Rules of Engagement (2000)

This movie is very entertaining and becomes more relevant as the years pass. A Marine is sent to retrieve an ambassador and his family from an embassy after a supposedly peaceful protest is supposedly hijacked by snipers. The marines evacuate the ambassador and then fire on the "peaceful" protesters after several marines are killed. Government officials then lie and destroy evidence to blame the Colonel in charge. This movie was made over a decade before Benghazi. Much of the drama takes place in the courtroom where the Colonel hires an old friend who he served with to defend him. The government attempts to throw the full weight of their corruption to throw the Colonel in prison. The Hollywood ending unfortunately does not correspond to what normally happens in real life.

During the Vietnam War, Marine Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) executes a prisoner to intimidate a North Vietnamese officer into calling off an attack on his unit and thereby saving the life of Hays Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones). Years later, Hodges is retired and Childers leads a group of Marines sent to relief the embassy in Yemen. Ambassador Mourain (Ben Kingsley) is begging to evacuate and Childers loses 3 men. He orders return fire and 83 civilians are killed. National Security Adviser Bill Sokal (Bruce Greenwood) is angry and intends to make Childers the scapegoat. Childers faces court martial and he asks Hodges to defend him. Maj. Mark Biggs (Guy Pearce) prosecutes.The first thing director William Friedkin has to decide is whether we root for Childers or not. Every step forward is followed by a step backwards. He's working at cross purposes with himself. The action scenes at the embassy are terrific. Friedkin is still at his best doing action. However he should hold those scenes for later in the movie. That way the movie can play with his guilt and innocence. Also the movie skimps on the CSI aspects. It's really questionable how everybody just skips over the snipers across the way. There were snipers but nobody cares. Also Greenwood is basically a cartoon villain. The politics is simplified to a ridiculous amount. The whole thing feels manufactured and not well done. Then the closing credits force a happy ending wrapped up in a nice little bow. That's almost as ridiculous as everything else.

I am appalled at the low marks given. Such must be judged in the context of what happened recently in Afghanistan when there was negligent burning of Korans by Americans followed by apologies. If ever there was a film which captures and accurately sums up the forces at work, wherever we may tread in the Middle East, this IS IT. Now please note it was written and released PRIOR to 09-11-2001. Moreover, the performance by Guy Pierce was one of the best I have seen depicting a prosecutor at work in the military. I served in the Naval Legal Service Office in Norfolk, VA in the 1980s and he captured with accuracy the zeal of Marine prosecutors I have known. (It should be noted that he did an outstanding job in "L.A. Confidential".) I was duly impressed. As for the performances of Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson, they were first rate as well. Ben Kingsley was also at the top of his game,too. The production values were high and William Friedkin who directed both "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist" is more than able in this film. He captured effectively what we face whenever we have political dealings in the Middle East. I would counsel all who submitted critical reviews of this film to ask themselves, in light of current events, "Do you still hold that view?"

Samuel L Jackson plays an experienced US Marine officer who is in charge of evacuating the US Embassy in the Yemen. When the crowd opens fire and Marines are killed, Jackson orders retaliation. It subsequently appears as if he has opened fire on unarmed civilians, and it is expedient for the government to hang him out to try. He calls upon Tommy Lee Jones (whose life he saved in Vietnam) to defend him, and the stage is set for a courtroom drama.As courtroom dramas go, this is quite a good one. Jackson and Jones are heavyweights and punch their weight here, aided by Guy Pearce as the prosecution advocate, Ben Kingsley as the Ambassador, and Bruce Greenwood as the duplicitous State Department official who wants a scapegoat in order to safeguard his own position.The story is good, the performances are good and, apart from one unnecessary and improbable punch up, the film is well presented.Recommended.