"RULES OF ENGAGEMENT" *** out of ***** Review by R.L. Strong
PARAMOUNT PICTURES PRESENTS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SEVEN ARTS PICTURES A RICHARD D. ZANUCH / SCOTT RUDIN PRODUCTION A WILLIAM FRIEDKIN FILM
TOMMY LEE JONES SAMUEL L. JACKSON "RULES OF ENGAGEMENT" GUY PEARCE BRUCE GREENWOOD BLAIR UNDERWOOD PHILIP BAKER HALL ANNE ARCHER AND BEN KINGSLEY MUSIC BY MARK ISHAM CO-PRODUCER ARNE SCHMIDT COSTUMES DESIGNED BY GLORIA GRESHAM EDITED BY AUGIE HESS PRODUCTION DESIGNER ROBERT LAING DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY WILLIAM FRAKER NICOLA PERCORINI EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ADAM SCHROEDER JAMES WEBB STORY BY JAMES WEBB SCREENPLAY BY STEPHEN GAGHAN PRODUCED BY RICHARD D. ZANUCK SCOTT RUDIN DIRECTED BY WILLIAM FRIEDKIN
"The line between being a Hero and a Murderer is a very, very thin one" So says Colonel Hayes Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones) in his attempt to defend his friend Colonel Terry L. Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) against charges of ordering his troops to fire on an unarmed group of protesters at the U.S. embassy in Yemen. "Rules of Engagement" is an interesting film on many levels but ultimately doesn't quite work because of a week second half.
The film opens in Vietnam in 1968, as Marine Colonels Hayes Hodges and Terry Childers work their way through the jungle. Splitting up to find an enemy strong hold, the two teams are attacked. Childers' squad is attacked first but manages to capture the Vietnamese Colonel Cao (Baoan Coleman). It is almost immediately afterwards that Hodges troop is attacked while crossing a swamp. The casualties are high and Hodges is wounded. As Childers hears the fire fight, he commands Colonel Cao to radio his men and order them to retreat. Childers' threatens Cao with death if the order is not carried out. Cao refuses. Childers' then shoots and kills Cao's radio operator. Cao then relents under fear of his own death.
Hodges is saved. Childers is a hero and the two men cement a friendship that will stand as a greater honor than anything else in the Marine Corps. The film moves forward to present day. Colonel Hayes Hodges is retiring. A career marine, Hodges feels weary and tired, disappointed in not living up to his Father's (Philip Baker Hall) legacy.
In the Middle East, tensions are rising. Situations come to a head when the U.S. Embassy in Yemen is surrounded by a large crowd of Demonstrators. Snipers fire at the builder, as workers scramble trying to salvage whatever they can. Ambassador Mourain (Ben Kingsley), his wife (Anne Archer) and their son are all in danger. The U.S. Government orders the marines to send in a rescue team to extract the Americans and their families. Col. Terry Childers, is ordered to lead a squadron of Marines in the rescue attempt. Dodging sniper fire, Hodges locates the Ambassador and leads him and his family to a waiting helicopter. Childers them returns to the roof of the Embassy to retrieve the U.S. flag. In the process, one of Childers' men is killed. Childers sends the Ambassador on his way, and returns to his troops. Two more marines are killed. Childers then orders his men to open fire on the crown gathered at the front of the Embassy. More than the 80 Yemeni men, women and children killed by Marine gunfire.
The situation comes to a head when word gets back to the State Department. A political firestorm has begun. National Security Adviser, William Sokal (Conrad Bachmann), demands that Colonel Childers be brought up on charges of murder. As there is no evidence that the crowd in front of the Embassy had weapons, Childers must have fired into the crowd of civilians, instead of firing at the snipers on the roofs across from the Embassy,.
Knowing that the situation is dire, Childers goes to the one man whom he feels can help him.. Hayes Hodges. The two men start to investigate the case with only eight days before Court Marshal proceedings begin. Hodges has trepidation's about his abilities. He's not a very good attorney and knows it. With the short time he has, Hodges flies to Yemen in an effort to find a corroborating witness for his friend and client. When Hodges returns, his own doubts about his friend jeopardize both the case and their friendship.
"Rules of Engagement" is seemingly an honest film. The first half of the feature is very well played, with a good level of intensity and commitment. It's the second half of the film, the trial itself when the film starts to bog down into typical cinematic territory. The biggest mistake the film makes is in having a nominal villain in the piece.
Having the National Security Adviser commit such a heinous act in the body of the film completely stops the momentum of the film dead in its tracks. Giving the audience an identifiable bad guy is such a concession to market research, that the film cannot recover from it. Furthermore, the film did not need this concession, as the plot creates the situation without it. The addition of the scene becomes redundant.
One of the biggest and most noble surprises in the film, is the honest and non-inflammatory was that the Marine Corps are portrayed. The introductory scenes in Vietnam are as palpable as anything by Kubrick or Oliver Stone. This sequence is very well directed and performed, and is a grand introduction to the rest of the film.
The courtroom scenes are as traditional as one could expect. As with other films of this type, it is the performances that carry the scenes forward. Samuel L. Jackson carries his scenes with an intense and proud demeanor. His Colonel Terry L. Childers is a proud Marine and a proud man. His instinctive and passionate command is both refreshing and invigorating. A very good performance.
Tommy Lee Jones gives the best performances in the film. A man, equally proud of his military command, but haunted by his own failures. As Retired Colonel Hayes Hodges is called back into duty at the request of his friend, Jones plays the difficult emotions and crisis with a subtle grace that simmers with both apprehension and self doubt. Tommy Lee Jones has always given credible and exciting performances, but here he is called upon to internalize his fear and anger. And when they finally come to the surface, that explosion is also reigned in. In his fight with Childers, Hodges continually hesitates. Doubting his own conclusions, and again disliking himself for not trusting the man who had save his life in Vietnam.
"Rules of Engagement" marks the return of famed Director William Friedkin. Friedkin's career has been spotty over the last decade. While his style and finesse have always been beyond reproach, his choice of material has not always been up to the level of his talent. Here, the director has a script that challenges him while also playing it safe. There is much to like about the film. "Rules of Engagement" does not succumb to the jingoist marching usually associated with films about the military. Nor does it play the military as inherently evil. The soldiers are all played as men who have chosen to serve their country. And for a change, the soldiers are shown to have individual ideals and passions. Guy Pearce (as Prosecutor Major Mark Biggs) almost stealing the film from the two leads. Pearce (who was remarkable in "L.A. Confidential"), continues to amaze the audience with his command of dialects (he is Australian), and the naturalness of his performance.
"Rules of Engagement" is a marginally good film. It is worth seeing. But it would have played much better had not the villainous subterfuge been so obvious. A concession to modern day teen audiences, that the film is not even aimed at.
Owner & Copyright © 2000 R. L Strong All Rights Reserved Nothing in this article may be quoted or re-printed without the express written permission of the author.
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