Taps - Squilli di rivolta

I first saw Taps when I was only 11 and I loved it. But at eleven I liked it for its militaristic attributes rather than its 'fight for honour' motif.

I recently, aged 31, saw it again, and, predictably, liked it for entirely different reasons. Firstly, as someone else on this sight mentioned, the film is quite beautiful to look at. The cinematography is quite stunning actually, and if you don't believe me, watch it again. Secondly the direction, writing, and editing is tight, controlled and technically fairly solid.

But what made this film for me was the impressive, inspired acting by the, at the time, young cast. I was captivated by the core trio of Cruise, Penn, and Hutton. If charisma were a concrete substance these three would have garbage bags of the stuff stowed in their cupboards.

The script was thoughtful, and, importantly, believable. The ending was very powerful......when I was eleven, but once seen, lost it's effect on subsequent viewings.

A story often overlooked for less-than-stellar acting and direction, Taps brings into question if classical military leadership and the traditional honor of fighting men has a place in the modern age.

Providing a springboard for young actors into future careers, the film showcases a number of actors ranging in ages from pre-teen to late teens with varying results. Some perform predictably while others really shine (particularly Brendan Ward as Charlie Auden).

The film holds up well after 30 years, feeling more like a story SET in the early 80's rather than being burdened by its age. Cinematography is dramatic, though not always dynamic, and makes GREAT use of the borrowed setting of actual Valley Forge academy.

The story is paced well, though some may feel it to be kind of slow. This is NOT an action movie, and is far from a traditional military movie either. Those who are looking for something along the lines of We Were Soldiers or even the first half of Full Metal Jacket will be very disappointed. Those with a more open mind for classical story-telling will find a surprisingly detailed portrayal of life in a military academy and a deeper story than may be seen on the surface.

Atypical for the theme and maybe not for everyone, but definitely worth a shot.

Continuing my plan to watch every Tom Cruise movie in order, I come to his second movie, Taps (1981)

Plot In A Paragraph: Military cadets take extreme measures to insure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

I really enjoyed this movie. It's one I had to buy for this marathon, and despite the cast, (Cruise, George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn and Ronny Cox) I'm surprised I'd never heard of it before, and nobody I have spoke to remembers it. Cruise has a fairly substantial role as a hot headed cadet.

It's a really tense, engrossing, well acted and well directed movie that deserves to be seen.

Taps grossed $35 million at the domestic box office, to end the year the 16th highest grossing movie of 1981.

The biggest kick I got was seeing Hutton, Cruise, and Penn as teenagers turning out amazing performances at such a younger age. I guess some actors are just destined to rise to the top.

George C. Scott also turned in a great, believable performance as an old wartime General. However I find it interesting, after seeing this movie over 20 years later, how it's context has changed for me personally. While in '81, the story was perhaps designed to generate sympathy for the General and his plight, I look at his situation today and feel nothing but pity for him, as I would for any Shakespearean tragic hero, who because of their narrow-sightedness, could not see the bigger picture. And in this case, their consequences caused a chain of events that took on an uncontrollable life of their own. Funny how the years can sometimes dictate understanding and perspective.

The previous review mentioned for this flick is 100% bang on.

Taps is about the cadets of Bunker Hill Military Academy and their commanding officer, George C. Scott, and their reaction to the news of the closing of the Academy.

Scott announces at the graduation that the next year will be the final year of Bunker Hill. The Board of Trustees is selling off the place for its prime real estate value to be used for condominium development. Certainly an occurrence we've seen all over the country in many places and not something really desirable in many.

Cadet Major Timothy Hutton knows he will head the last graduating class at Bunker Hill. He and fellow cadets like Sean Penn and Tom Cruise aren't taking it lying down. They may be military cadets, but they've seen and grown up with student protests. Only these students have weapons and are trained in their use.

Can you really blame the cadets like Hutton who've actually in fact forgotten that soldiers carry out and don't make policy? I think it was significant that during the course of Taps it's mentioned that George C. Scott served with General Douglas MacArthur who gave him a sword for his service. It's also mentioned that Scott was passed over for promotion an advancement beyond being a brigadier general and was retired comfortably out to pasture at the Academy.

Scott's not the same kind of military man you see in Patton. Rather he's a lot like the Patton you see in that television film, Patton, the Last Days. A man so totally out of his element that when the accident and broken neck occurred he'd lost his will to live.

Anyway after a scuffle with some of the town louts who are less than enamored of Bunker Hill's military tradition. A town kid is accidentally killed when he tries to get Scott's military issue pistol and it discharges. In a court of law, the man would have been acquitted, but Scott answers to a higher law he lives by.

That scuffle threatens to close the school even for the last year and the kids seize it. It's a confrontation then between idealistic and wrongheaded youth and the real forces of law enforcement.

Ronny Cox contributes a very nice performance as the commanding general of the National Guard trying to keep a lid on the situation. His scenes with the idealistic and obstinate Hutton are the highlight of the film for me.

Tom Cruise and Sean Penn got their first real notice in this film right at the start of their respective mega-careers. Hutton has a nice followup to his Oscar winning performance from Ordinary People. And George C. Scott is, George C. Scott.