I will be performing my analysis on the courtroom scene from A Few Good Men (1992).
The scene I will be analysing is from the 1992 film, A Few Good Men. Likely the film’s most iconic scene, the interaction takes place within a court room, as Lieutenant Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is questioning Colonel Jessep (Jack Nicholson) about the nature of a Marine’s death at Guantanamo Bay.
The interaction starts with a shot, reverse shot of Kaffee and Jessep. Notably, Kaffee is filmed from a low angle, as the only character visible in frame. Comparatively, Jessep is seen from a higher angle, and the shot is filmed over Kaffee’s shoulder, partially obstructing the frame. The decision to show Kaffee’s shoulder within the shot which focuses on Jessep places the lawyer in a more dominant position to the Colonel, despite the fact that he is a higher ranking officer. During these fist few shots, medium close ups are used to show the rising tension in the room.
It is during these shots that, Jessep’s lawyer, Captain Jack Ross (Kevin Bacon) asks the judge for a recess. Kaffee interjects by commenting “I would like an answer to the question Judge”, and Cruise briefly looks to his right, in the Judge’s direction. The scene then cuts away from the heated interaction for the first time, in order to view the Judge’s answer. As he responds, he look down and to his right, towards Jessep and Kaffee. The scene then cuts to Jessep, who angrily looks up and to his left. Although these brief glances towards the judge from both characters seem minor in their importance, they were likely choreographed by the director (Rob Reiner) to give the viewer a better understanding of the character’s placement in the courtroom, as the prior, tightly framed shots, show little other than the characters themselves.
After this interaction with the Judge, the scene then returns to another shot, reverse shot, from the same medium close up position previously used. When the interaction begins to get more intense, however, Kaffee moves away from the stand and back into the middle of the courtroom. The camera tilts down as Cruise moves away, also capturing Ross objecting, although out of focus, in the background of the shot. The action cuts back and forth from Kaffee in this position to Jessep at the stand, still viewed from a medium close up. When Kaffee declares “I want the truth!”, however, the film cuts back to a close up shot of Jessep, as he states “You can’t handle the truth!”. The top of Nicholson’s head is now out of shot, and the change in shot size increases the significance of Jessep’s outburst.
As Jessep explains his actions, the close up of Nicholson is intercut with progressively tighter shots of Cruise. The initial mid shot of Kaffee in the middle of the courtroom moves to a medium close up and finally a close up whilst cutting back to the close up of Jessep in between. This once again shows Kaffee’s building anger and shock, making the interaction even more heated.
As the scene comes to a close, however, the second last shot of Kaffee retreats back to a mid shot, which tilts up as he moves towards the stand. This repeats the action of the earlier shot in reverse order, and ends as a close up on Cruise’s face as he questions “Did you order the Code Red?”. We then cut back to a high angle of Jessep, who yells, “You’re goddamn right I did!”, before returning to the close up of Kaffee in disbelief. The returning use of the high angle in the last shot of Jessep demonstrates the pressure and intimidation that Jessep was undergoing from Kaffee in the final moments, and the significance of his admission to the crime.
The famous scene may seem quite simply shot on initial viewing, but the use of differing shot sizes to create a tense atmosphere. The small measures taken to ensure the audience of the characters placing within the space help to prevent the audience’s focus from straying from the important dialogue, and isn’t disrupted due to confusing coverage. The director ensures that the 180 degree line is not crossed, and that only integral characters are shown during the interaction. Although we hear Ross desperately objecting to Kaffee’s questioning, as well as see Jessep reference Lieutenant Weinberg during his explanation, these characters are given very minimal screen time, if any. This means that the argument is not detracted from by cutting away to less important characters and their reactions to the scene unfolding.