Rules of Engagement (2000) Rating: 3.0 stars out of 5.0 stars
Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Anne Archer, Blair Underwood, Dale Dye, Philip Baker Hall Written by: James Webb and Stephen Gaghan Directed by: William Friedkin Running Time: 127 minutes
So, William Friedkin CAN make a good movie... but just barely. Rules of Engagement is the latest courtroom movie to hit theaters, with it's origins owed to 1992's A Few Good Men. Samuel L. Jackson stars as decorated United States Marine Colonel Terry L. Childers. While on a rescue mission in the Middle East and under heavy enemy fire, Childers orders his men to open fire into a crowd of demonstrators. In the end 83 people are dead, and Childers is court-martialed for murder.
Tommy Lee Jones plays Colonel Hayes Hodges, a retired Marine attorney who owes his life to Childers. Childers comes to Hodges to defend him in his trial, and despite Hodges attempts to pursuade him otherwise he agrees to do so. Hodges is unsure however if he's good enough to save his friend from a lifetime in jail.
Female moviegoers beware, this film is heavy on the male "macho" factor. There's so much testosterone flowing in this movie in fact that halfway through the two lead characters have no choice but to beat the hell out of each other for about five minutes.
Australian Guy Pearce plays Major Mark Biggs, the prosecutor in the case and a pivotal character of the film. However, Pearce's performance almost ruins many of the scenes he's in and lessens the film's dramatic tension. You see, he plays his character with a strong New York accent, one which seemed so silly that it got me laughing on several occasions.
As I hinted at earlier, director Friedkin basically lucked out here and emerged with a entertaining flick. It's slow in spots, a little too long, and the story unfolds in such a matter of fact manner that it's hard to really get behind the film. You know exactly where it's going, and the audience is basically just waiting to get there. Even the final outcome of the trial seems unimportant, as it's brushed off with a quick joke.
If Friedkin had edited the film differently I think it could have been tremendously more entertaining. The main thing I'd have suggested would be to not show the entire incident in the Middle East in it's entirety so early in the film. Because we see exactly what happens so early on, we know everything we need to know and are just waiting for the rest of the characters in the film to catch up. Why not instead show us portions of that scene in flashbacks as the film progresses, thereby heightening the audience's interest in the film by having us not know the entire truth right away? Despite all that though, Rules of Engagement is entertaining enough for me to recommend, as there's definitely worse ways to spend your time.
Reviewed by Chuck Dowling - chuckd21@fdn.com The Jacksonville Film Journal - http://www.jaxfilmjournal.com/
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