Continuity mistake: During the trial at the end, Jessup struggles with the MPs to get to Danny Kaffee. After the struggle, his tie is all out of place. In the following close-up shots, it's re-aligned, before becoming completely askew as Jessup goes to retrieve his hat.
A Few Good Men (1992)
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, J.T. Walsh, Christopher Guest, James Marshall
Character mistake: Lt. Caffey (Tom Cruise) wants the two marines to plead guilty and take a deal because he doesn't want the to "spend the rest of their lives in Leavenworth (prison)." The United States Disciplinary Barracks is indeed located in Leavenworth, Kansas. And the US Army and US Air Force send convicted felons there to do their time. However, Marines and members of the United States Navy are sent to Portsmouth Naval Prison in New Hampshire. It is run by the Marines.
Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.
Suggested correction: It's perfectly within character that Caffey wouldn't know this. He's been in the navy a short time, never tried a case in a courtroom, and is generally uninterested in military protocol.
Continuity mistake: In one scene when Sam and Jo are leaving Danny's apartment, there is a wide shot showing Daniel opening the door, then there is a close up of Daniel and Sam, and Sam opens the door again.
Trivia: Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has a cameo as a lawyer in a bar talking to a woman about one of his cases.
Trivia: Maud Winchester, who plays Aunt Jenny, is the sister-in-law of Rob Reiner, the film's director.
Trivia: All of Jack Nicholson's scenes were filmed in only 10 days.
Col. Nathan R. Jessep: Son, we live in a world that has walls and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines; you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.
You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you, " and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.
Lt. Daniel Kaffee: My client is a moron. That's not against the law.
Col. Nathan R. Jessup: Sweet dreams, son.
Lt. Daniel Kaffee: Don't call me son. I am a lawyer and officer in the United States Navy, and you're under arrest, you son of a bitch.
Question: What exactly is a Code Red?
Answer: It's something done to one trooper in a unit who is not pulling his load, to let him know his teammates are tired of him making them look bad. It can range from a beating after lights out to scrubbing a soldier who won't shower with toilet brushes and Comet. (And yes, both of those are from my own military experience, though I wasn't the victim!) It's meant to give a warning and doesn't normally harm anything but the victim's pride. They are strongly against regulations in the past year or two as several soldiers were injured by their unit getting overzealous, just like in the movie.
Question: What's the significance of PFC Louden Downey not being in his room when the "Code Red" was given?
Answer: It'll be considered hearsay.
Answer: The point is that he wasn't there when the lieutenant ordered the code red. The lance corporal told him LT Kendrick had ordered the code red, but since he didn't hear it himself he couldn't testify to that fact.
Answer: In addition to the previous answers, it was also particularly devastating to the defense because Kaffee and his team had believed that both Downey and Dawson were present when the order was given; this was what Dawson had led them to believe, since, in his mind, an order from Kendrick via Dawson was the same as an order directly from Kendrick. Therefore, Kaffee et al. were blindsided in open court by the revelation that Downey wasn't there.
Question: Since the link on the answer to the original question is now broken, I will ask it again; What does Jessup mean when he says he wants Santiago to make 4-6-4-6 on his next proficiency report?
Chosen answer: The Marine proficiency and conduct report is scored from 0.0 to 5.0. Above 4.5 is classified as "Excellent", which is why Jessup wanted him at 4.6.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.