Original artwork, not a still
You can’t handle the truth. Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom.
— A Few Good Men ‧ 1992
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speech is a man confessing while insisting he is the hero, which is why it works as drama: Jessep thinks he is explaining why he deserves thanks. Jack Nicholson's roar turned the first sentence into one of the most repeated lines in movies, and people still use it on anyone who demands an answer they would rather not hear. It has been parodied constantly, and is almost always shortened to the first five words.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for A Few Good MenShow the scene
The climax of the 1992 courtroom drama comes at the court-martial of two Marines accused of killing a fellow Marine at Guantanamo Bay. Navy lawyer Daniel Kaffee, a plea-bargainer who had never tried a case, has put the base commander, Colonel Nathan Jessep, on the stand and picked apart his story about transferring the dead man. Cornered, Jessep thunders that Kaffee cannot handle the truth, then lectures the court, Kaffee's co-counsel Lieutenant Weinberg included, about the walls that men with guns must guard. Kaffee asks whether he ordered the "code red", and Jessep admits it. Aaron Sorkin wrote the film from his own 1989 play, and the line ranks number 29 on the American Film Institute's list of top movie quotes.
Sources (2)
- Wikipedia: A Few Good MenPlot, Inspiration and Other honorsReference checked
- Wikiquote: A Few Good MenColonel Jessup courtroom exchangeReference checked
Context reviewed
