steves9404 I saw Taps for the first time when it came out in late 1981, and just watched it again tonight. The movie has so many technical inaccuracies I don't know where to begin in discussing them.While the performances are great in Taps, the basic premise of the movie is wildly unrealistic. In reality, the students would have gone for the summer and the school would have sent them letters advising that it was closing, and that would have been the end of that. But that doesn't create the right environment for the plot that underpins this movie.I can't imagine any military academy catering to boys between 12 and 18 would have stored any military hardware on its premises beyond non-functioning drill rifles and swords, and maybe one or two ancient cannons capable of firing black powder only for ceremonial purposes. If the boys had been allowed access to any weaponry and live ammunition, they would have been on a military base and closely supervised by professional soldiers.The military forces that were assembled outside the school could have forced their way in and taken over very quickly without sustaining any casualties. An M60 machine gun won't do anything to a M60A3 tank other than annoy the crewmen inside.As we see in the closing minutes of the movie, a burst from one tank's .50 calibre heavy machine gun did a fine job of punching through the walls of the room where Cadet Captain Shawn had set up a M60 machine gun. Indeed, even if all the students/would-be soldiers had set up defensive positions in their rooms, they would be just as vulnerable to heavy machine gun fire and thus unable to mount an effective defence.Cutting off water and food supplies is pretty much standard procedure when dealing with holed-up people who don't want to come out, and the boys would not have lasted long without water. The few canteens we saw being filled up would not be sufficient to keep them going for more than a day, if that. By the third day, all of them would be begging for water and would have been unable to mount any kind of meaningful resistance.If the boys had remained outside in their defensive positions all that the army would have needed to do is drop in a lot of smoke, tear gas and flash-bang grenades to cause massive disruption and confusion - enough to cause the boys, in their hungry, tired, thirsty and exhausted state to surrender or try to flee. Professional soldiers have trouble functioning without proper food, water or adequate rest, so a bunch of inexperienced boys would have collapsed even sooner.Clearly, the army held off in hopes that they could de-escalate the situation and achieve a peaceful outcome. But this was not to be.Where Taps succeeds is in the high quality of the acting, characterization, and in its ability to appeal to its target market: teenaged boys between 15 and 17 years old who think they are immortal and can do anything. But sadly, none of the good points can rescue a movie with such a wildly implausible and unworkable plot. Although it is entertaining, 34 years on, to see a young Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn in action.

SnoopyStyle 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.

Wuchak "TAPS" from 1981 is a decent drama about cadets at a military academy who make a stand after the school board decides to shut the school down in favor of a condominium complex.Timothy Hutton plays the leader of the cadets whereas Sean Penn and Tom Cruise play his two top guys. Interestingly, Penn provides the voice of reason and Cruise the voice of extremism. George C. Scott plays the headmaster and wartime general that Hutton's character hero-worships."TAPS" is no where near as good as, say, "Dead Poets Society," but it's decent. There's an interesting subtext to mine in repeat viewings.The film runs 126 minutes and was shot at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania and nearby Wayne.GRADE: C+ or B-

Clayreodactyl I spent many years trying to get a copy of this film and finally it appears on my Netflix account a few weeks ago to my utter joy! I was only two when this film came out but it's long sat on my list of must-see movies, and finally at 34yrs old I have watched it and was very glad to say the wait was worthwhile.The film tells us how the changing times are going to take away this military school, an institution loved by those who attend and run it, in it's place condominiums. As usual capitalism is the underlying theme driving the change. These military boys want to take a stand and with these things the situation get wildly out of hand, not helped by the adults who won't sit down and talk which ultimately is all they have been asked for from the get-go.What struck me from the beginning is how the people acting most like adults through the whole situation were the children, the adults who could very easily taken control of the situation, by giving credit where credit was due and showing some respect to the boys, instead opted for throwing their weight around and yes, in the end they won, but was the cost too high?This film teaches a great lesson in how we tackle potentially volatile situations in life. Sometimes with a bit of thought and consideration an alternative route may be more or just as successful with less destruction and force.I will be recommending this film to others.