The task of uncovering these facts falls to a cocky young Navy lieutenant with a record of settling cases out of court, sweeping them under the rug — which the military brass expects will be done in this instance as well. But the lieutenant, imbued with his late father’s boldness, feels duty-bound to prove he can “handle the truth.”
Director Meese has assembled a strong, capable cast for the Newport production, particularly in the central roles. Jonathan Deroko takes on the brash Navy lawyer, made memorable on screen by Tom Cruise, with a flippancy that gradually morphs into determination as he presses the Marine Corps brass for answers that will exonerate the two young Marines he’s defending.
As his ultimate adversary, the steely Guantanamo Bay base commander, Michael Turner (who played Queeg in NTAC’s “Caine”) turns in a riveting performance. It’s unfortunate that his climactic moment is diluted by the theater’s censorship, although Deroko’s equally risque final thrust to him is left intact.
A third, equally powerful performance emerges in the form of Skye McCabe’s hidebound Marine Corps lieutenant, invested with equal doses of militarism and religion. McCabe virtually rattles the rafters in his gung-ho commands to his platoon leaders and becomes a formidable force in the courtroom.
As the female naval officer who joins the defense team, Nakisa Aschtiani has some biting individual moments, but doesn’t fully sustain this character. Robbie Moore, by contrast, takes the generally low-key role of Deroko’s trial associate and turns it into a strident, conscience-grabbing characterization.
