Tom Cruise, often considered the last Hollywood movie star, has been an iconic presence in the industry since the ’80s, when he debuted in a couple of minor roles before landing his first lead role in Losin’ It in 1982. A year later, Risky Business changed his career, and he became one of Hollywood’s most bankable leading men.

1986’s Top Gun, a memorable 1980s movie ᴀssociated with one song, became his highest-grossing film until then, and a decade later, he starred in the movie that would eventually define his career. Cruise is known today for his death-defying stunts, especially in the Mission: Impossible movies. However, the versatile actor had a much more diverse filmography before the 2010s.

The ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s saw Tom Cruise deliver memorable and compelling dramatic, romantic, and comedic performances. However, his star persona will always be ᴀssociated with realism because he performs the most daring stunts himself and often on location. Even one of the most memorable lines from Top Gun has a hidden meaning about the real-life military.

A Marine Corps Leader Gave A Few Good Men’s Trial Scene A Perfect Score

He Says It’s Very Realistic

Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay, Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson’s performances, and Rob Reiner’s emotionally charged direction all contribute to making A Few Good Men one of Cruise’s best films ever. It is often considered the greatest courtroom film ever made, and a recent interview from Insider proves that real Marine Corps leaders hold it in high regard:

“This one is so iconic, I got to give it a 10 out of 10. I mean, maybe there are some quibbles on the margins, but I think what A Few Good Men is saying is very realistic.” – Elliot Ackerman, via Insider

Ackerman, a former Marine Corps Special Ops team leader, applauds the movie’s depiction of the court-martial trial and explains that the hazing incident and the law enforcement’s reactions to it are realistic. He says that the military takes such incidents very seriously and that there are almost always major consequences of participating in hazing (see below from 22:34).

Ackerman also says that the film gets a little too zealous in its depiction of the major’s involvement in the training of a rookie, as he realistically wouldn’t have the time to track the rookie’s development that closely. However, Ackerman appreciates A Few Good Men‘s depiction of the culture of accountability in the military and its understanding of martial law.

What Ackerman’s Comments Mean For A Few Good Men

It Only Adds To The Film’s Legacy

Aaron Sorkin is known for his clinical writing of courtroom proceedings. From The Social Network and Molly’s Game to The Trial of the Chicago 7 and A Few Good Men, the screenwriter has proven his ability to create drama while mostly adhering to acceptable standards of realism. Ackerman’s comments prove he succeeded with A Few Good Men.

Courtroom proceedings are difficult to bring to life in a movie, which has expectations of dramatic tension and entertainment value. Jack Nicholson’s courtroom speech in A Few Good Men is the perfect demonstration of how to strike a balance, because, as Ackerman confirms, the trial is realistic, but the monologue is as iconic and cinematic as it gets.

A Few Good Men has the reputation of revolutionizing the portrayal of the military in Hollywood and permanently changing how trial proceedings were presented on screen. Elliot Ackerman’s praise of the film as a former Marine Corps leader himself further confirms that the film isn’t just cinematically great, but also realistic in its depiction of the military.