Col. Jessup is a douchebag

A Few Good Men was on the other night. I love that movie. It's a compelling story, and the acting is outstanding by everyone in it. My personal favorite is Kevin Bacon as the Marine prosecutor Captain Jack Ross. He's a Marine to the core. No bullshit, by the book. He knows his duty, and is committed to it 100 percent. But....that's not the point here.

Jack Nicholson as Colonel Nathan Jessup is the fan favorite. And deservedly so. His character is the one that carries the movie. Cruise's Lt. Caffey is an interesting character only after he finds out in a drunken state that the reason he was picked to represent the case due to his history of plea bargain to keep the case out of court and avoid embarrassing Col. Jessup. Demi Moore, and Kevin Pollack? I think these 2 are superfluous, and the story could have been told without them. The only exposition involving them is Pollack's serving as a sounding board as Cruise realizes he's being played as a puppet.

No, Nicholson as Jessup is the guy, and the "You can't handle the truth" monologue is the money dialog in the movie. It should be. Nicholson brings it home in this climax of the movie. I mean, he drives it home.

But the guy's a colossal dick. He's the biggest kind of dick there is. Lost in the passionate dialog about walls, and standing posts is the realization that 1) He's a Colonel, and hasn't stood post since forever, and 2) He's letting 2 guys that DID stand post under his command take the fall for internal discipline that he ordered that went bad in the worst way. I didn't serve, but my Dad did serve 23 years in the Navy. At all the command functions we went to over the year, ship's picnics, parties with colleagues, professional friends over there were a lot of conversations I heard, and over-heard. A commanding officer that lets the people in their command take the heat for their screw ups was the worst kind of CO.

So, Nicholson brought down the house in his portrayal of Colonel Jessup, and Bacon was quintessential Marine as Captain Ross, but at the end of the story Jessup got what he deserved, because he let Pfc Downing, and Lance Cpl Dawson take the fall.