First-class acting and realism make this a good movie

Rating: Null/10 (13 November 2000)

It may not be a new plot, but Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel Jackson bring top-notch acting to this flick. It's a good movie because it is, first, believable due to the actors job of helping me to suspend my disbelief. I must admit that, as a Vietnam veteran, some bad memories caused me to skip the first scenes of battle in Viet Nam. Second, while this is not part of the plot of the movie, civilian involvement in the decisions of battle caused chaos and tragedy in Vietnam. So, a civilian decision to hold Jackson accountable for the killing in Yemen seems believable. I found myself debating the merits of having embassies in such places and our need to defend them. I wondered about people who seem to have nothing better to do than to be involved in daily protests before an American embassy. I also wondered about places that allow terrorists to walk around with automatic weapons. One wonders if democracy will ever be viable in such countries.
I regretted that the movie ended before showing the come-uppance of the "evil" security advisor and the turn-coat ambassador. I liked the movie.