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Rules Of Engagement (2000)

Average rating

(66%)

Starring:	Tommy Lee Jones \| Samuel L. Jackson \| Guy Pearce \| Anne Archer \| Dale Dye \| Bruce Greenwood \| Blair Underwood \| Nicky Katt \| Ben Kingsley \| Philip Baker Hall
Director:	William Friedkin
Studio:	PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time:	122 mins
Genres:	Thriller
Languages:	English
Dubbed:	French
Hearing-impaired:	English
Subtitles:	English, French
Released:	March 05, 2001

An attorney defends an officer on trial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians after they stormed a U.S. embassy in a third world country.

Rating of 2 stars out of 5

This courtroom melodrama from William Friedkin revolves around marine colonel Samuel L Jackson's decision to fire on a crowd of Arabs storming the US embassy in Yemen. Tommy Lee Jones reluctantly defends Jackson at his court martial, knowing only too well that his former comrade in arms has a tendency to buckle under pressure. A terrific cast (Ben Kingsley, Anne Archer, Philip Baker Hall) is wasted as the two leads do battle with with tough prosecution attorney Guy Pearce, who gives good value in a performance reminiscent of Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men. Alas, this film is scuppered by a Vietnam flashback that suggests the stars have not aged a day in 30 years, while the sequences in Yemen show Hollywood has lost none of its appetite for unsavoury stereotypes.

Highest rated reviews

10 out of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Rated 3.0 stars
Modern Military Court Drama

A Customer from Kent, England, 26th July, 2004

This is a modern military court drama along the lines of A Few Good Men (Jack Nicholson & Tom Cruise) and Courage Under Fire (Meg Ryan and Denzel Washington).

A highly decorated marine commander is accused of killing 82 innocent protestors at a demonstration outside an American embassy in the Middle East. The fallout of the incident is potentially disasterous for American relations with the region and they quickly look for a scapegoat to pin the blame on - a rouge soldier is a better excuse for their purposes than a military blunder.

The commader, played by Samuel L Jackson, must rely on a old military buddy, played by Tommy Lee Jones (who was not present at the incident) to convince a court martial that he gave the command to shoot the protestors because he was being fired upon from the crowd.

What follows is a drama that persues the possibilities that he either lost his cool and over-reacter or that he was in fact the only person to see the crowd shooting at his soldiers and had a legitimate reason to return fire - hence 'The Rules of Engagement'. Throw in some politicians muddying the water for their own causes and you're left guessing until the end to see if he is imprisoned or acquited.

The story has an interesting point to make about the 'laws' of war and so is topical in todays climate. However it failed to grab me with sufficient force to make me care about the outcome more than out of pure curiosity. It lacks the punch of the two films mentioned earlier and while the two lead characters are played by fine actors this is far from their best work.

3 stars - worth a look for fans of war films or court battles, but not destined to become a classic.

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Most recent reviews

*** May contain spoilers ***

Rated 5.0 stars
A story of a hero, but a society who wants to crucify him.

A Customer from Orpington, 1st February, 2010

Rules of Engagement is an exciting courtroom drama, with Samuel L Jackson at his raging swearing best, and Tommy Lee Jones doing another intense performance. Another great film by William Friedkin, director of The French Connection and Exorcist. The story of two men who were friends in Vietnam and bonded by the bonds of war, in repaying the debt to one another, Tommy Lee Jones sets out to defend Samuel L Jackson, accused of murdering civilians. At first you think he may be guilty, but then you find out the truth, and you realise that soldiers are just generally men doing their duty. You also realise how governments will scapegoat them to protect their interests. It makes you think of a man who is a hero and how people try to crucify him. It is very violent and not for the faint of heart, but it is a very powerful film and as soon as I started watching it, I was hooked, and the film just shot by! It also has a great supporting cast of Guy Pearce and is a very good film. I highly recommend it, and it reminds you of what powerhouse performances Samuel L Jackson always gives. Two thumbs up!

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