User reviews

This movie surprised me. I am not really big on Charlie Sheen movies, other than Platoon, but this is a truly good movie. Martin Sheen gives a good performance, as does the supporting cast. The setting, while not authentic, is real enough. The dialogue and acting are both excellent and believable. I found I was interested in the characters, and although the ending is predictable, it was fitting. I would recommend this movie to just about anyone, other that the hardcore action enthusiast. Definitely an entertaining film, and one that is quite a bit better than the rating it has received. I wouldn't hesitate to rent it again.

I seldom comment on a movie, but I so strongly disagreed with a prior comment on this movie, I felt I had to add two cents. I found this entrant far from boring. I have watched it four or five times, each time finding a new focus. The movie's idea is interesting, the conflict between the Sheens believable and well played, and the supporting cast excellent. Laurence Fishburne and James Marshall in particular are pleasures to watch. As the second of Sheen's two stints as a director I was impressed. Even the basic set works for me. And the music is so good that I continue to look from time to time to see if an actual CD is available. I believe that if you get your hands on this movie you won't be disappointed.

Why is this film so unknown ? It really deserves to be recognised as a great film along with the Nam films of the late 70s early 80s. To me it has quite a Nam feel to it, (the progression of the relationship between the inmates, and the constant battle with the higher ranks). Deterioration of character screams out "Apocalypse Now", but the team aspect shows a strong influence from films such as "Platoon". The film itself is set during the time of Nam, but can't be bracketed as one. Charlie Sheen has once again took part as the lead role in a great film. I can't see the film working with any other actor ! His cold manner, but warm heart is seen also in the classic "Platoon". All in all this film is a good modern story. Which I recommend to not only Vietnam film fans, but to a general audience.

Cadence casts Charlie Sheen as a rebel soldier during the Vietnam era in the tradition of Montgomery Clift as Robert E.Lee Pruitt in From Here To Eternity. The film is also directed by dad Martin Sheen who has a nice role as the stockade sergeant.

Charlie's gone AWOL after his dad died and in a drunken did the stupid thing of hitting an MP. That got him 90 days in the stockade, where all the other prisoners there are black.

Stockade sergeant Martin Sheen is merely a sadist to Charlie. But add the element of racism with the others. He hopes Charlie will be an ally of sorts, But it doesn't work out that way as Charlie more and more sides with his fellow stockade prisoners.

Martin Sheen is a wonder and you won't see one hint of President Josiah Bartlett in this performance. The scenes directed dad between father and son are special.

Others in the cast are Laurence Fishburne and Blu Mankuma among the prisoners.

This is a real good military drama.

Reading Maltin's summary may steer you away from a film which, after an unpromising beginning, develops into a gripping drama, aided no end by superb acting from the nine very individual players in this film: Charlie Sheen, as the white prisoner incarcerated with five black soldiers in a military stockade, the two very different white guards, and Martin Sheen as the bullying and racist Sergeant who causes the tension to mount as his personal problems drive him to take out his frustrations on his charges. Martin Sheen perhaps gives the weakest, because least believable, characterization. It is Charlie Sheen as the initially wary room mate and the five finely etched black prisoners, all very good in their roles, who forge a memorable dramatic scenario out of their situation. Martin Sheen's sole directorial effort makes the most of the increasingly tense story-line. See it, it's good!

More than any of his other movies that I have seen (even "Wall Street" and "Platoon"), "Cadence" makes me hope that Charlie Sheen will not throw away his talent. He does a remarkable job in this movie, which is even more impressive because everyone else does a terrific job too! (Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Beach...) This movie didn't last long in the theaters, which is a real shame, because too many people missed it! It has a timeless, touching message of brotherhood, acceptance and friendship, which it conveys through an interesting story and very engaging characters. Overall, it's serious, and even disturbing at times, but it has enough humor and light moments to give you hope and a good feeling at the end. The dream about being white and the prison-yard basketball game are two wonderful and memorable scenes, and you never will hear the song "Chain Gang" quite the same way again! I love this movie! I hope you will, too!

