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Rules Of Engagement
2000
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. Read more
| Starring | Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Anne Archer |
|---|---|
| Director | William Friedkin |
| Genres | Thriller |
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Rules Of Engagement
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.
| 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 | DVD: 2 hrs 2 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Dubbed | French |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English, French |
| Released | DVD: 05 Mar 2001 Production year: 2000 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (6)
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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.
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Jingoistic court-room drama of the kind to give patriotism a bad name, with a screenplay that keeps its thumb firmly jammed on the scales of justice.
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Most helpful member's review
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10 out of 10 people found this review helpful
Modern Military Court Drama
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. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Rules of Engagement
Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson star in this war movie drama about what happens when the rules that command a soldier become the rules that condemn him.
Action both in the field and courtroom.
An excellent movie. -
News and features
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Syriana set for UK release
- 24 Feb 2006
Syriana, a political thriller starring George Clooney (Good Night And Good Luck, Ocean's Twelve) and Matt Damon (Ocean's Twelve, The Bourne Identity) is set for release next Friday 3rd March. Sporting a beard and a few extra pounds, Clooney plays a CIA officer whose life collides with that of an energy analyst (Damon), an attorney (Jeffrey Wright) and a Pakistani immigrant (Mazhar Munir) against the background of a US oil crisis. Writer and director Stephen Gaghan (Writer: Traffic, Rules Of... Read more
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