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Taps (1981)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 2/12

Tap
2/12: Stupid, misguided, infantile, and brainwashed are the words that immediately come to my mind while watching Taps.

One side of the coin is the interesting perspective of what a cult must look like. The other is it's a bad film with cheesy acting. I won't be surprised if Tom Cruise has disowned it ever since because he looks like a jackass. As always, Sean Penn must cry. That's why I can't take him seriously.

It's safe to say the title of the film should be RIP: Timothy Hutton's Acting Career. He fell off the map since then. Anyway, his character is brainwashed, making it impossible for me to like or sympathize with him.

Meanwhile, looking up the history of military schools has been educational. There used to be hundreds of them decades ago, but now, only a handful are left. The reasons why are they're outdated, abusive, financially unprofitable, reflective of changing attitudes (think of the protests during the Vietnam War period), and exorbitant in terms of tuition. More importantly, there are better school options.

My research eventually made me realize how silly the issue was in Taps. Hence, I can't believe I watched two hours of boys defending the school for nonsensical reasons. Imagine how Moreland would've felt if Bache slapped his face before yelling, "You idiot boy!" An arsenal of weapons housed at a military school for kids? Uh uh, I don't think so.

All in all, Taps is as cheesy as it gets.