- Director
- Writers
- Jim Webb(story)
- Stephen Gaghan(screenplay)
- Stars
- Director
- Writers
- Jim Webb(story)
- Stephen Gaghan(screenplay)
- Stars
- Awards
- 1 win & 2 nominations
Videos1
- Jimias Jimi
- (as Ahmed Abounouom)
- Director
- Writers
- Jim Webb(story)
- Stephen Gaghan(screenplay)
- All cast & crew
- See more cast details at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones) returns to the bombed-out embassy, there is a picture of then Vice President Al Gore on the charred wall. Gore and Jones were roommates at Harvard.
- GoofsNational Security Adviser Bill Sokal is worried about political pressure from other countries about the internationally publicized "slaughter of innocent civilians in Yemen", so he hides the one piece of evidence that would exonerate Col. Childers: a video tape of the crowd initiating contact with the Marines. Sokal does this as a means of "throwing Childers under the bus". The problem with that is that not only would that tape reveal that Col. Childers was innocent and performed his duty admirably, but it would remove all political pressure from the US - thus removing the reason why Sokal hid the tape in the first place. Couple that with the evidence presented in the courts-martial that proved Col. Childers innocent, and it would have been painfully obvious that Col. Childers performed his duties honorably and, therefore, would have been returned to active duty. In short, Sokal helped propagate the very problem he was trying to solve: political pressure against the US, that would cause embassies to be removed around the world.
- Quotes
Colonel Hayes Hodges: [final arguments of the defense]
Colonel Hayes Hodges: [presenting a photo of the embassy to juries] That is sovereign United States territory as much as if it were in Ohio or Maryland. Colonel Childers didn't volunteer to go over there, he was ordered to go over there because he was the best man for the job. We armed him, we trained him, we sent him over there to risk his life to save other Americans and then ask him not to return fire? There are over three hundred bullet holes in this building. Colonel Childers didn't open fire, he returned fire. And he waited until after three of his Marines were dead and another lay mortally wounded. He waited until he was personally under heavy fire. He waited until he saw that crowd holding weapons, only then did he order his men to return fire. Under the Rules of Engagement, a civilian pointing a weapon is no longer a civilian and the use of deadly force is authorized in order to save lives. It's not murder, it's combat. Colonel Childers is the only man alive who was in a position to see that crowd, but the camera on the Embassy roof had the same point of view. The Government would have you believe there is no tape from that camera. I have shown you that that tape was delivered to the State Department, do you believe that that tape got up and walked out of the State Department on its own? By not producing that tape, the National Security Advisor, Mr. Sokal, has brought dishonor into this court. Without that tape, I cannot show you that the crowd fired first and that Colonel Childers is innocent. But without that tape, they cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he's guilty. Here's my case, it's all I've got. Thirty-two years of service, thirty-two years of heroism as a United States Marine, regardless of what you decide here, Colonel Childers' career as a marine is over. He will never again command men in combat. The Ambassador and his family are alive today because of him, and I know how the Ambassador feels because Colonel Childers saved my life too. I am alive today only because of him! I'm alive today and I have a son, because of the heroism of Colonel Childers. To ask this man to risk his life for his country, to ask this man to watch his Marines die in his arms and call it murder when he's defending himself, to call it murder for firing back when being fired upon, to call it murder for saving the lives of his countrymen under the most extreme of circumstances, that's... my fellow Marines... that's hanging him out to dry... and it's worse than leaving him wounded on a battle field. That is something you do not do if you are a United States Marine, and it is something I pray to God you won't do here either.
- Alternate versionsSome international prints, made for DVD/TV broadcast, have removed the Paramount logo and fade straight into the Seven Arts Pictures logo. The opening titles also now read "Seven Arts Pictures Present in association with Paramount Pictures". This is due to the fact that Seven Arts owned the international rights and wanted prime credit.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Behind the Rules of Engagement (2000)
- SoundtracksOn the Threshold of Liberty
by Mark Isham
Contains a sample performed by Mark Isham
Courtesy of The Windham Hill Group
There are some outstanding action scenes in the first 30 minutes and if you have a 5.1surround system, it gets quite a workout. After that, the story settles down into a court battle.
Its politics are typical Hollywood: the government is corrupt with the main villain the National Security Adviser who burns a video tape that would clear a U.S. Marine colonel from being framed for murder. That colonel also is a black man which makes the story even more politically correct. Samuel J. Jackson plays that role, a Col. "Terrry Childers." Jones plays his attorney, "Col. Hayes Hodges." The two veteran actors play off each other very well.
It gets even more dramatic when two other witnesses lie and make justice look almost impossible to attain in the case. But, dramatics aside, it's a good story and certainly an entertaining one. Once again, William Friedkin has directed a good movie.
- ccthemovieman-1
- Nov 17, 2006
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Reglas de combate
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $60,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $61,335,230
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $15,011,181
- Apr 9, 2000
- Gross worldwide
- $71,732,303
- Runtime2 hours 8 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
Contribute to this page
