Taps (1981)

This film was always a personal favorite of mine growing up in the 80's and still is now that i'm in my 40's. Saying that, "Taps" is an accomplished and fascinating military school drama, featuring a great cast of future stars, splendidly directed with style & class by Harold Becker and based on the 1979 novel "Father Sky" by Devery Freeman. It was Timothy Hutton's first leading role after he won the Academy Award for his breakthrough performance in Robert Redford's "Ordinary People" and his authoritative performance here as Cadet Major Brian Moreland, full of inner strength and dignity, is only overshadowed by the brilliant turns of the veteran George C. Scott, which never disappoints, playing an old school General Harlan Bache who rules the Military School with a code of honour and a sense of moral & values that seems out of place in the modern Era and Tom Cruise, in his first prominent part, as the reckless Cadet Captain David Shawn, well aware & committed on his performance, stealing every scene he's in. Scott's role may be too small, but his spiritual presence is felt everywhere in the movie by the other characters' actions & decisions and he's the main focus of the plot hence his deserved top billing despite less than 15 minutes on-screen. "Taps" also features Sean Penn, in his debut role, playing the prudent, but loyal Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer; Giancarlo Esposito & Evan Handler, also in their first appearances on-screen and a solid performance by character actor Ronny Cox as Colonel Kerby, the head of the National Guard. Besides those mentioned and with the exception of Brendan Ward, playing the ill-fated child cadet Charlie Auden, the other characters are underdeveloped, appearing more like extras which wasn't a good decision, giving more speaking parts and relevance to the story could had enriched the whole. Reviewed today, the plot of "Taps" may be considered dated for the actual state of the world, the millennials took over and code of honour / military life became somewhat of an "out of fashion" motto / way of life, but this captivating film, a tale of misdirected honour and courage among the youth, deserves to be rediscovered as a great piece of filmmaking which also scores high in the entertainment level.

Retired Brigadier General Harlan Bache (George C. Scott) runs the Bunker Hill Military Academy for boys. He appoints Cadet Brian Moreland (Timothy Hutton) as the leader Cadet Major. Alex Dwyer (Sean Penn) is a zen Cadet Captain. David Shawn (Tom Cruise) is the most militaristic Cadet Captain. During commencement, Bache shocks everyone with news that the board of trustees are tearing down the academy and selling off the land in a year's time. During a dance, local teens confront the cadets and Bache's pistol accidentally discharge killing one of the locals. Bache is arrested and has a heart attack. The cadets take over the campus The standoff escalates when the National Guard arrive led by Colonel Kerby (Ronny Cox).The setup is very clunky and slow. The local kids are cartoon characters. The locals are simple plot devices. The parents are given short-shrift. There is basically no adult supervision in the Academy. The whole thing is straining to establish a Lord of the Flies situation. There are some terrific young future stars at work. Tom Cruise does a very interesting intense character. After a fairly slow opening, the movie gets slightly better but it's hard to get on side with the cadets. The kid who runs out first is probably the bravest of anybody in the movie.

Harold Becker directed this interesting film that stars George C. Scott as General Harlan Bache, head of the Bunker Hill Military Academy who is proud of its tradition, but is dismayed by the times he lives in, and when the board of trustees votes to shut the Academy down for the redevelopment of Condos, he and the cadets(led by Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise, and Sean Penn) are dismayed. After a civilian is accidentally shot by the General, and he suffers a stroke himself, the cadets decide to seize control of the Academy by force, stopping the bulldozers coming in, but the situation quickly becomes more complicated than they had anticipated... Fine character study with solid direction and performances; well worth a look.

I went to school at Valley Forge Military Academy, Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087,which is where the movie was filmed, attended for 4 yrs, and graduated in 82 and technically, was one of the extras, everyone who attended the school at the time was, we had no choice,i recall being able to see myself for a split second in the movie theater with my family when the movie was first played, we laughed so much. i've been trying to get a copy of the film for years. my daughter , age 9, wants to play it and freeze pause it to see me, If anyone has any suggestions, on how to go about getting one please let me know, i went to blockbuster and several independent video rentals and nothing.