the murder. Unfortunately, proving this in a court of law is another matter.

The sequence of events which unfolds is both dramatic, and a little unexpected (and won't be given away). The climactic courtroom scene is very well acted, with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson keeping us guessing until the very end. Their interaction on screen is marvellous to watch.

Suffice it to say, that this is an excellent movie about the definition of honour which will keep you entertained and guessing throughout. The actors are well-cast and play their roles very well.

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Transfer Quality

Video

As with all Columbia Tristar DVDs, the picture quality of this DVD is of a very high standard. This transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, 16x9 enhanced. Colours were bright, clear and well-saturated throughout. Both outdoor and indoor scenes were crisp and clear. There were no visible MPEG artefacts or movie artefacts that I could see. I could pick no faults with the transfer, and it just falls short of a reference standard rating.

Audio

The audio was a 4 channel matrix mix. Dialogue was always clear and intelligible. There was little use of the surrounds except for some atmospherics, but this is fairly standard for a dialogue-driven movie. What more can I say?

Extras

There are no extras on this disc, just the standard Columbia Tristar teaser trailer. I'll keep forgiving them for the moment, given the quality of the video/audio in their releases, but hopefully they will soon rectify this problem and start adding at least some extras.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

The Region 1 version of this DVD has been re-released as a Special Edition. It offers an Audio Commentary and many other extras, and is the version of choice.

Summary

This is gripping drama which will keep you entertained until the very end. It is a pacy and powerful story which never has a slow moment. The acting is excellent, and the characters are well-developed which makes for a thought-provoking movie experience - the issue at stake in the movie is the definition of honour, and just how difficult this is to define. The video transfer is excellent, and the audio transfer is as good as we could expect given the source material.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	Pioneer DV-505, using S-Video output
Display	Loewe Art-95 (95cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL).
Audio Decoder	AMC AV-81HT Prologic/THX decoder. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
Amplification	2 x EA Playmaster 100W per channel stereo amplifiers for Left, Right, Left Rear and Right Rear; Philips 360 50W per channel stereo amplifier for Centre and Subwoofer
Speakers	Philips S2000 speakers for Left, Right; Polk Audio CS-100 Centre Speaker; Apex AS-123 speakers for Left Rear and Right Rear; Yamaha B100-115SE subwoofer

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