An injured Marine and an injured Marine

Rating: 10/10 (13 January 2007)

It occurs to me after seeing "The Rules of Engagement" how one thing can lead to another. 'Point'... things are not always as they would seem to be. For Hayes Hodges,(Tommy Lee Jones) a sort of 'underdog' lawyer, who is taking a case that, he feels he has been pulled into. You can see the doubt in his eyes. National Security Adviser Sokal, played by(Bruce Green)a great 'pick' for that role!! Sokal, is viewing an American embassy security video tape, wants to bury the copy, for his own career appeasement. Sokal offers no help, and seems in all sense to be anti-military as his actions show that he is not there to find the truth, rather to get an answer that will sit well with his boss and in the public's eye.
This shows the lack of backing that the government will sometimes give to the troops, or some military situations that tend to be to 'politically hairy', when the media takes over, bringing heat and starting to paint a picture about a story that is not fully accurate. That will get some people in harms way, fast and to some certain death! Samuel L Jackson(Childers) and Tommy Lee Jones' (Hayes Hodges) characters, are close friends. When Terry Childers approaches Hodges, with a crisis on his hands, it makes his friend that has 'chewed jungle' with Terry before, very uneasy and of of center. Hayes in his quest for answers takes a plane trip to the embassy and the surrounding city to investigate further, but ends up not liking what he is learning. Furthermore, Terry looks as if he has painted himself into a corner, by the story he has given to 'Hodge' and with Ambassador Mourain (Ben Kingsley) who Childers was coming to take out (rescue) from a fiery situation, is not any help at this point at all for Terry's defense. Guy Pierce plays an upcoming and hungry prosecutor, (Maj. Mark Biggs) who wants Jackson's character, to do nothing less than prison, for a middle eastern incident at an American base in Yemen. With Hodge getting upset and the upsetting turning to anger, things are starting to get done.
This is an excellent military drama that ranks with "A Few Good Men" only prefer this one, over, "Santiago had no code!" as far as an enveloping action drama story. Some will disagree, but this one doesn't let you down. Recommended highly!(****) Great direction, William Friedkin