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Rules of Engagement (film)
Encyclopedia
Rules of Engagement is a 2000 American film directed by William Friedkin
and starring Tommy Lee Jones
and Samuel L. Jackson
. Jackson plays Marine Colonel Terry Childers, who is brought to court-martial
on charges of disobeying the rules of engagement
in a military incident at an American embassy in Sana'a
, Yemen, resulting in the slaughter of many civilians by Childers' men.
Screenwriter James Webb
is a former Marine
combat officer, lawyer and Secretary of the Navy. Webb is currently the senior United States Senator
from Virginia
.
, a disastrous American advance in the Vietnam War
, and shows Lt. Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) execute an unarmed prisoner to intimidate an NVA
officer into calling off an ambush of American marines, thereby saving the life of Lt. Hays Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones).
The movie jumps to 1996; Childers and his Marine Expeditionary Unit
are called to evacuate the United States Ambassador to Yemen
from the embassy grounds, after a routine demonstration against American influence in the Persian Gulf
turns into rock-throwing and sporadic fire from nearby rooftops. After escorting the Ambassador to a waiting helicopter, Childers returns to the embassy to retrieve the American flag; meanwhile several Marines are killed by the Yemeni snipers on nearby rooftops. Childers, after appearing to see something in the crowd below, orders his men to open fire on the crowd below and "waste the motherfuckers", resulting in the death of 83 civilian protesters.
Back in the United States, the National Security Adviser decides to proceed with a court martial to try and deflect negative public opinion about the United States, shouldering all the blame for the incident onto Childers, and salvage American relations in the Persian Gulf
. Childers finds Hodges, whose life he saved, is now serving in the JAG Division and asks him to be his defence attorney at the upcoming tribunal. Hodges is reluctant to accept, knowing that his record is less than impressive, and Childers needs a better lawyer. But Childers is adamant, because he would rather have an attorney who has served in combat before.
Most of the evidence is stacked against Childers, especially because the National Security Advisor, Bill Sokal is determined for him to be convicted, and at one point burns a tape showing that the crowd had indeed been in possession of weapons, justifying Childers' actions. He also blackmails the ambassador Childers rescued, Ambassador Mourain, into lying on the stand and saying both that the crowd had been peaceful and that Childers had been violent towards him and his family during the evacuation. However, Hodges is able to present a shipping manifest proving that a tape from an undamaged camera which had been looking directly into the crowd — the tape Sokal had burned — had been delivered to Sokal's office, but has failed to show up. Also, when the prosecution presents the Vietnamese Colonel, Colonel Cao, whom Childers had threatened in Vietnam, as a rebuttal witness, Hodges manages to get him to mention that, had the circumstances been reversed, he would've done the same thing.
The film ends with Childers being found guilty of the minor charge of breach of the peace, but not guilty of the more serious charges of conduct unbecoming of an officer or gentleman and murder, and a final titlecard reveals that no further charges were brought against him, and he retired honorably from the Marines. Sokal is found guilty of Spoliation of evidence
and forced to resign, while Mourain is found guilty of Perjury
and sacked.
gives the film a score of 37% based on reviews from 93 critics and reports a rating average of 5 out of 10. It reported the overall consensus, "The script is unconvincing and the courtroom action is unengaging." At Metacritic
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 45 based on 31 reviews.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
described it as "probably the most racist film ever made against Arabs by Hollywood".
William Friedkin
William Friedkin is an American film director, producer and screenwriter best known for directing The French Connection in 1971 and The Exorcist in 1973; for the former, he won the Academy Award for Best Director...
and starring Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
and Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
. Jackson plays Marine Colonel Terry Childers, who is brought to court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
on charges of disobeying the rules of engagement
Rules of engagement
Rules of Engagement refers to those responses that are permitted in the employment of military personnel during operations or in the course of their duties. These rules of engagement are determined by the legal framework within which these duties are being carried out...
in a military incident at an American embassy in Sana'a
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
, Yemen, resulting in the slaughter of many civilians by Childers' men.
Screenwriter James Webb
Jim Webb
James Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
is a former Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
combat officer, lawyer and Secretary of the Navy. Webb is currently the senior United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Plot
The film opens with Operation KingfisherOperation Kingfisher
Operation Kingfisher was a United States military operation that took place during the Vietnam War.July 16 - Oct 31, 1967Western area of Leatherneck SquareUnits:U.S. Marines: 2/9, 3/9, 3/3, 3/4 and 2/4NVA: 324B DivisionCasualties:...
, a disastrous American advance in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and shows Lt. Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) execute an unarmed prisoner to intimidate an NVA
NVA
NVA is a three-letter acronym for:*National People's Army, or Nationale Volksarmee, the army of former German Democratic Republic*Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie, a Flemish political party also known as New-Flemish Alliance...
officer into calling off an ambush of American marines, thereby saving the life of Lt. Hays Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones).
