Filled with flaws, but still engaging due to strong performances. *** out of ****.

Rating: 7/10 (15 April 2000)

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT / (2000) ***
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Kingsley, Blair Underwood, Guy Pearce, Bruce Greenwood, Anne Archer, and Philip Baker Hall.
Directed by William Friedkin. Written by James Webb. Running time: 123 minutes. Rated R (for graphic violence and language).
By Blake French:
"Rules of Engagement" is a thriller of missed opportunities and noticeable failures. The film squeezes out of explanation and conclusive execution; it is riddled with unmistakable flaws are structural miscalculations. I found myself deeply engaged within the profoundness of the somewhat familiar story, however, even after these problems. This drama, directed by William Friedkin, is intense and strongly constructed, proving what accurate conditions the filmmakers accommodate.
The movie opens fifty years ago during a battle in Vietnam. We meet two main characters, Colonel Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) and Colonel Hayes Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones). The two become good friends after Childers saves the life of Hodges during a brutal siege. Later, Childers is questioned due to a questionably inhuman, although effective, circumstance he embraces to achieve his quickly constructed strategy.

We skip ahead to the retirement of Hodges as a mostly unsuccessful military lawyer. Childers has accepted command of a Marine unit that finds itself at duty in Yemen after an American embassy becomes distressed. The US sends Childers and his forces to the country to recall the Ambassador (Ben Kingsley), his wife, Mrs. Mourain (Anne Archer), and their son, as well as to take charge of the rioting Yemenis.
Once at the embassy, the rioting crowd becomes too hostile. After a sniper kills one of his men, Childers commands his crew to open fire on the civilians. The Yemeni casualties number well over seventy-five. National Security Adviser William Sokal (Bruce Greenwood) placed charges on Childers because he does not think the U.S. should take blame for what he considers the actions of a one individual. The objection is transgressing the rules of engagement.
Other key characters in the film are the highly proclaimed General H. Lawrence Hodges (Philip Baker Hall), military prosecutors Major Biggs (Guy Pearce), and Capt. Tom Chandler (Mark Feuerstein), and Ambassador Mourain.
The setup, written by James Webb, takes too long to set up. Although well-depicted and clear, the rest of the movie hinges entirely on it. It may have been more effective if the audience did not know what happened in Yemen. There is also a possibility that it could have been more revealing and tense if the film had spent more time in researching its issues.

Another conflict in the setup is the fact that we are unaware of important details. Why are the Yemenis rioting? Obviously their reasoning has something to do with the US Ambassador. Such a critical plot point, one in which the rest of the story hinges upon, is never revealed.

The riot and war scenes feature swift and realistically sketchy camera positions and movements. Similar to "Saving Private Ryan," this production attempts to make little sense of the seemingly senseless violence. This quality composes "Rules of Engagement" in a relatively believable and intense style.
William Friedkin takes "Rules of Engagement" seriously, squeezing little dramatic relief within the film's context. Although focused direction is normally a very effective quality, Friedkin suffers from being too converged. The characters are giving few incidences in which they are able to portray any life apart from their occupations. The filmmakers give the characters a lot of smart and juicy dialogue to gnaw on, generating engaging depth in them. As such, these characters are not one dimensional, just one directional.
The courtroom scenes are some of the film's most powerful and truthful. Solid performances by Guy Pearce, Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, and Ben Kingsley make for a rigid-atmosphere behind legal doors. For the first time in a long while I was unsure of what the jury's final decision would be. Maybe that is because we are unsure about our stance on the situations. Some of the actions, such as elements of perjury and withholding evidence, could be more explained. Overall, however, the notions were quite clear.

Perhaps the biggest success in "Rules of Engagement" is its strong narrative theme of action. The movie follows a steady through-line. Although excessively concentrated, each scene advances the story and complicates the initial problem. Despite flaws in numerous areas and a somewhat mixed review, "Rules of Engagement" is a solid, stark movie marginally worthy of recognition.
"Rules of Engagement" is brought to you by Paramount Pictures.