Taps (1981)

Tap into a little Star power!

Astonishing cast in hindsight. Timothy Hutton holds his own, despite other reviewer's opinions - - - to which they are entitled - - - but Penn and Cruise do strut their stuff and foreshadow their star power. George C. Scott had begun his long and storied decline by this film and it is touching to see him herding these young Hollywood stallions along toward their careers. The movie has deep meaning for any and all who went to a military academy while seeming much more shallow to those who attended public or private schools without the martial mindset. Highly recommended to one and all, if only to see today's stars in their career infancy. December 21, 2008

"It's beautiful, man, beautiful!!!"

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, if not completely beleivable, movie - but then who said movies were supposed to be completely beleivable?

What was believable were the performances of the actors involved. Timothy Hutton was perfect as the sensible yet fiercly principled and devoted leader of a group of boys at a military school, and Tom Cruise dynamite as the head of the Red Berets. Keep in mind George C. Scott, the general, when he mentions to the newly appointed Timothy Hutton how war brings out the "wolf", a kind of primal elation that a man realizes only in warfare. And many other things which help build a logic for what follows in the movie.

I was kind of in awe of it the first time I saw it some 26 years ago in a movie theater as an eleven-year-old kid. I saw it again tonight on dvd then just to test my childhood powers of perception, to see if it was as cool as i remembered it, and it pretty much was! Two thumbs up, Ebert! January 31, 2008

Tom Cruise IS crazy!

I loved this movie when it first came out. Tim Hutton and Sean Penn are brilliant. Watching all these years later, though, I find myself wondering why there are no faculty at this school. No staff, no maintenance crew, only the General and a bunch of boys. Odd. Even more odd is that I didn't even notice 20 years ago. Still, a good watch on a rainy day, even it's just to see Tom Cruise firing a machine gun out the window like a maniac and screaming, "It's beautiful, Man!!! Beautiful!!!" December 28, 2007

This movie shows how "honor" means nothing anymore

Here you have a military academy, which teaches our youngest Americans to be military cadets. But, when the state decides that there is no longer any use for the academy, especially since the mayor feels that the grounds could serve as something more profitable than a military academy, the general (George C. Scott) who runs the academy (who has fought in many true wars), is told to address the cadets that the academy will close in one year. All that you've learned about "honor", just forget about it. It was a 151 year old joke and a waste of your time.

At the 151 year celebration of the academy, a bunch of drunk teens come to mess with the cadets and, of course, a fight escalated and the general himself pulls his gun and accidentally shoots one of the raucous drunk teens. He then has a heart attack and is rushed to the hospital expecting to face charges for the accidental shooting. It is then decided that the academy must shut down immediately. The highest ranking cadet (Timothy Hutton) decides that he will not just shut down the academy just because the governor says so. So he, Sean Penn, and Tom Cruise, and about a hundred cadets of various ages, establish their own call to arms and defend the academy against the governor. The governor even brings out the real military to shut down the academy. Of course, there's not a happy ending to this film. Kids die standing up for what they've been taught to believe in, and all the good that could have come from these future defenders of our country is suddenly meaningless. This film sends the message that the human mind is expendable. Yes, we want to teach you "honor" and yes we want you to fight for whatever cause the government may send you off to do. But, we also want you to be able to turn it off like a "switch", and return to being the useless drunk teens that put their thumbs to their noses in the name of our country's true integrity. In this film, "honor" is proven to be an inconvenience if the government sees something more profitable to itself by other means.

It's an excellent film, but it sure can make you mad. Add this film to your anti-establishment - "it's us against them" films.

August 2, 2007

Fine Drama

TAPS was filmed at the Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where I was a cadet and graduate back in the early 70's. As alumni, we were notified of the filming that would be taking place and so I got to see some of the action going on. Naturally, I looked forward to the movie coming out and I was rewarded with a fine, suspenseful action drama. Certain scenes, like the parade formations, the formals, and the in-barracks fooling around brought me back to my cadet years. Even the run-ins with the "townies" rang true, although it never came to the brandishing of weapons. This is a fine thriller and an opportunity to see a cast of both veteran actors and future-stars perform. June 28, 2007

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