Entertaining Hollywood filmmaking.

Rating: 7/10 (8 April 2000)

When one sits down and begins to watch William Friedkin's (The Exorcist, The French Connection) new flick "Rules of Engagement" everyone inevitably compares it to "the" military courtroom drama "A Few Good Men". What can I say to this other than I've never seen "A Few Good Men". What do you mean you've never saw it? That is what I mean but I wouldn't mind seeing it after watching "Rules...", especially if it's better, which is what I hear.
Stephan Gaghan rewrote the script over James Webb's original draft. Webb was furious how much it was changed to make for the Hollywood "dramatic effect", so he got the story credit. It's understandable why he would be mad because this film was strictly made for a commercial audience but really how many movies aren't.
Fueled by the leading performances of Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones and backed up by Philip Baker Hall and Guy Pearce among others, the acting is top notch. So there is nothing wrong with that at all, in fact it may be the best part of the film.
Another strong part was the direction of veteran filmmaker William Friedkin, who brought classic, contemporary, and conventional ways of directing into one to make for an overall satisfying feeling to the film. Especially those great action scenes, which were slowed up to emphasize the horrific and hostile environments the soldiers were actually in. Friedkin also kept it together in the courtroom where he let his actors go free and erupt in fury adding a bit of realism to the scenes.
All in all, what can I say, I was entertained. Yeah, it was filled with clichÃ©s and at times a bit rough in the script but rarely in the delivery, which is usually what counts. If you don't have good lines might as well deliver the bad ones with taste, style, and charisma.
8/10