Taps

1981
PG
2h 6m

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

21K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:25

Psychological Drama Tragedy Drama

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.8/10

21K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

2,043

278

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Trivia
Prior to the production of the film, the key actors -Timothy Hutton, Sean Penn, Tom Cruise and others - were required to participate in a 45-day-long period of orientation with the students of Valley Forge Military Academy. They were given uniforms, borrowed from their real life counterparts at the school and given authentic military haircuts. They slept in campus barracks and were subjected to the same rigors and hardship that all Valley Forge cadets went through. While most of the actors enjoyed and excelled at their orientation, Cruise opted to leave the training for the comforts of a nearby hotel until filming began.

Goofs
When the characters use an Army Saber to salute, they all fail to do it correctly except Sean Penn while on horseback. It is a two-step maneuver. On the preparatory command of "PRE_SENT," the saber is brought to a position approximately four inches from the soldier's nose so that the tip of the saber is six inches from the vertical. The soldier is looking at the flat side of blade at the top of the hilt and the blade is either straight up or slightly tilted forward. The actors do this part correctly. What they fail to do is at the command of execution "ARMS," the right hand is lowered with the flat of the blade upward, the thumb extended on the left side of the grip and the tip of the saber about six inches from the marching surface and pointed at the ground. Assuming the actors received the same instructor at Valley Forge Academy, they must have all been taught this way. It is not, however, in accordance with Army Regulation FM 22-5, now called FM 3-21.5.

Quotes
[Firing machine gun]
David Shawn: It's beautiful, man!

Alternate versions
The Amazon streaming version of the film replaces The Doors, Stevie Nicks, and The Pointer Sisters songs with generic music.

Connections
Featured in Sneak Previews: Taps, Cinderella, Taxi Zum Klo, Heartbeeps (1981)

Soundtracks
Light My Fire
Written by Robby Krieger (as The Doors), Ray Manzarek (as The Doors), John Densmore (as The Doors) and Jim Morrison (as The Doors)
Performed by The Doors

User reviews87

Review

Featured review

8/10

A Generally Underrated Film.

A story often overlooked for less-than-stellar acting and direction, Taps brings into question if classical military leadership and the traditional honor of fighting men has a place in the modern age.

Providing a springboard for young actors into future careers, the film showcases a number of actors ranging in ages from pre-teen to late teens with varying results. Some perform predictably while others really shine (particularly Brendan Ward as Charlie Auden).

The film holds up well after 30 years, feeling more like a story SET in the early 80's rather than being burdened by its age. Cinematography is dramatic, though not always dynamic, and makes GREAT use of the borrowed setting of actual Valley Forge academy.

The story is paced well, though some may feel it to be kind of slow. This is NOT an action movie, and is far from a traditional military movie either. Those who are looking for something along the lines of We Were Soldiers or even the first half of Full Metal Jacket will be very disappointed. Those with a more open mind for classical story-telling will find a surprisingly detailed portrayal of life in a military academy and a deeper story than may be seen on the surface.

Atypical for the theme and maybe not for everyone, but definitely worth a shot.