When listing the most influential media outlets for film in the United States, "The Los Angeles Times" and "The New York Times," the highest-selling and most influential newspapers in America's largest cities, are absolutely not to be overlooked; while "The Hollywood Reporter" and "Variety" are the most professional and authoritative media in the film industry.Currently, "The Los Angeles Times" and "The Hollywood Reporter" have both praised "A Few Good Men," and "Variety," always known for its seriousness and caution, followed suit after the film's first week of release, writing a professional film review that deeply analyzed the movie."From fifteen to twenty-five, Hugo Lancaster has been in the acting profession for ten years. In those ten years, he has experienced ups and downs, from naivety to rebellion and then to maturity. Lancaster has completed a process of growth and self-discovery in the world of film. This also allowed Hugo's once squandered acting talent to shine again.""In'Scent of a Woman,' the ignorant but resolute Charlie made a stunning impression, and this time, in the story of 'A Few Good Men,' Daniel learned responsibility, determination, and justice. In those hazel eyes, one can see the youthful vigor and the charm of maturity.""As a courtroom drama, the main storyline of 'A Few Good Men' actually doesn't have too many novelties: an incident in the military, an investigation, the discovery of a cover-up, encountering obstacles, self-improvement, and upholding justice. It's roughly this kind of formula, and the ending can be guessed from the beginning of the film.""However, 'A Few Good Men' demonstrated an extremely high standard in the cohesion of the story, the creation of suspense, the layering of climaxes, and the shaping of characters. In particular, the stacking of several courtroom debate scenes showed profound skill in dialogue and rhythm control, which made the film exceptionally brilliant.""It's worth praising here that newcomer screenwriter Aaron Sorkin displayed profound skill, and director Rob Reiner demonstrated excellent overall vision. However, the core factor connecting these wonderful elements was still the male protagonist, Daniel Kaffee. Although due to space limitations, the film's portrayal of Kaffee was only a few strokes, it was enough to outline a vivid character: cynical, sharp-minded, yet full of passion and remarkable talent. This kind of character, combined with Lancaster's performance, burst forth with astonishing charm.""In fact, the process of the case investigation is a process of growth. At first, Kaffee was like a big boy, unruly and rebellious, but full of curiosity, and he didn't back down even when faced with a difficult case; his interactions with the suspects were sharp and direct, but also revealed his adherence to his principles, just like a child, mischievous but always maintaining a thread of innocence in his heart.""During the investigation, Kaffee constantly encountered setbacks, threats, and challenges, and his thinking became clearer and clearer. In the process of thinking, rationality gradually surpassed sensibility, leading to hesitation and vague fear, which is also a necessary stage in the process of human growth. However, true maturity is by no means a worldly retreat, but rather, while adhering to principles, finding a balance point among various forces and ultimately achieving the desired result. After his confusion, Kaffee finally mustered the courage to directly challenge the military, adhere to his principles, and deal a heavy blow to the forces behind the scenes.""Of course, this is an idealized ending, but we can never ignore the inspirational value of such idealism. Because this inspiring emotion is people's hope, and perhaps it cannot make the world better, but it prevents the world from becoming worse through a kind of counter-force.""'A Few Good Men' also incorporates discussions on human nature and personal redemption during the advancement of the story, giving the story a deeper theme beyond mere inspiration.""Nicholson plays the arrogant Colonel Jessep in the film. His base is on the Cuban front line, bearing the safety of the entire nation. So he grandiosely boasts about the value of his work and explains how dangerous his situation is, creating a closed space for himself where he can enforce cruel decrees, and legitimizing it with so-called justice.""But in fact, this is a typical example of gaining privilege through fear, just as during financial crises, when wars break out, or when social trends lead to public resentment, there will always be forces that jump out to threaten with this, thereby gaining more privileges, and often winning widespread public acclaim—the Rodney King incident became a bargaining chip for the black community to win equality and rights. National security is inherently a long-term reason for gaining privileges, and the military is a natural place to maintain the closed nature of privileges. The military emphasizes obedience, and on this basis, it extends to a sense of group honor, thereby creating a culture of loyalty and unity.""The two soldiers, Dawson and Downey, in the film are typical products of military culture. They have a great sense of identity and honor for their military status, and an unimaginable sense of belonging to the team. As they said, the military makes them feel certainty; everything has orders, and they only need to obey and execute. Just like what was described in 'Full Metal Jacket' in 1987, recruits are trained