First and foremost, the cast is great. Seeing Charlie and Martin Sheen playing off each other is a real plus. The film is somewhat claustrophobic, mostly taking place in a confined compound. The conflicts that drive "Cadence", both racial and military, are believable, and resolved satisfactorily. A lively soundtrack is another positive. The personal torment of Martin Sheen is only briefly explored, but is nevertheless a driving force behind his increasingly irrational behavior. This is no blockbuster. It is a small movie with a message of mutual respect and acceptance, where race becomes secondary in an irrational war being waged against all prisoners alike. - MERK

Such a shame that good talents were thrown to the winds on a unnecessary effort of trying to make something good out of almost nothing. Story is heavily clichéd, filled with repetitions and there isn't much of a path to walk on with.

"Cadence" tells the story of a soldier (Charlie Sheen) who recently lost his father (Matt Clark) and not knowing how to cope with this news is arrested after some disturbance on a bar. Sent to a military prison where he's the only white man around among the prisoners, this tough guy will have to deal with an even tougher guy than he, a tyrannic Sergeant (Martin Sheen, who also directed this movie) who runs the place with strong hands. So, trouble is set when those two forces collide after some disagreements on how things work in the place and because of the bad temper between both, and a tragedy will define who they are and the course of things will never be the same.

Most of the story is just showing a bunch of guys fighting against each other for meaningless things or over a gold lighter; or the sergeant punishing the soldier for not addressing him as 'sir' (this is quite funny, actually). Where's the goal? Where's the speech, the message in the work? It goes out of one place but stays there without a reason, and all that is plain boring, very drub. Yes, the prisoners exchange ideas with each other, they help things out among themselves and work hard in prison, trying to rehabilitate themselves while the place's chief always seems to disturb their peace, but the film never succeeds in making us interested in all of that, there's nothing magnificent in seeing recurring situations that leads to nowhere.

Not much of an impressive directorial debut for Mr. Sheen (but the tragic scene filmed in slow-motion was quite good despite some melodrama involved), who takes an unimpressive performance from his son and some really average acting from supporting members like Laurence Fishburne, Michael Beach, F. Murray Abraham, James Marshall and others. Performances that go way below the surface, it's almost pitiful. Best thing of this is Martin's character, giving some motion to the picture, some funny moments.

I don't see a way of how this could have been better. Very disappointing. 3/10

You'll have a tough time getting that one out of your head. Charlie Sheen's best work next to Wall Street as a renegade Army private stuck in a German stockade during the Vietnam War. A flash of early brilliance by Laurence Fishburne with a great, but twisted dynamic between Charlie and Martin Sheen. What can you say, this movie is just terrific! 9/10

Plagued with a bad attitude and seriously lacking discipline, "Franklin Bean" (Charlie Sheen) joins the United States Army right after high school. Not long afterward, his father dies unexpectedly and this subsequently has a profound affect upon him. To that end, he gets into a drunken brawl while stationed in West Germany and for that he is sentenced to serve 90 days in a local stockade. Unfortunately, his attitude problems continue and this creates extreme friction with both his new NCOIC, "Master Sergeant Otis McKinney" (Martin Sheen) and his fellow prisoners. Likewise, the fact that all of his prison mates are black doesn't help his situation either. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an interesting film for the most part in that it highlighted some of the social issues surrounding race relations within the U.S. military during this particular era. Admittedly, the plot was rather predictable but even so I found it to be somewhat enjoyable and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Plot summary: Charlie Sheen is thrown into an army stockade with a whole gang of brothers, and they need to learn to work together to get through it. Translation: He's the only white guy in the bunch, and if his honky azz messes up, he won't be rollin'.

