A Few Good Men

by Aaron Sorkin

Book Overview

Characters: 14 male 1 female

Int.

This Broadway hit about the trial of two Marines for complicity in the death of a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay sizzles on stage. The Navy lawyer a callow young man more interested in softball games than the case expects a plea bargain and a cover up of what really happened. Prodded by a female member of his defense team the lawyer eventually makes a valiant effort to defend his clients and in so...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0573700516
• ISBN13: 9780573700514
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: Concord Theatricals
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Makes a great movie

With a Few Good Men, Aaron Sorkin keeps his readers turning the page. The story of two United States Marines charged and accused of murder unfolds in the hands of the protagonist but the excitement never yields until the closing scene. The main characters in the novel work together to solve the case and prove Dawson and Downey's innocence. Sorkin gives them trouble by the antagonists being directly involved with the case. There is much conflict that repeats throughout the play. Aaron Sorkin writes in perfect vernacular with respect to military affairs. He is accurate in describing the way that all United States Marines and Navy commanders would speak in and out of proper uniform. For one example,Sorkin writes, " Sir, yes sir". He concludes many confrontations with this term because simply this is the way things run in the Navy. Also, the way that Sorkin describes the characters can create mental pictures of the way they stand and speak. His knack for great detail is an asset to the enjoyment of the play. Because this is a play, there is not much description but the writing that does include stage direction and scene change does accurately do so. The characters in the story need eachother to stay strong. Kaffee struggles with the loss of his father, years ago. He feels he is obligated to live up to his father's nearly infallible reptuation. In the beginning, JO and Kaffee do not take eachother seriously, but she is there pushing him through it in the end when he thinks he's failed. Weinberg is an asset to the investigation, yet he is pessimistic throughout the play as a defense attorney. The play in itself is great and it would make a great movie (which it did). I believe that if it had been written as a novel, the value of the writing would be far greater. But, because it was a screenplay, it had not had enough room for elaborate description. On the other hand, the dialect is intense and incredible.

A Few Good Men

I consider this book as one of the best I have ever read. It is fascinating, thrilling and you can`t lay it down until you`ve finished it. I pay a great deal of respect to the author Aaron Sorkin.