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:

Dead Children | What Happened To Epilogue | Colonel | Demonstration | Embassy

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

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:

Règles d'engagement, Les (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

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Australia:MA | Iceland:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | 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:

Dune Films

Trivia:

The opposing attorney for Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones) is Maj. Biggs. In U.S. Marshals (1998), Gerard (Jones) has a deputy named Biggs.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Col. Childers boards the helicopter on the USS Wake Island, it is a USMC UH-1N Huey with twin engines. During the shots of the helicopters approaching the embassy, Childers' helicopter switched to a UH-1H Huey with a single engine. The helicopters in the shots of the Wake Island were actual Marine Corps aircraft, two CH-46 Sea Knights and the UH-1N Huey. Later shots were helicopters belonging to the Moroccan Air Force, two CH-47 Chinooks and a UH-1H Huey, which were painted to look like the USMC helicopters.

Quotes:

Colonel Terry L. Childers: Waste those motherf*ckers.

Movie Connections:

References A Few Good Men (1992)

Soundtrack:

On the Threshold of Liberty

A powerful movie with great acting

Readers please note: This review may give away some minor details in the movie. If you DO NOT want to know anything about this movie, please stop reading now.

The first 20 minutes of the movie really starts it off with a bang. The horrifying sounds, thoughts and actions of the Vietnam War come alive as two Marine groups are engaged in heavy combat. A realistic and truthful scene that probably occurred all over in Vietnam. A definite 5/5 star opening scene.

The rest of the movie was a basic government plot to cover up an innocent "hero" in this case. In the end the Marine on trial is not convicted and is innocent. The Secretary of State (person who is mainly the cause of covering up an innocent Marine) is guilty of throwing away evidence and he retires. An overall good movie with a well written plot, great acting, but yes this type of movie has been seen before. I rate it an overall B+