Summary
Courtroom drama starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L Jackson as Vietnam veterans bonded by an act of bravery who join forces again years later when one faces a court martial.
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Rules of Engagement
- Drama
- Thriller
- 2000
- William Friedkin
- 122 mins
- 15
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IMDBReview
This courtroom melodrama from French Connection director William Friedkin revolves around marine colonel Samuel L Jackson's decision to fire on a crowd of Arabs storming the US embassy in Yemen. Tommy Lee Jones reluctantly defends Jackson at his court martial, knowing only too well that his former comrade in arms has a tendency to buckle under pressure. A terrific cast (Ben Kingsley, Anne Archer, Philip Baker Hall) is wasted as the two leads do battle with tough prosecution attorney Guy Pearce, who gives good value in a performance reminiscent of Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men. Alas, this film is scuppered by a Vietnam flashback that suggests the stars have not aged a day in 30 years, while the sequences in Yemen show Hollywood has lost none of its appetite for unsavoury stereotypes.
How to watch
Streaming
Credits
Cast
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Col Hays Hodges | Tommy Lee Jones |
| Col Terry Childers | Samuel L Jackson |
| Maj Mark Biggs | Guy Pearce |
| National Security Adviser William Sokal | Bruce Greenwood |
| Captain Lee | Blair Underwood |
| Gen H Lawrence Hodges | Philip Baker Hall |
| Mrs Mourain | Anne Archer |
| Ambassador Mourain | Ben Kingsley |
| Hays Hodges III | Nicky Katt |
Crew
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | William Friedkin |
Details
- Theatrical distributor
- UIP
- Released on
- 2000-08-11
- Languages
- English | Arabic
- Guidance
- May be edited for language and violence.
- Available on
- video and DVD
- Formats
- Colour
