Shaurya Vs A Few Good Men

You people are way too nice and way too kind to actually accept me with my trash writing and bad jokes, and what you get in return??? more trash writing and even worse jokes. So here is next in installment.Why am I over here? I want to tell you about this superb movie, A Few Good Men, and why am I doing this? because remake of the same movie in Hindi “Shaurya” is to come soon on April 4 2008, and you guys have to know what a hair raising experience it can be to see this movie and absorb the aura of a brilliant story with impeccable acting of some of the best actors of India. So treat it as a review/preview.

I came across a news a few months back that legendary “A Few Good Men” will be made in Hindi. I was kinda scared, why? because when one of your all time favorite movie is going to be remade, you can not help wondering if the new makers would spoil your love for the original. But then I heard the star cast, Rahul Bose, KK Menon, Javed Jafri, and I was relieved again. Javed Jaffri I guess is highly underrated actor by everyone, at the same time acting talents of KK Menon and Rahul Bose can not be exaggerated.

Now lets get on with the review part. First shot of the A Few…. and you are hooked on the screen even forgetting you have a bag of chips with you. Movie starts with a beautifully choreographed gun drill of US marines. I don’t have the word to explain how the drill looks, but in short its mind boggling, and it gives you a glimpse of discipline, practice, unity in the army and in the movie. Lt. JoAnn is alking down the administrative building for a case involving a murder of a US marine in Cuba by the hands of fellow marines. Two councils are given to JoAnn, Lt. Daniel Kafee and Lt. Sam. Kafee will lead the case though he still would be under JoAnn. Lt. Kafee is a carefree Harvard Law School graduate, so needless to say he is extremely smart, but whats the best part, he never went to a court and still has plea bargained 44 cases outside the court in 9 months. So in short he is a quick fixer. JoAnn on the other hand is exactly opposite, she is very committed, honest and passionate person who thinks every case is a part of her life, hence never gets comfortable with Kafee leading the case.

Now Kafee’s clients, 2 Lts. say that they were ordered by their superior officers to give a disciplinary punishment, code red, to the victim, Lt. Santiago, but in the course of the events Santiago died. The order did come from higher authorities but not just from any officer but from Col. Nathan Jessep, the highest ranking US officer in Cuba, who is yet to get a promotion making him directly under the President of United States, nothing less. The officers now involved in the debacle have cut the loose the accused and have denied of any order of giving code red to Lt. Santiago.

What follows is a courtroom drama which will leave you astounded and floored. The dialogues reverberating in the movie will live with you forever, and you can not forget the performances of the actors in this lifetime. If you thought Sholay had good dialogues, then my friend this will sweep you off your bloody feet.

Coming on the performances, JoAnn is played by Demi Moore, she actually needs no Kunal to describe how good she is, but boy shes good. Her performance is as authentic as it can get. She comes across as bossy, frustrated, hopeful, hopeless, everything. Col. Jessep is played by legendary Jack Nicholson, winner of 2 academy awards, most nominated actor ever. So no matter how high your expectations are, this man will surpass them as Nathan Jessep. He is cold, arrogant man with utmost respect for his believes and nation. If he feels something is right for his nation, he won’t think even once to break any law of the same nation. Now come Daniel Kafee, role is played by Tom Cruise. Now I know hes not having the best of repo right now, and everything in this movie is against him. But boy does he stand out as Kafee in the face of Nicholson and Moore. No one ever thought in their wildest dreams that this man can hold his ground in front of these legendary actors, but he does exceedingly well. He is smart, talented, cool, carefree and all this so convincingly. Tom’s best performance till date I would say.

Now it brings me back to Shaurya, and if it is half as good as A Few… I bet we will have best of times watching this movie. I know there is now buzz around this flick due to absence of any star, but real star of the movie is this script and if done properly, will become dark horse of the year, like say Bheja Fry, Khosla ka Ghosla.

My rating for a Few Good is 10/10 while restraining myself not to go above limit. Hope Shaurya meets my expectations and give us a treat of sorts.