--- title: "A Few Good Men: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/a-few-good-men/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/a-few-good-men" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 6 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # A Few Good Men (1992): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 6 reviews: 4 positive, 0 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics find A Few Good Men an engaging courtroom drama, with praise concentrated on the performances and Rob Reiner’s controlled direction. Jack Nicholson is the clearest point of agreement: even the negative reviews welcome his forceful presence. The favourable notices also credit Tom Cruise, while Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue earns praise for its sharpness and handling of justice, patriotism and accountability. For its admirers, familiar courtroom machinery still produces compelling entertainment. The spread is wide, however, and the disagreement concerns more than originality or talkiness. Time Out finds the legal exchanges short on intellectual challenge and Cruise unconvincing in uniform. The New Yorker goes further, arguing that the solemn pacing and contrived moral choices make the film seem more substantial than it is, though it praises Nicholson and Kevin Bacon. What the positive reviews accept as effective dramatic construction, the dissenters see as a way of simplifying difficult questions. ## Empire — Emma Cochrane Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises it as a timeless thriller with career-best work from Nicholson, Cruise and Moore under Reiner's direction, highlighting Aaron Sorkin's sharp, morally complex dialogue and classic scenes as the real star. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/good-men-review/) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 4/5. Nicholson shines in a scene-stealing cameo as the hard-nosed marine officer in this star-laden courtroom drama. Reiner directs crisply, building to compelling climactic exchanges despite some talkiness. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fyc57k/a-few-good-men/) ## The Times — Geoff Brown Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1992. The film is a devilishly seductive entertainment, impressively acted all down the line and directed with much quiet skill. It delivers familiar courtroom drama goods with a flourish despite lacking originality in its script. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/article/a-few-good-men-0ffz8f0wbm5) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1992. The critic calls it a barnstorming courtroom drama that grips big issues like patriotism, justice and accountability, with strong performances from Nicholson as the menacing colonel and Cruise as the young lawyer confronting his father's legacy. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-all-present-and-correct-a-few-good-men-and-almodovar-s-labyrinth-of-passion-1566123.html) ## Time Out — BC Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The film is scripted by Aaron Sorkin from his play but lacks the intellectual cut-and-thrust of the courtroom drama compared to similar works. Cruise's performance is criticized as unconvincing in uniform, with Nicholson's cameo as the standout element. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-few-good-men) ## The New Yorker — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 1992. The critic finds the film a yuppie version of 'The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial' that puts on stale airs of importance and reduces moral issues to glorified banality through its steady, important-picture pacing and pseudo-profundity. While praising Jack Nicholson's energetic turn as the megalomaniac colonel and Kevin Bacon's full-bodied performance, it criticizes the script's moral jury-rigging and the lead actors' limitations. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1992/12/14/tell-it-to-the-marines) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Duane Byrge 13 November 1992. The critic praises the film as a crisp adaptation that should succeed at the box office, awards, and with critics. Strong lead performances from Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, along with Rob Reiner's direction and Aaron Sorkin's screenplay, are highlighted as key strengths. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/a-few-good-men-review-aaron-sorkin-tom-cruise-1236074595/) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby 11 December 1992. The critic praises Rob Reiner's entertaining adaptation of the Broadway courtroom drama, crediting Jack Nicholson's vicious, funny, and superbly reptilian performance as Col. Jessep with suffusing the entire production with weight and point. The film is described as a big commercial entertainment of unusually satisfying order, though it is not without some structural and thematic shortcomings. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/11/movies/review-film-two-marines-and-their-code-on-trial.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/a-few-good-men.md