I saw Taps for the first time when it came out in late 1981, and just watched it again tonight. The movie has so many technical inaccuracies I don't know where to begin in discussing them.
While the performances are great in Taps, the basic premise of the movie is wildly unrealistic. In reality, the students would have gone for the summer and the school would have sent them letters advising that it was closing, and that would have been the end of that. But that doesn't create the right environment for the plot that underpins this movie.
I can't imagine any military academy catering to boys between 12 and 18 would have stored any military hardware on its premises beyond non-functioning drill rifles and swords, and maybe one or two ancient cannons capable of firing black powder only for ceremonial purposes. If the boys had been allowed access to any weaponry and live ammunition, they would have been on a military base and closely supervised by professional soldiers.
The military forces that were assembled outside the school could have forced their way in and taken over very quickly without sustaining any casualties. An M60 machine gun won't do anything to a M60A3 tank other than annoy the crewmen inside.
As we see in the closing minutes of the movie, a burst from one tank's .50 calibre heavy machine gun did a fine job of punching through the walls of the room where Cadet Captain Shawn had set up a M60 machine gun. Indeed, even if all the students/would-be soldiers had set up defensive positions in their rooms, they would be just as vulnerable to heavy machine gun fire and thus unable to mount an effective defence.
Cutting off water and food supplies is pretty much standard procedure when dealing with holed-up people who don't want to come out, and the boys would not have lasted long without water. The few canteens we saw being filled up would not be sufficient to keep them going for more than a day, if that. By the third day, all of them would be begging for water and would have been unable to mount any kind of meaningful resistance.
If the boys had remained outside in their defensive positions all that the army would have needed to do is drop in a lot of smoke, tear gas and flash-bang grenades to cause massive disruption and confusion - enough to cause the boys, in their hungry, tired, thirsty and exhausted state to surrender or try to flee. Professional soldiers have trouble functioning without proper food, water or adequate rest, so a bunch of inexperienced boys would have collapsed even sooner.
Clearly, the army held off in hopes that they could de-escalate the situation and achieve a peaceful outcome. But this was not to be.
Where Taps succeeds is in the high quality of the acting, characterization, and in its ability to appeal to its target market: teenaged boys between 15 and 17 years old who think they are immortal and can do anything. But sadly, none of the good points can rescue a movie with such a wildly implausible and unworkable plot. Although it is entertaining, 34 years on, to see a young Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn in action.
While the performances are great in Taps, the basic premise of the movie is wildly unrealistic. In reality, the students would have gone for the summer and the school would have sent them letters advising that it was closing, and that would have been the end of that. But that doesn't create the right environment for the plot that underpins this movie.
I can't imagine any military academy catering to boys between 12 and 18 would have stored any military hardware on its premises beyond non-functioning drill rifles and swords, and maybe one or two ancient cannons capable of firing black powder only for ceremonial purposes. If the boys had been allowed access to any weaponry and live ammunition, they would have been on a military base and closely supervised by professional soldiers.
The military forces that were assembled outside the school could have forced their way in and taken over very quickly without sustaining any casualties. An M60 machine gun won't do anything to a M60A3 tank other than annoy the crewmen inside.
As we see in the closing minutes of the movie, a burst from one tank's .50 calibre heavy machine gun did a fine job of punching through the walls of the room where Cadet Captain Shawn had set up a M60 machine gun. Indeed, even if all the students/would-be soldiers had set up defensive positions in their rooms, they would be just as vulnerable to heavy machine gun fire and thus unable to mount an effective defence.
Cutting off water and food supplies is pretty much standard procedure when dealing with holed-up people who don't want to come out, and the boys would not have lasted long without water. The few canteens we saw being filled up would not be sufficient to keep them going for more than a day, if that. By the third day, all of them would be begging for water and would have been unable to mount any kind of meaningful resistance.
If the boys had remained outside in their defensive positions all that the army would have needed to do is drop in a lot of smoke, tear gas and flash-bang grenades to cause massive disruption and confusion - enough to cause the boys, in their hungry, tired, thirsty and exhausted state to surrender or try to flee. Professional soldiers have trouble functioning without proper food, water or adequate rest, so a bunch of inexperienced boys would have collapsed even sooner.
Clearly, the army held off in hopes that they could de-escalate the situation and achieve a peaceful outcome. But this was not to be.
Where Taps succeeds is in the high quality of the acting, characterization, and in its ability to appeal to its target market: teenaged boys between 15 and 17 years old who think they are immortal and can do anything. But sadly, none of the good points can rescue a movie with such a wildly implausible and unworkable plot. Although it is entertaining, 34 years on, to see a young Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn in action.