The first thing to be said about "A Few Good Men" is that it resembles — perhaps too closely — "The Caine Mutiny." Especially when Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson have their courtroom showdown at the end. (All Nicholson is missing are those steel marbles.)

And in that comparison, "Men" falters, lacking the complexity of "Mutiny," which boasts layers of character development and internal motivations.

Worse, however, "A Few Good Men" holds no surprises. It lays out the map, points to its destination and heads right down the expected road with few, if any diversions.

Still, in the hands of master movie storyteller Rob Reiner — one of the few directors in the business who has never made a bad film — and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (adapting his own play), this is stirring, highly entertaining stuff, with superb performances all the way around and witty dialogue to keep it all moving.

The story focuses on a young hotshot attorney (Cruise), a top military litigator after only nine months in the Navy, largely because he knows how to swiftly settle out of court.

When Cruise is personally hand-picked to defend two young Marines (Wolfgang Bodison, James Marshall) who are charged with killing a fellow recruit at a U.S. Naval base on Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Cruise finds himself faced with something more.

It becomes apparent early on that the death was likely an accident, that the two defendants may have been acting out a "code red," an illegal order to rough up a fellow Marine who is not quite up to snuff.

Aided by an idealistic and combative superior officer (Demi Moore), who pushes him to do more than simply bargain away the case, as well as a friend and research colleague (Kevin Pollak), who is appalled by the circumstances surrounding the case, Cruise is forced to do some soul-searching that will change him.

The trio goes to Guantanamo Bay and interviews the commanding officer (Nicholson), who says the two men acted on their own, denying that any "code red" actions were condoned, much less ordered. But is he telling the truth?

In the end, it comes down to a fairly obvious confrontation between Cruise and Nicholson. And there's never any doubt what is going to happen. But, thanks to the performances, especially by Nicholson, it's a powerhouse (and perhaps Oscar-nominating) moment anyway.

The other performances are also on target, with special mention earned by Pollak, Bodison, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon and J.T. Walsh.

While the film could have used some depth and the story might have benefited from a red herring or two, to make things less predictable, it's still quite a compelling audience pleaser.

"A Few Good Men" is rated R for Hollywood's favorite profanity, though the film is no worse than some PG-13s. There is also other profanity and vulgarity, along with the opening scene of violence in a darkened room.