Cadence

Cadence casts Charlie Sheen as a rebel soldier during the Vietnam era in the tradition of Montgomery Clift as Robert E.Lee Pruitt in From Here To Eternity. The film is also directed by dad Martin Sheen who has a nice role as the stockade sergeant.

Charlie's gone AWOL after his dad died and in a drunken did the stupid thing of hitting an MP. That got him 90 days in the stockade, where all the other prisoners there are black.

Stockade sergeant Martin Sheen is merely a sadist to Charlie. But add the element of racism with the others. He hopes Charlie will be an ally of sorts, But it doesn't work out that way as Charlie more and more sides with his fellow stockade prisoners.

Martin Sheen is a wonder and you won't see one hint of President Josiah Bartlett in this performance. The scenes directed dad between father and son are special.

Others in the cast are Laurence Fishburne and Blu Mankuma among the prisoners.

This is a real good military drama.

Before he became a joke of an awful actor, Sheen did some good roles as a young man. Fishburne and Sheen also are quite good in this.

The directing isn't the best and there are some parts that are padding, but it's overall a good film. Vets will like this film because it captures army life pretty well, its everyday rhythm, its (yes) cadence. Orders, marching, discipline, chow lines, tedious busy work and solders' down time being filled with tedious time wasting like card games.

Most enlisted know someone like the sergeant, Martin Sheen's character. A lifer who has nothing else in life, who sacrificed his family and marriage.

More than any of his other movies that I have seen (even "Wall Street" and "Platoon"), "Cadence" makes me hope that Charlie Sheen will not throw away his talent. He does a remarkable job in this movie, which is even more impressive because everyone else does a terrific job too! (Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Beach...) This movie didn't last long in the theaters, which is a real shame, because too many people missed it! It has a timeless, touching message of brotherhood, acceptance and friendship, which it conveys through an interesting story and very engaging characters. Overall, it's serious, and even disturbing at times, but it has enough humor and light moments to give you hope and a good feeling at the end. The dream about being white and the prison-yard basketball game are two wonderful and memorable scenes, and you never will hear the song "Chain Gang" quite the same way again! I love this movie! I hope you will, too!

Reading Maltin's summary may steer you away from a film which, after an unpromising beginning, develops into a gripping drama, aided no end by superb acting from the nine very individual players in this film: Charlie Sheen, as the white prisoner incarcerated with five black soldiers in a military stockade, the two very different white guards, and Martin Sheen as the bullying and racist Sergeant who causes the tension to mount as his personal problems drive him to take out his frustrations on his charges. Martin Sheen perhaps gives the weakest, because least believable, characterization. It is Charlie Sheen as the initially wary room mate and the five finely etched black prisoners, all very good in their roles, who forge a memorable dramatic scenario out of their situation. Martin Sheen's sole directorial effort makes the most of the increasingly tense story-line. See it, it's good!

Why is this film so unknown ? It really deserves to be recognised as a great film along with the Nam films of the late 70s early 80s. To me it has quite a Nam feel to it, (the progression of the relationship between the inmates, and the constant battle with the higher ranks). Deterioration of character screams out "Apocalypse Now", but the team aspect shows a strong influence from films such as "Platoon". The film itself is set during the time of Nam, but can't be bracketed as one. Charlie Sheen has once again took part as the lead role in a great film. I can't see the film working with any other actor ! His cold manner, but warm heart is seen also in the classic "Platoon". All in all this film is a good modern story. Which I recommend to not only Vietnam film fans, but to a general audience.