John Wayne would roll over in his grave if he saw "Rules of Engagement"

Rating: 2/10 (9 July 2007)

John ("Sands of Iwo Jima") Wayne would roll over in his grave if he saw what director William Friedkin's "Rules of Engagement" does to the Marine Corp. This anti-climactic but patriotic 'Semper Fi' Rules concerns a heroic, 30-year veteran, Col. Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson), charged with murder when he orders his leathernecks to fire at an armed and angry mob threatening the U.S. Embassy in Yemen is gung-ho hokum. Not only do we know from the start that Childers did the right thing, but also scenarist Stephen (TV's "The Practice") Gaghan never gives the prosecution much of a case. Spineless villains, shoddy scripting, and uninspired directing demote this epic. Compared with top-notch military courtroom dramas, such as "Breaker Morant," "Courage Under Fire," and "Paths of Glory," (and even lesser ones like "A Few Good Men"), "Rules" qualifies as drab fatigue duty.
This 'from the combat to courtroom' flashback-rippled G.I. issue saga opens in Vietnam in 1968 with Lt. Hayes Hodges and Childers on patrol when all hell breaks loose. North Vietnamese troops ambush Hodges' men and wipe them out. Meanwhile, Childers and his platoon capture the enemy radio operator and compel the commander at gunpoint to send the NVA packing. Childers shoots an unarmed enemy soldier in cold blood to show his resolve. The enemy officer relents and gives the order. Hodges owes Childers his life.
In 1996, when the U.S. Embassy in Yemen comes under fire, the Pentagon sends in Childers and the Marines. What might have begun as a protest has escalated into a siege when the three choppers ferrying Childers and company arrive. Gunners on nearby balconies are firing into the embassy. Interspersed in the crowd are people with guns blazing away indiscriminately at the building. (Jingoistic as this movie is, all of the Muslims are naturally stereotypes.)The Marines storm the grounds under a hail of gunfire. Childers rescues a cowardly ambassador (Ben Kingsley of "Species") cowering under his desk and escort him, his wife (Anne Archer in a tight-lipped performance), and son to safety.
Eventually, the wild-eyed, unshaven Arab gunners stop missing and start hitting the Marines. Reeling from a near-miss bullet, Childers gives the order to mow down those mothers ! The Marines stand up and unleash a withering barrage of gunfire. Nothing moves afterward and everything is quiet. Eighty-three people die while another 100 are wounded. Predictably, the Yemen government denounces the shooting as an international incident. A despicable National Security Adviser Bill Sokal (Bruce Greenwood, Ashley Judd's reptilian husband in "Double Jeopardy) destroys the only evidence that would indisputably exonerate Childers and brings in a martinet prosecutor ("L.A. Confidential's" Guy Pearce with a pugnacious five o'clock shadow) to hang Childers from the yard arm.
Meanwhile, Hodges gets flak from his father and son about defending Childers, but he sticks with his friend and sees him through to the end. The happy ending is never in doubt in Stephen Gaghan's screenplay. When he isn't polishing The Hodges character is sketchy and all we have to go on is Jones interpretation. Basically, Tommy Lee is playing a guy who is going to fall apart at any minute. Hodges wins the case but not because he is a good lawyer, instead because "Rules" is such a feeble-minded melodrama. Added to all this is the low-key non-ending that wraps up the action.
Gone are the days for William Friedkin. He once made solid, exciting movies with a pulse. "The Exorcist," "The French Connection," "To Live & Die in L.A." and "Sorcerer" rank as his best. Friedkin hacks his way through a jungle of nonsense in "Rules." The Vietnam firefight has none of "Saving Private Ryan's" riveting violence, while the embassy attack resembles a bad TV thriller where the body count must be low. The only thing remotely original about "Rules" is the way that the courtroom has been designed so that more actors can be seen in the same shot.
As always, Samuel L. Jackson is first-rate. This jar-headed thriller doesn't deserve his charisma. Since Jackson originated his angry black man routine in "Pulp Fiction," he has become the African-American version of Christopher Walken. He wears the role well, and you're convinced that he could put a cap into you. Jackson is a live wire, and he energizes "Rules" with his wattage. His performance blinds you to the flaws in his character and the script.
If the Marine Corp is looking for a few good recruits, "Rules of Engagement" may scare them off.