Cadence

Directed by Martin Sheen, Cadence follows a young soldier (Charlie Sheen’s Bean) as he’s sentenced to several months in a small barracks populated exclusively by black prisoners. First-time filmmaker Sheen, armed with Dennis Shryack’s screenplay, delivers a perpetually erratic endeavor that gets off to a decidedly less-than-promising start, as Cadence boasts an excessively deliberate opening stretch that is, to put it mildly, awfully light on plot – with the charm of the various performers just about the only thing preventing the viewer from tuning out completely. It’s clear, then, that Cadence begins to improve as it progresses into a comparatively entertaining midsection, with the growing emphasis on the battle of wills between Bean and his tyrannical superior (Martin Sheen’s McKinney) paving the way for a second half rife with compelling sequences and digressions (eg said superior gets drunk and attempts to pick a fight) – which, when coupled with a satisfying climax, ultimately confirms the picture’s place as a decent-enough drama that feels like it should be much better.

**1/2 out of ****