In the 1960s, druken Pvt. Franklin Fairchild Bean (Charlie Sheen) punches an MP in West Germany.  The rebellious Bean is hoping he’ll be discharged from the Army.  Instead, he’s sent to the stockade for 90 days.  The stockade is run by an alcoholic tyrant named Sgt. Otis McKinney (Martin Sheen) and, shortly after arrival, Bean discovers that he’s the only white prisoner.  With McKinney determined to break him, Bean befriends his fellow prisoners, including Roosevelt Stokes (Laurence Fishburne), and the two white corporals (James Marshall and Ramon Estevez) who try to protect the prisoners from McKinney’s erratic behavior.

Cadence is the only film to have been directed by Martin Sheen.  Considering that it co-stars two of his sons, it’s unfortunate that Cadence isn’t a better movie.  Charlie Sheen gives a one-note performance as Franklin Bean but he still does better than his father, who is such a raging monster as Sgt. McKinney that it’s difficult to take him or the movie seriously.  As a director, Martin Sheen always goes for the most ham-fisted shot and it’s hard to see what he’s really trying to say about the Army or Franklin Bean’s rebellion.

The supporting cast is better, especially James Marshall and Ramon Estevez.  Laurence Fishburne brings his trademark gravitas to the role of Stokes.  The other prisoners are played by Michael Beach, Blu Mankuma, John Toles-Bey, and Harry Stewart and they all make a good impression.  Stewart plays the most saintly and innocent of the prisoners.  Guess what happens to him.

Back in the day, this movie was an HBO mainstay.  Somehow, I always seemed to catch the end of it but never the beginning.