“You don't need a patch on your arm to have honor.” Lt. Daniel Kaffee, portrayed by Tom Cruise, says at the end of the movie to Lance Cpl. Dawson after the final ruling is read, stating PFC. Downy and Lance Cpl. Dawson are innocent but are dishonorably discharged from the military. A Few Good Men portrays the negative impact on military personally from strict obedience. Lt. Daniel Kaffee, along with Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway and Lt. Sam Weinberg; played by Demi Moore and Kevin Pollack, must defend PFC. Downy and Lance Cpl. Dawson from being charge of committing a Code Red. However, Lt. Kaffee believes that PFC. Downy and Lance Cpl. Dawson committed the ‘Code Red’, but because it was a direct order from a superior. Lt. Kaffee spends his time trying to find a way to prove that the ‘Code Red’ order came from a superior officer, specifically Col. Nathan Jessup. Lt. Kaffee believes that the only way to prove PFC. Downy’s and Lance Cpl. Dawson’s innocence he was prove Col. Jessup’s guilt by ordering the ‘Code Red’, however; accusing Col. Jessup of this and not proving this would call for a Court Marshal of Lt. Kaffee. A Few Good Men demonstrates the significance of how authority figures can control others and cause a dangerous phenomenon which has been prevalent throughout history. In The Perils of Obedience speaks of the psychological affects on the ‘teacher’ but not the ‘student’; where the ‘student’ and ‘teacher’ were placed in separate rooms and an instructor was placed in the same room as the ‘teacher’ convincing the ‘teacher’ to continue with the experiment no matter what the ‘student’ does or say. The ‘teacher’ was required to administer shocks to the ‘student’ if the ‘student’ answered incorrectly, and the shocks became more and more dangerous with each wrong question. Many of the ‘teachers’ hesitated when the ‘student’ responded to the shock with a grunt or a plead for help; however, some merely continued like nothing
Cited: A Few Good Men. Director Rob Reiner. With Tom Cruise, Jack Nicolson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollack. Columbia Entertainment, 1992. Milgram, Stanley. “The Perils of Obedience.” Rosen, Behrens and Leonard. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Second Edition New York: Pearson Learning, 2007. 358-370 Zimbardo, Phillip G. “The Stanford Prison Experiment” Rosen, Behrens and Leonard. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Second Edition New York: Pearson Learning, 2007. 389-400