Taps (1981)

Directed by Harold Becker. Starring Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, George C. Scott, Brendan Ward, Evan Handler, Ronny Cox, John P. Navin Jr., Billy Van Zandt, Wayne Tippit. [PG]

After hearing that the board of trustees is going to be shutting down their illustrious military academy, cadet major Hutton leads his classmates in an armed takeover of the campus, demanding to negotiate with the powers that be to keep the school open. The scarcely credible premise plays out too early, leading to a mostly redundant second half that climaxes with the inevitable, and the script cannibalizes its dramatic power from other sources (Patton, “Lord of the Flies,” etc.). The actors hold the screen’s attention often enough to make it an adequate watch with lowered expectations, and it does provide a chance to see Penn in his film debut, baby-faced Cruise as a gung-ho hot-head, and a young Giancarlo Esposito in a small role. As the boys’ distinguished commander in the first act, Scott scores top billing onscreen, but he exits the film rather early, and his raspy gravitas is missed. Based on the book “Father Sky” by Devery Freeman. Co-produced by Stanley R. Jaffe.

59/100