Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Anne Archer, Dale Dye, Bruce Greenwood, Ben Kingsley, Blair Underwood, Nicky Katt, Ben Kingsley, Philip Baker Hall

Director: William Friedkin

Summary: William Friedkin unleashes his flare for tense action and gripping suspense in RULES OF ENGAGEMENT, an exciting military legal thriller that examines the moral gray area of combat experience and reflects on the ethos of the American military in the late 20th century. When the U.S. embassy in Yemen is stormed by anti-American protesters, Marine Colonel Terry Childers (an intense Samuel L. Jackson) rescues Ambassador Mourain (Ben Kingsley) from the explosive siege, and under fire from snipers within the crowd, he orders his men to return fire, resulting in many civilian casualties. To appease international outrage at an apparent war crime, the U.S. government court-martials Childers for violating the Marine's "rules of engagement," and his only hope rests on Marine lawyer Colonel Hayes Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones), a veteran who owes Childers his life for, ironically, a war crime committed by Childers in the Vietnam War. An intense, chiaroscuro courtroom drama and brutal combat film, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT takes a difficult look at the moral ambiguity of life in combat and the value of guilt, honor, and loyal sacrifice in the duty to one's country.

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Rules of Engagement opens strongly with a Vietnam battle sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the story. But then director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about staging harrowing action sequences, and if you don't believe that, you've never seen The French Connectionor To Live and Die in LA. Unfortunately, Friedkin can't do much about the implausible plot that follows, in which the Marine commander, played by the always-terrific Samuel L Jackson, is accused of slaughtering innocent civilians (who actually were shooting at him and his men). He must rely on an old Marine buddy--a lawyer played by Tommy Lee Jones--to get him through the jury-rigged court martial. But the central premise--that an evil presidential aide would perjure himself and destroy evidence simply to maintain good relations with US allies in the Middle East, rather than defending a highly decorated Marine colonel who risked his life--is inevitably hard to swallow. And the ending is even flimsier. --Marshall Fine, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Commentary, Behind The Scenes Footage, Theatrical Trailer
Subtitles:	English, French
Year:	2000
Release Date:	March 5, 2001
Runtime:	122 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P H E 8058
Keywords:	Rules, General, Wide, Screen, Engagement, Thriller
Genre:	Thriller