“You can’t handle the truth!”
Delivered by an enraged Jack Nicholson to a demanding Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men, that’s a line that will be remembered for as long as people are watching films, and it’s one of many special parts of the legacy of director Rob Reiner – who we sadly lost late last year. It’s an iconic moment in an iconic film, with two bona fide movie stars going head-to-head, and as great as it is to see on screen time after time, it’s even better when you know a sweet bit of trivia from the day that it was shot.
In the wake of Reiner’s passing. CBS News aired a special title Rob Reiner: Scenes From A Life that features interviews with those whom the filmmaker worked with and was close to, and one segment concerns the creation of his beloved Aaron Sorkin-scripted, marine-centric courtroom drama from 1992. Kiefer Sutherland, who played 2nd Lt. Jonathan Kendrick in A Few Good Men (a few years after working with the director on Stand By Me), recalls being on set the day that the production was shooting the scene where Nicholson’s Col. Nathan R. Jessep took the stand, and he reflected on a memorable silence after Reiner called cut:
No one said a word, and Rob went up to Jack Nicholson and whispered in his ear, 'Do you want to do another one?' And Jack Nicholson said, 'Well, we're here.' So they did another one, and it was just as extraordinary.
It didn’t sound like Rob Reiner was really desperate for a second take from the man who is widely considered to be one of the best actors of all time, but it never hurts to get one for safety. And they didn’t exactly end up having a super long day either.
According to Sutherland, the production had a full day of shooting planned following the big standoff between Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson, but Reiner was perhaps a bit too happy and wowed to keep working, so he shut it all down and sent everyone home early. Said the actor,
They had planned to shoot the whole day, and Rob looked at everybody and said, 'I couldn't ask for anything more, so you guys all have the rest of the day off.
It was proper and earned satisfaction, as recognized by how that famous scene exists in pop culture. Despite only having three scenes in the movie, Jack Nicholson went on to earn a Best Supporting Actor nomination – though he ended up losing the trophy to Unforgiven’s Gene Hackman.
If you have not done yourself a favor and rewatched A Few Good Men recently (either in memory of Rob Reiner or just as a film to throw on), you really should do so, as it really is a tremendous work, and no matter how many times you may have heard it, the “You can’t handle the truth” scene still sends chills down one’s spine. The movie isn’t currently available to stream on any of the major subscription services, but it is available for digital rental and purchase from online retailers and has been released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray for physical media collectors.
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