The Big Picture When Taps hit theaters on December 18, 1981, audiences likely had little or no idea that they were witnessing the arrival of two future stars. The military-themed drama stars George C. Scott and Timothy Hutton, the latter of whom had recently won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ordinary People. Starring alongside Scott and Hutton, however, were Tom Cruise and Sean Penn.
As the situation escalates, police and the National Guard descend on Bunker Hill, but the cadets initially show no signs of surrendering. The mounting pressure ultimately causes some of the young men to give up on their mission and flee the grounds, while the most staunch cadets remain and become even more determined to defend their beloved academy.
2:25 Related 10 Actors Who Skyrocketed to Fame From Small Supporting Roles From sidelines to stars, these actors came a long way. Aside from learning as much as he could about filmmaking, Cruise delivers a memorable performance as David Shawn in Taps. In playing the unpredictable loose canon, whose fervor and dedication to his mission solidifies as the film barrels toward its violent conclusion, the actor brings a level of intensity and hardened focus to the character that would become commonplace in his varied profile of performances.