from the moment they enlist to be machines that receive input and output results according to instructions.""The Code Red is a typical example of this process. It targets laggards or traitors who jeopardize team honor, efficiency, and safety, and then, driven by team identification and obedience to orders, punishes these laggards or traitors, leading to Santiago's accidental death—but Dawson and Downey consistently do not believe they are wrong, because they were merely following orders.""Colonel Jessep explained all his actions as being for the good of the military and the safety of the nation, but he ignored the terror hidden behind this privilege. Jessep modified an ordinary soldier according to his own wishes, he even ignored the danger of this soldier having a heart condition, and after his plan went awry, he used this privilege to cover up his mistakes and tried to wipe his transgressions clean with the grand excuse of 'defending the nation.'""Through Kaffee's mouth, the film shows us the essence of this privilege and reveals the potential dangers hidden within this closed privilege. Finally, the film uses law to break this closed fortress, giving people hope, but at the same time, it also shows the power of reason. And in this process, some military personnel were arrested, some committed suicide unable to bear the inner torment, and after Dawson and Downey were acquitted, some felt pain, loss, and confusion because they had to leave the military, while others had a self-awakening, realizing that their violent behavior towards their comrades was stifling the other party's freedom, human rights, and even life. This self-re-recognition and Kaffee's self-growth are superimposed, bringing more inspiration and hope to the film.""Finally, the excellent performances of the actors in the film must be mentioned. Demi Moore's portrayal of the disciplinarian was spot-on, Jack Nicholson was as excellent as ever, and the biggest discovery was Hugo Lancaster's powerful presence. His entire performance was fluid, precise, and nuanced, not only condensing a man's growth and transformation into a single event but also collaborating with Nicholson to deliver one of the most brilliant showdowns on the big screen this year.""A star-studded cast and an outstanding script created such an excellent work.""Variety" magazine ultimately gave it a score of eighty-five, joining the ranks of those praising the film, which gave "A Few Good Men" unprecedented support. The second wave of reviews that followed also continued this pleasing trend.Not only that, "Rolling Stone" magazine, which had given "Scent of a Woman" a bad review, this time exceptionally gave it the only perfect score among twenty-three media outlets: "Brilliant performances under Rob Reiner's lens burst forth with incredibly captivating charm, combining suspense and character development to create a charming and exhilarating masterpiece." The vibrant one hundred points further highlighted "Rolling Stone's" unparalleled affection for this film."Entertainment Weekly" also gave a positive review, "Like all courtroom dramas, 'A Few Good Men' is held up by the brilliant performances of its actors. Lancaster and Nicholson's excellent performances fill this work with entertaining and sharp Hollywood style." A score of ninety is also a rare high score.As for the review from another important media outlet, "The New York Times," it stated, "A core idea in this film radiates many thought-provoking details, making the work transcend a simple courtroom drama and delve into social culture, prompting reflection." This was clearly also a positive review, but in terms of scoring, "The New York Times" was a bit harsher; seventy-five points, while not low, was clearly not high either."TV Guide" believed that "the final confrontation between Kaffee and Jessep in the film made up for the entire film's tediousness and lack of interest." A score of sixty barely passed, so it seems they were in the camp of negative reviews."The San Francisco Chronicle" has an influence on the West Coast of the United States no less than "The Los Angeles Times," and they did not like the film at all: "The overly deliberate arrangements ruined the actors' excellent performances, and director Rob Reiner's mediocre ability plunged the film into a boring quagmire." A score of fifty clearly showed their disdain.Praise and criticism flew equally, and ultimately, "A Few Good Men" settled on a media aggregate score of seventy-eight. Although it didn't reach the eighty-point threshold, overall, praise still dominated, especially the affirmation of Hugo's acting skills, which could be seen in almost every media outlet. Even those who denied the film's brilliance, no one would deny the excellent performance of the lead actor, Hugo.Another fortunate aspect was that "A Few Good Men" received a shining "A" in terms of cinema scores, indicating the audience's fondness for the film. Perhaps, this was the direct reason for the film's excellent opening weekend box office.Amidst this tidal wave of attention, before people even had a chance to await the second-week box office drop, countless media and programs extended olive branches to Hugo, because they all knew that the Golden Raspberry Awards and "Hudson Hawk" had become history. Relying on the excellent performances in "Scent of a Woman" and "A Few Good Men," Hugo had not only emerged from his slump but had also stood at the forefront of popularity with an incredibly strong stance. No one would miss this.
