A lot of fun.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

"It's beautiful man! It's beautiful!" – Tom Cruise ("Taps")"Taps" is a confused but entertaining military drama about a group of young military school cadets (led by a kid called Brian Moreland) who take over their military school in order to save it from closing. "Father Sky", the novel upon which the film was based, was a light satire which used its central siege to examine the herd mentality of the military and to poke fun at the way anti-war protesters are often just as crazy and militant as those they rally against.This film is too timid to bash either the military or the ultra-left, however, and instead paints Brian Moreland as a young and confused Colonel Kurtz figure who hijacks a military school because he wants to "preserve military traditions". As the military school is being shut down, Moreland feels as though he is being "denied honour" and "prestige". He thus starts a little war - which all the other cadets join in on - and justifies his actions by saying that he's honourably trying to "preserve the traditions of the school" and "prevent it from being closed", when in reality he simply wants to glorify himself with a little combat. The film thus examines the naive appeal of war, what separates "glory hounds" from "real soldiers", and points out how ridiculously dishonourable it is to start a war solely for the purposes of "finding honour". Abstract this further, and you have a comment on the Vietnam war: a government starting a war to "preserve the honour of democracy" when in reality it seeks only to install its own power.7.9/10 – Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, George C Scott and Timothy Hutton make up for director Harold Becker's flat direction. The film is famous for a pre-Scientology Tom Cruise playing a psycho soldier who yells "It's beautiful man!" whilst gunning down his fellow Americans. Xenu would not be proud.Worth one viewing.

I saw dumb movies when I was young but every now & thenI'd actually find something that was worth the money I spent.Taps was the first film I saw in Jan. of 1982,weeks after it's release and at that time was without a doubt,at age 13 & 1/2 the most grown-up movie I had ever seen. I'm sure in the TV advertisements the appeal was obvious. Actors near my age and my older brothers' ages,the (then) cool look of their uniforms and without a doubt,that scene in the the ad where the students are overhead with their guns pointed at the adults,I.E. :rebellion. Hard to find a pre-teen or teen-age boy who wouldn't find this kind of thing appealing. In the new Reagan,conservative '80s era it was fitting. One's point of view can only describe to that person what this film is all about. Some have felt this film is pro-war,while others (like me) feel it's th opposite. I find it to be even more than that though. It seemed to me that it's just as I stated above. The naive' appeal of war and weapons to young minds,as well as the parents who send their kids to these kinds of places to shape them up. No offense to those who did attend an academy,there are those who actually do get something out of it,but for my own life experience and views,I'll more than likely never understand what that would be. Self discipline can be taught to one's self just as easily.Anyhow,getting back to the film. As a movie it was quite the intense experience. George C. Scott was great in it but I really wish his character had not been removed from the story. I felt he brought these kids a level measure of control and a wiser voice of reason. Timothy Hutton,Sean Penn and (aside from the younger kids)the 17/18 year old Tom Cruise are all fantastic in their roles. In the case of Penn & Cruise a pre-view of good things to come for them as actors.Penn is a great friend to Hutton's character and this may seem like a simple role at first but as the story goes on his performance builds on itself with his still very fresh abilities as an actor.Cruise is unsettling but electric as the cadet who likes the power & control he's been trained with just a little too much. Resulting in the climactic scene where he goes "trigger-happy" with a machine gun near the end of the film. "It's beautiful man!" is the most remembered line from the whole film.Hutton,the veteran actor of the 3,plays a young man who has a more idealistic view of his education at the academy and of the overall meaning. It's more like an elegant party for him and his hanging out with "old soldiers". The taking of the academy by the students was handled convincingly enough but the idea that they'd bring in tanks and the "real army" seemed a bit much. The pressure of that later resulting in a bit of a dissension between Penn & Hutton.The thing that has not set to well with those that have seen this movie is the senseless killing of a boy who's only about 10 or 11 by the military. Even over 27 years later,it still feels like it was not a necessary thing to put in this movie to make the point of what happens to these boys when they end up in "a real war". The point was made long before that. It was equally unnerving for me to realize that even kids that age can "stop living'.That nearly fatal story choice aside,the film really is great. The best thing one can do before watching is just put aside your left or right views and just watch it as you would any other movie. What I learned years later is not to let myself get so deep into the politics and just keep in mind,that's Hollywood and the film-makers ideas and/or ideals. (END)

I know there was a bus with a few bureaucrats and such on the bus being escorted out during the siege but don't you think there would have been loads of teachers and cooks and janitors etc.They Cadets would have had a hard time rounding everyone up, and cant you imagine telling your favorite teacher that your sorry but your taking over the school and then putting the muzzle of your AR-15 to his head LOL. Lots of cool weapons from the 80's The tanks were m48's love the huge walkie talkies.If this happened today the Cadets would be using cell phones and Motorola's's probably.Lots of cool weapons from the 80's The tanks were m48's love the huge walkie talkies.If this happened today the Cadets would be using cell phones and Motorola's's probably.

Hold the fort seems to be the slogan of these military cadets when they decide to rally behind TIMOTHY HUTTON who wants an armed defense of the school from authorities who want to shut it down after an accidental shooting by the presiding General Bache (GEORGE C. SCOTT). Aiding and abetting are TOM CRUISE and, in his film debut, SEAN PENN.The tale seems highly improbable but is played so earnestly, is scripted so well, and directed so competently that it manages to hold the attention until the more or less predictable outcome.The cadets are all extremely well played, from the very young boys to those who appear to be in their early twenties. When the authorities are unable to take back the school, the parents appeal to the children through loud speakers. "Sometimes being accepted by your friends, isn't worth the price," says one mother.Unfortunately, the stalemate phase of the movie lasts much too long to sustain interest. But it's interesting now to watch the very young Hutton, Penn and Cruise show why they became superstars. I agree with Maltin who says it "plays its cards too soon, leaving a lot of dead weight before the outcome." Summing up: Improbable story, but entertaining in a curious way.Memorable line from Hutton's father resonates today: "They think you're home grown terrorists."