This underground (hardly any theater time) military movie turns out to be quite a winner. Charlie Sheen is superb, Laurence Fishburne does a great job, and Martin Sheen pulls off a great directorial debut to the big screen (along with a nice acting performance). I was in the army for many years and I could totally relate sometimes how it was to be the white guy trying to fit in. It's a tough situation to capture in film and make work (it's been attempted hundreds of times), but Martin does a very nice job. The 'Chain Gang' song they sing through the movie was so good that I recorded it off the the movie to MP3. My squad once attempted to perform that cadence dance. It was very amusing. 'Gig for Bean' is a quote I used to say all the time. Every once in awhile someone would get it and it would be a classic moment. 3 out of 4 paws on this one. (More reviews at www,warcat,com)

Cadence (1990) marks the cinematic directorial debut of Martin Sheen. Not only does he direct the film but he also stars along with his son Charlie. The movie CADENCE is about a group of convict soldiers that must live with the fact that they're no longer soldiers but prisoners of Uncle Sam. When a G.I. is in the brig they lose a lot of what little freedom they have as enlisted men. Charlie Sheen stars as a G.I. who's thrown in the brig for drunk and disorderly conduct unfitting of a man in uniform. He's thrown in a prison unit that happens to be all black (message). They're over seen by a mean an bigoted N.C.O. who has his own problems. He likes to take them out on the poor soldier who reminds him of his own rebellious son. Can Charlie do his sentence without being eaten alive by his fellow prisoners or will he fall under the spell of his shady N.C.O.?

A good film that's a nice time waster. It's pretty heavy handed at times and the movie is filled with numerous pop culture errors. Ignore the goofs and the sappiness of the movie and you'll find an enjoyable watch.

Recommended.

This is not a military movie. Sure, it takes place in a military brig, and everyone in it are soldiers, but that is only a set for what this movie is really about.

It is a generational movie about the WWII/Korea generation represented by MSgt. Otis V. McKinney (Martin Sheen), and the Vietnam generation represented by Pfc. Franklin Fairchild Bean (Charlie Sheen).

I read the other day around Father's Day about some psychologist stating that we need fathers like McKinney. Well, like Charlie, I had one, and I can assure you that I would much rather have a father like Tim Russert. The fathers of McKinney's generation had some concept in their heads about discipline, which is good, but they forgot to meld that with love. McKinney cannot understand why his son, who is Bean's age, doesn't want to talk to him. I can.

I don't know if it was novelist Gordon Weaver's intention, but I see why Bean found it easier to join the black convicts rather than McKinney. After all, most, if not all of them, grew up in fatherless homes. With the distance between McKinney's and Bean's generation, it can be said that he grew up fatherless also. Sure, Bean has a sense of responsibility in the end, but he also had a deep sense of compassion. One, he got from his father; the other he had to develop on his own.

This is a movie that speaks highly to my generation. If anyone wants to understand us, then you definitely need to watch it.

Franklin Bean (Charlie Sheen) gets sentenced to the stockade for striking an MP. He only has to do 90 days but he's the only white guy in a stockade with five Black men who have considerably longer sentences. "Cadence" is about Franklin's ability to get along with his stockade-mates while surviving Master Sergeant McKinney's bullying and dealing with his father's death.

The movie was pretty good, but nothing special. It's a drama with some dramatic moments. Naturally, there was some racial tension being that the movie was set in 1965, but I've seen a lot worse. This movie was tame compared to many others. The performances nor the script really leapt out at me. There was nothing about this movie that made it stand out amongst the crowd. It was a good movie and all, but barely memorable.

Both Martin Sheen and his son Charlie had starred in movies about the horrors of the Vietnam War. They later co-starred in a movie about the tough regimens faced by US troops on the verge of the war. Directed by the elder Sheen, "Cadence" stars the younger Sheen as a disobedient cadet on a US military base in 1965 Germany. Put in the stockade with a group of African-American troops, he's at the mercy of a brutal sergeant (played by dad).

Admittedly, this movie doesn't have the heart-stopping intensity of, say, "Full Metal Jacket". What it is has is some great performances. Personally, I thought that Laurence Fishburne's performance carried the movie. It's not a great movie, but worth seeing.

One of the best movies that I have seen, even though it was a sleeper during it's Theater run. The movie relates back to my days as an MP in the 503rd MP Co,3AD, Butzbach, Germany. The British Columbia set and location are true to life The interaction between all characters shows the eventual break down of the barrier that is created with stereo-typing. Charlie and Martin Sheen's characters seem to bring some of their real life tribulations out on to the screen. It is well known that Charlie,his brothers and Dad had a turbulant relationship during their teenage years. It appears that there is a family reconciliation taken place. I also think it's formidable that Martin brought back Lawrence Fishburn, who was just a young and upcoming unknown in "Appocolypse". I would make this film part of the Army's Training Library on racial sensitivity. Can't help but watch this movie every couple of months.

