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RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
Review by Gordon Justesen
Stars:
Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Bruce Greenwood, Ben Kingsley
Director: William Friedkin
Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic Transfer
Studio: Paramount
Features: See Review
Length: 127 Minutes
Release
Date: October 10, 2000
Film ***1/2
William Friedkin’s
Rules of Engagement is a taut and highly entertaining military thriller that
covers familiar territory, but covers fresh territory at the same time. The
movie also contains a cast that you simply can’t lose with. I’d anticipate
great things from any movie that would pair up Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L.
Jackson, two of our strongest presences on the screen today. As far as I can
see, they couldn’t have picked a better film to collaborate on, because the
script is well written, and we completely buy these characterizations as
portrayed by the two leads. The first half of the film mainly consists of
contemporary war combat, while the second half crafts some very intense
courtroom scenes that are the best I’ve seen in quite a while. Perhaps the
strongest quality in the storyline are the rules of engagement in general, which
cause some serious moral conflicts with the characters, thus becoming very
thought provoking for the audience.
At the heart of the
film is the friendship between Col. Hayes Hodges (Jones) and Col. Terry Childers
(Jackson). The film opens with the two serving together in Vietnam, where
Childers saved Hodges’ life. Cut to several years later, Hodges quits military
action and gets a law degree to become a marine lawyer. Meanwhile, Childers is a
highly decorated Marine who is given a rescue mission to lead in Yemen, where
furious demonstrators are attacking the U.S. Embassy. When Childers and his
soldiers arrive in Yemen, they come upon unexpected circumstances involving the
crowd of demonstrators, which results in Childers ordering his men to fire into
the crowd. His men briefly question his order, but they carry it anyway,
resulting in the slaughter of 83 people, including women and children. The
military charges Childers with murder. Childers only wants one lawyer, so he
looks up his friend Hodges, now a divorced man and a alcoholic, and persuades
Hodges to represent him.
So thus begins the
trial, which occupies the second hour of the movie. Heading the prosecution is
Major Mark Briggs, played superbly by Guy Pearce, who appears determined to
generate a conviction for the accused by convincing the jury that Childers
ignored the rules of engagement, then slaughtered the civilians in cold blood.
Along the course trial, there are numerous twists and discoveries, including one
involving the disappearance of a security tape, which recorded the entire
incident in Yemen, which could help in explaining Childers’ order to fire into
the crowd. The National Security
Advisor (Bruce Greenwood) is suspected in that matter, since he was rumored to
have it in his possession, though he claims he knows nothing of it. A case of
true irony presents itself with the testimony of the U.S. Ambassador (Ben
Kingsley), who Childers saved and put out of harm’s way, including the
Ambassador’s wife and son. But the main element in question is Childers’
conduct, and why he gave the order to open fire on the demonstrators. Without
the security tape, it would be tough to prove. Childers stands by his story,
telling the court that the crowd fired on them first, and that he would not
stand to lose any fellow marines, even if it meant ignoring the rules of
engagement.
Some of the actions
of the villains in the movie are obvious and fairly conventional, but it
didn’t matter, because I was already very much entertained by the movie’s
pace, sharp directing, and grand performances. I mentioned how good Jones and
Jackson were, but for my money, the best performance in the movie comes from Guy
Pearce as the prosecuting attorney. Pearce, an Australian actor, got his big
break 3 years ago with a remarkable performance in L.A. Confidential.
Since then, he hasn’t made many movies, and so I was very pleased to see him
again. Armed with a strong, Brooklyn-like accent, Pearce is extremely
convincing, giving his character the necessary hardedge to defeat Jackson’s
character, which is displayed in the movie’s climatic showdown in the
courtroom. He simply plays the role smart and intense, and that’s what I
admire about Pearce.
Most movies involving
the military are supposed to be taken seriously, but Rules of Engagement
is not. It has plenty of inherent drama, and even a few moments of emotional
intensity, but the movie is strictly for entertainment value, and it truly does
deliver doses of entertainment.
Video: ****
Paramount prevails
again! In fact, this is about as sharp and clear as any transfer I’ve seen
from the studio since perhaps the Mission Impossible disc, although that
disc wasn’t anamorphically enhanced, and this one is. The image is simply of
picture perfect quality right from frame one of the movie. I didn’t detect an
ounce of grain, or any odd color resolution or color bleeding at any moment of
the viewing.
Audio: ****
Even though there are
only two key action sequences in the movie, the audio transfer really delivers
on all accounts on Rules of Engagement. The 5.1 Dolby Digital
presentation is simply free of any flaws. Particularly, the action scene at the
U.S. Embassy is where the sound truly kicks in, as you can just about hear every
single bullet coming from each and every direction. Following the action scenes,
the audio still holds up, with perfect clean quality for dialogue, and a very
perfect tone for the musical score to the film.
Features: ***
While not at the
level of the extras supplied on such releases as Sleepy Hollow and The
Talented Mr. Ripley, Paramount still has yet to fail with their use of
extras on this disc. There are only three primary extra features, but good ones
nonetheless. There is a 20 minute behind-the-scenes look at the making of the
film, which also takes a brief look into the actual rules of engagement that
exist in the military. There is also a cast and crew interviews segment, and a
full-length commentary with director William Friedkin.
Summary:
While not at the
level of such other military thrillers as Courage Under Fire and A Few
Good Men, Rules of Engagement is nonetheless a gripping, intriguing
two hours. I also find it to be an accomplishment of sharp directing and
terrific acting. It is recommended highly, and I seriously feel that you, dear
reader, will be entertained by the movie in one way or another.