Rules of Engagement (2000)

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers (WGA):

James Webb (story)
Stephen Gaghan (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 March 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

A hero should never have to stand alone.

Plot:

An attorney defends an officer on trial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians after they stormed a U.S. embassy in a third world country.

Plot Keywords:

Colonel | Embassy | Lawyer | Trial | Yemen

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Sun. Nov. 29

4:05 AM

TMC

Cast

Tommy Lee Jones	...	Col. Hayes 'Hodge' Hodges
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Col. Terry L. Childers
Guy Pearce	...	Maj. Mark Biggs
Ben Kingsley	...	Ambassador Mourain
Bruce Greenwood	...	National Security Advisor Bill Sokal
Anne Archer	...	Mrs. Mourain
Blair Underwood	...	Capt. Lee
Philip Baker Hall	...	Gen. H. Lawrence Hodges
Dale Dye	...	Gen. Perry
Amidou	...	Dr. Ahmar
Mark Feuerstein	...	Tom Chandler
Richard McGonagle	...	Judge Col. E. Warner
Baoan Coleman	...	Col. Binh Le Cao
Nicky Katt	...	Hayes Hodges III
Ryan Hurst	...	Capt. Hustings

Also Known As:

Les règles d'engagement (Canada: French title)
Rules - Sekunden der Entscheidung (Germany)
Rules of Engagement - Die Regeln des Krieges (Germany) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for scenes of war violence, and for language.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA | Canada | UK | Germany

Language:

English | Arabic

Colour:

Colour (CFI)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16 (original rating) | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

When Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones) returns to the bombed-out embassy, there is a picture of then Vice President Al Gore on the charred wall. Gore and Jones were roommates at Harvard.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Hodge is talking to his father in the garage, he screws a wing nut down on the air cleaner of the antique truck twice between shots.

Quotes:

Colonel Hayes Hodges: If this gets bad, it gets bad for both of us.
Colonel Terry L. Childers: Why, Hodge? Are you going to jail too?

Movie Connections:

References A Few Good Men (1992)

Soundtrack:

On the Threshold of Liberty

A Bit Contrived, But Very Entertaining

This story gets the viewer involved with it right away never lets up, with good performances all around, although Tommy Lee Jones stands out a bit above the rest.

There are some outstanding action scenes in the first 30 minutes and if you have a 5.1surround system, it gets quite a workout. After that, the story settles down into a court battle.

Its politics are typical Hollywood: the government is corrupt with the main villain the National Security Adviser who burns a video tape that would clear a U.S. Marine colonel from being framed for murder. That colonel also is a black man which makes the story even more politically correct. Samuel J. Jackson plays that role, a Col. "Terrry Childers." Jones plays his attorney, "Col. Hayes Hodges." The two veteran actors play off each other very well.

It gets even more dramatic when two other witnesses lie and make justice look almost impossible to attain in the case. But, dramatics aside, it's a good story and certainly an entertaining one. Once again, William Friedkin has directed a good movie.