"Cadence" is not a memorable film about soldiers in Vietnam. It goes through the familiar routines. But the performances by father and son, Martin and Charlie Sheen, help anchor this moderately forgettable story. The two actors are good and on-target, but I found it very ironic that the two of them played enemies(Charlie plays a soldier and Martin a sadistic sargeant). If you're going to cast your son in the movie--unless he doesn't have a big role--you may as well cast him as your son. Though their performances are convincing, I couldn't help but find it somewhat humorous when Charlie Sheen's real-life Dad was going psycho on him. It's also worth checking out an early performance by Laurence Fishburne. Some of the fish-out-of-water situations between Sheen and his new-found African-American buddies are cliched and/or predictable, and lack spark. Some of the situations are worthy of a few cheap laughs, though.

The film is basically a combination of familiar farce and melodrama, but it's entertaining and sometimes moving. The ending is very depressing, and almost made me cry. I thought the rendition of "Workin' on the Chain Gang" was real nifty, too. This is not one I'd put on the "must-see" list, but it's worth seeing.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

The last time I watched this movie I was 19yrs old and a massive Charlie Sheen fan. Today I'm 51, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how this film has stood the test of time. It is still worth watching, and not only for those of us who had the hots for Charlie!

When the five comrades of Private First Class Franklin Bean (Charlie Sheen) with Roosevelt Stokes (Laurence Fishburne) in front make the soul-march, which refers to a locomotive, Bean does not know what happens to him. He cannot step with them! In fact the racial tension in the prison with a majority of five blacks come to the surface at the end of the movie in a tragic way. But Master Sergeant Otis V. McKinney (Martin Sheen) is right when he asks Bean to call him sergeant every time when a subordinate answers to him. There are only officers at the trial in this movie; but it is the colonel who gives Bean permission to work on the windmill and from that moment on the unexpected happens: Bean and his five comrades form a team, something McKinney cannot appreciate. At the end they commit insubordination when McKinney triumphantly comes up with an order that the windmill is a forbidden domain. Private First Class Harold Lamar (James Marshall), in fact a corporal, does everything what his superior McKinney asks from him but at the end he will not be awarded for this and neither will Bean be rewarded for saying the truth at the trial. The criminal background of the six prisoners is not very clear: are they really criminals who have committed those serious crimes that McKinney claims? This is important while it gives another description of the black prisoners and it allows in any circumstances for McKinney to be severe. Bean does not accept a proposition for friendship from McKinney, but it is not clear why McKinney should want to settle peace with a simple private. After all, he is in charge of the military camp.

Perhaps, it was my having seen this movie with a bunch of my Army buddies - while in the Army. Or maybe, being a Larry/Laurence Fishburne FANATIC! It could be that I saw this with my heart open and my mind closed...nah, none of the above reasons are why this movie ranks as one of my all-time favorites. It is the camaraderie and class of the relationship that Martin Sheen created with his main characters.

Never have I seen a movie with such honesty and triumph. Truly, I saw the ending before it came...but I didn't care. Isn't that what a GOOD director will do - make you appreciate the movie and not focus on what the end result will be.

The "End of My Journey" rips through me every time I hear it. A great film study on what true friendship is when race is not factored into the equation. 9/10 - And, I know flicks!

Before he became a joke of an awful actor, Sheen did some good roles as a young man. Fishburne and Sheen also are quite good in this.

The directing isn't the best and there are some parts that are padding, but it's overall a good film. Vets will like this film because it captures army life pretty well, its everyday rhythm, its (yes) cadence. Orders, marching, discipline, chow lines, tedious busy work and solders' down time being filled with tedious time wasting like card games.

Most enlisted know someone like the sergeant, Martin Sheen's character. A lifer who has nothing else in life, who sacrificed his family and marriage.