A Few Good Man - Movie Review Example

A Few Good Men A Few Good Men begins with the death of Santiago, a marine, at Guantamano Naval Air Station with two marines, Downey and Dawson charged for his murder (Sorkin, 1990, p. 8). They are represented by a lazy navy lawyer, Kaffee known of settling issues out of court to avoid public embarrassment to the navy. Moore, a top navy lawyer from Washington, wants to investigate further on the Santiago case as she thinks there is more to it than is demonstrated; Downey and Dawson would not talk, even to save themselves, as dictated by the marine cord.

The defense manages to prove the presence of Code Red, “an extrajudicial punishment” for dissenting officers, but there is a setback when it is proved that Dawson was absent when the code red order was made. As the movie ends, Colonel Jessup contradicts his testimony and angrily justifies his actions that led to the death of Santiago. Jessup is arrested, while Downey and Dawson are found guilty of unbecoming conduct of a marine and discharged dishonorably. A Few Good Men touches on military justice and demonstrates how military honor and competence is suborned by authorities.

Dawson and Downey were treated fairly in A Few Good Men as they were cleared of murder and Jessup was arrested for giving the code red order on Santiago. Dawson and Downey were following orders dictated by their code on abiding to a unit, corps, God, and country in the course of duty (Sorkin, 1990, p. 32). However, they followed orders from their superiors, including Colonel Jessup, but did not regard their duty to protect those not in a position to protect themselves leading to their dishonorable discharge.

There was unfairness by the justice system in choice of attorney, willingness to make plea, and choice of prosecutor. Instances exist where the judicial system treated the accused differently as they were going against the word of powerful people. The first instance is assigning the Santiago case to Kaffee and Moore despite their proven inexperience in courtrooms and Kaffee best known for settling cases regardless of guilt, innocence, or the opinion of accused. The other instance is that Downey and Dawson were investigated by military that set up the justice system through appointing the attorneys and presided over the prosecution, which is a violation of their right to fair treatment.

The other difference was through instructing Kaffee to plea on behalf of the accused to avoid getting the case to trial. This is evidenced by the prosecutor cautioning him that not pleading was a risk to his career. In reality, justice is not always served to all people, as there are instances where those who are guilty are freed and the innocent jailed. This is mainly reflected in a system where there is a hierarchical justice system. A hierarchical structure is best in maintenance of control and order but fails in ensuring justice for all as it has loopholes that are manipulated to reflect difference in economic, social, and political status of the accused.

The system has enough loopholes for the powerful and wealthy to have it their way and that the end justifies the means. More often than not, a justice system is unfair owing to lack of balance of power and the ability to bend laws to favor those who have power and influence. A Few Good Men, therefore, does a good job in representing the society through bringing to the fore issues of equality, power, command, and justice for all. Work CitedSorkin, Aaron. A Few Good Men. New York: S. French, 1990. Print.