Analysis of Dawson Change in A Few Good Men Film - Essay Sample

Introduction

"A few good men" is a movie that shows why marine men should obey their superior orders without hesitation. With the help of stars like Tom Cruise as Lt. Daniel Kaffe, Demi Moore as Lt. Cmdr. and Wolfgang Bodison as Lance Cpl Dawson portray a more insight view on a important role in our illegal justice (Reiner,1992). A few good men also discuss the negative impact on the military personally from strict obedience. The film is a sociological thriller with a plot summary of a sophisticated case covered by many lies set to blame two marines represented by an inexperienced lawyer. This paper will analyse the film and the character change of Lance Cpl Dawson.

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The film is about two soldiers PFC Downey and Lance Cpl Dawson who are blamed of the homicide of a marine PFC Santiago. Lieutenant Kaffee is one of a legal team member, but he is interested in playing basketball with his friends. A legal team led by Cmdr. Galloway believes that there is more story behind marine death. After the investigation, it was found out that the marines were acting from high authority order called Code Red. This is an order where the disciplinary step is told to the marine when a member offends against his unit (Reiner,1992). The dead marine was beaten and gaged with a tape by his officers because according to the squad he was not standing up to their demands. When the two sailors questioned said that they had a direct order from the higher authority to act on such an act. Finally, in the film Colonel Jack Nicholson character was accused of committing an offense which was unethical in the jurisprudence and the United States Marines.

In the first scene, Harold Dawson who is in his early twenty's firmly believed in the importance of the code and the corps. He acts as a role model to his fellow marines Louden Downey, and in many occasions, he attempts to explain to Kaffe that the activities carried out was only done because it was demanded by higher authority and they could not disobey such an order. Dawson is a very loyal marine to his teammates and honors like virtues. The viewers respect him as they learn more about the hardships he had to persevere during the war and the importance of the Marine Corps placement in Cuba to protect the United States of America. Dawson acts as an excellent example of what marine behavior should be like and believes (Reiner,1992). He is the most respected marine commander who runs the military outpost in Cuba. He firmly thinks in their code that gives Americans the freedom they had always deserved

In the second scene, lance corporal Harold Dawson was fierce and devoted to his work. He was enormously good at conveying complicated emotions without a word. Although he was accused of murder Dawson remained a good marine leader. He had a fierce commitment to his given ode, and he believes either right or wrong he was following marine orders. The act that he and Downey did conflict from his character which he was known as an excellent marine soldier who was loyal to his teammates. It was immoral to kill a fellow marine which made viewers see Dawson differently.

In the third scene, Dawson is always known to obey his superior orders despite the outcomes. He portrays the character of a marine who follow an authority figure even if an act is against their morals. His character showed a sailor who strongly respected his superior more that than his fellow Marines. He compromised his morals because of a single code red order. Throughout the trial, Dawson argued that he was obedient to his superior which was a marine code. It showed a psychological and moral problem for following orders without caring whether they are legal or not (Reiner,1992). As long as he was doing his superior will he didn't care whether it was against human nature to kill an innocent human being.

Conclusion

In conclusion, civilian and marines' rules are a bit different. The film represents an example of a deontological situation where the point is to follow military regulations. In real life, these men would have served more time in prison." a few good men" film gave the viewers an idea that those men were not guilty of the charges since they were following orders. Judging from each side of the story the viewers can make a decision who should be guilty or not guilty. In many ways "a few good men" is a good film, with a potential to be even better. It helps the viewers to see things for themselves. It is a well -made film which tells a conventional and compelling marines' story.

Work Cited

A Few Good Men. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf. Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. Columbia Pictures, 1992. DVD.

Fromm, Erich. "Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem. "Writing and Reading for ACP Composition Second Ed. Ed. Christine Farris and Deanna Jessup. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 123-128. Print.

Milgram, Stanley. "The Perils of Obedience." Writing and Reading for ACP Composition Second Ed. Ed. Christine Farris and Deanna Jessup. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 77-89. Print.

Zimbardo, Philip. "The Stanford Prison Experiment." Writing and Reading for ACP Composition Second Ed. Ed. Christine Farris and Deanna Jessup. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 105-117. Print.