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"A Cunning
'Engagement'"
by Scott Mantz
"Rules of Engagement"
Samuel L. Jackson,
Tommy Lee Jones
Directed by William Friedkin
No group or
organization commands more respect than the US military. The rules
that they have to live by, combined with the job that they have
to do in times of crisis, make for a grueling set of standards to
live up to. Rising through the ranks to achieve a command position
is no small feat, and the responsibility that goes along with that
position is unfathomable. However, all it takes it one slip-up for
everything to come crashing down, and that is exactly what happens
in "Rules of Engagement". While the film doesn't offer anything
new in terms of military courtroom dramas, "Rules" is an intelligent
and engaging film that is made that much better by the outstanding
lead performances from Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones.
The US Embassy
in Yemen is under siege by hostile demonstrators, and it's up to
Marine Col. Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) and his troops to
rescue the Ambassador and his family. When machine gun fire results
in the death of 3 of his soldiers, Childers orders his men to open
fire into the crowd, killing 83 people. Rather than have the entire
country take the blame for the incident, the national security adviser
(Peter Greenwood) pins the blame on Childers alone, charging him
with murder. With nowhere to turn, Childers calls upon his old marine
buddy Col. Hays Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones), who's life he saved in
Vietnam, to defend his case. Hodges may be an average military lawyer,
but he's facing incredible odds and nary a shred of evidence to
support his client.
If you take
the best of "A Few Good Men" and "Courage Under Fire", then what
you end up with is the fine "Rules of Engagement". Like "Courage",
the film spends most of its time getting so entangled in the specifics
of the case, you actually end up doubting the innocence of its hero.
In a scene that could have been pulled right out of "Good Men",
Jackson gets so riled up on th e witness stand that you're just
waiting for him to shout out "you can't handle the truth!" It doesn't
matter that we've seen it all before--Jackson pulls it off with
power and passion.
Jackson is perfectly
cast as Col. Childers. He's spent more than 30 years living by the
marine code of honor, and all he has to show for it is his dignity.
Having that taken away is bad enough, but facing murder charges
when he did what he had to do to protect his men is too much for
him to bear. He is clearly a man who's loyalty is shaken in light
of this obviously crooked investigation. In some ways, his predicament
is similar to that of Jeffrey Wigand, the tobacco whistle blower
from "The Insider". Tommy Lee Jones also puts in a fine turn as
Jackson's longtime friend, and they compliment each other's performances.
He owes Jackson his life. He may lose the case, but if he doesn't
try to save his friend, he will definitely lose his soul.
After "Double
Jeopardy", Peter Greenwood sharpens his bad guy reputation as the
crooked national security advisor. He'd rather feed Jackson to the
wolves than even think about giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Even when he has proof of Jackson's innocence in his hands, he still
chooses to bury it and leave him out to dry. Guy Pierce does another
excellent job of hiding his Australian accent as the prosecuting
attorney. Whether he believes Jackson's innocence or not is besides
the point. He's got a job to do, and he's gonna do it no matter
who he has to fry.
There was time
when extensive combat experience upped the ante of politicians running
for elected office. Since the end of the Vietnam conflict almost
30 years ago, all the US military has had to show for itself was
the Granada Invasion and Operation Desert Storm, both incidents
that were over before ground troops even realized where they were.
In the eyes of many, those with heavy combat experience are now
considered "old school", while the new kids on the block don't even
realize how lucky they are to have been spared such a grueling experience.
To the heroes of "Rules of Engagement", we salute you.
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