I've seen this film a bunch of times - and have read the play - and felt like revisiting it. For the most part it holds up very well - the "world" of Naval lawyers is less fresh than it was at the time but the structure holds. There's plenty of twists and turns and the hero, Kaffee, has a real arc from irresponsible playboy to conscientious lawyer. It's among the most perfect Tom Cruise roles of all time.
True, the one female character, Jo just eggs on the hero - but at least she has a character to play (well meaning, nerdy, clutzy). Sam eggs on Kaffee as well - the wisecracking Jew who is mostly there for extra exposition.
Some end of scene moments aren't great (they weren't great then): "you don't need a badge to have honor", "why do you like them so much", "I'm sexually aroused". The script ends on a kiss between Jo and Kaffee - I think it was good to cut. If you want romance, you can read into it.
But a very strong script. There are some solid parts - the defence lawyer, Ross, is a good role, as are the two defendents, the proud Dawson and the dim Downey - and of course Jessep is a dream, and Kendrick and the mysterious (and sooky) Markinson. It's extremely good stuff.
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