The movie jumps to 1996; Childers and his Marine Expeditionary Unit
Marine Expeditionary Unit
A Marine expeditionary unit , formerly called Marine amphibious unit , is the smallest Marine air-ground task force in the United States Fleet Marine Force...
are called to evacuate the United States Ambassador to Yemen
United States Ambassador to Yemen
This is a list of Ambassadors of the United States to Yemen.Prior to 1990, Yemen had consisted of two nations: North Yemen and South Yemen. The United States had diplomatic relations with North Yemen since 1946...
from the embassy grounds, after a routine demonstration against American influence in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
turns into rock-throwing and sporadic fire from nearby rooftops. After escorting the Ambassador to a waiting helicopter, Childers returns to the embassy to retrieve the American flag; meanwhile several Marines are killed by the Yemeni snipers on nearby rooftops. Childers, after appearing to see something in the crowd below, orders his men to open fire on the crowd below and "waste the motherfuckers", resulting in the death of 83 civilian protesters.
Back in the United States, the National Security Adviser decides to proceed with a court martial to try and deflect negative public opinion about the United States, shouldering all the blame for the incident onto Childers, and salvage American relations in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
. Childers finds Hodges, whose life he saved, is now serving in the JAG Division and asks him to be his defence attorney at the upcoming tribunal. Hodges is reluctant to accept, knowing that his record is less than impressive, and Childers needs a better lawyer. But Childers is adamant, because he would rather have an attorney who has served in combat before.
Most of the evidence is stacked against Childers, especially because the National Security Advisor, Bill Sokal is determined for him to be convicted, and at one point burns a tape showing that the crowd had indeed been in possession of weapons, justifying Childers' actions. He also blackmails the ambassador Childers rescued, Ambassador Mourain, into lying on the stand and saying both that the crowd had been peaceful and that Childers had been violent towards him and his family during the evacuation. However, Hodges is able to present a shipping manifest proving that a tape from an undamaged camera which had been looking directly into the crowd — the tape Sokal had burned — had been delivered to Sokal's office, but has failed to show up. Also, when the prosecution presents the Vietnamese Colonel, Colonel Cao, whom Childers had threatened in Vietnam, as a rebuttal witness, Hodges manages to get him to mention that, had the circumstances been reversed, he would've done the same thing.
The film ends with Childers being found guilty of the minor charge of breach of the peace, but not guilty of the more serious charges of conduct unbecoming of an officer or gentleman and murder, and a final titlecard reveals that no further charges were brought against him, and he retired honorably from the Marines. Sokal is found guilty of Spoliation of evidence
Spoliation of evidence
In law, spoliation of evidence is the intentional or negligent withholding, hiding, altering, or destroying of evidence relevant to a legal proceeding...
and forced to resign, while Mourain is found guilty of Perjury
Perjury
Perjury, also known as forswearing, is the willful act of swearing a false oath or affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to a judicial proceeding. That is, the witness falsely promises to tell the truth about matters which affect the outcome of the...
and sacked.
Cast
- Tommy Lee JonesTommy Lee JonesTommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
as Col. Hayes Lawrence "Hodge" Hodges II - Samuel L. JacksonSamuel L. JacksonSamuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
as Col. Terry L. Childers - Guy PearceGuy PearceGuy Edward Pearce is an English-born Australian actor and musician, known for his roles as Leonard Shelby in Christopher Nolan's Memento, Lieutenant Ed Exley in L.A...
as Maj. Mark Biggs - Ben KingsleyBen KingsleySir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
as Ambassador Mourain - Bruce GreenwoodBruce GreenwoodBruce Greenwood is a Canadian actor and musician. He is generally known for his roles as U.S. presidents in Thirteen Days and National Treasure: Book of Secrets and for his role as Captain Christopher Pike in the 2009 Star Trek film...
as US National Security Advisor Bill Sokal - Anne ArcherAnne ArcherAnne Archer is an American actress who has performed in feature films, television, and stage and was named Miss Golden Globe in 1971. Among her best known roles is that of Beth Gallagher in the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction, for which she received a nomination for an Academy Award.-Career:Archer's...
as Mrs. Mourain - Blair UnderwoodBlair UnderwoodBlair Underwood is an American television and film actor. He is perhaps best known as headstrong attorney Jonathan Rollins from the NBC legal drama L.A. Law, a role he portrayed for seven years. He has gained critical acclaim throughout his career, receiving numerous Golden Globe Award...
as Capt. Lee - Philip Baker HallPhilip Baker Hall-Early life:Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio, the son of a factory worker father who was from Montgomery, Alabama. He attended the University of Toledo. As a younger man, Hall served in the military, started a family, and became a high school English teacher. In 1961, he decided to become an actor...
as Gen. Hayes Lawrence Hodges, Ret. - Dale DyeDale DyeDale Adam Dye is an American actor, presenter, businessman, and retired U.S. Marine captain who served in combat during the Vietnam War.-Early life & Marine service:...
as Maj. Gen. Perry - Mark FeuersteinMark Feuerstein-Career:Feuerstein got his break-through on television as a recurring character on the daytime soap opera Loving. When director Nancy Meyers was casting What Women Want, her daughter recognized Feuerstein from Practical Magic and insisted that her mother cast him...
as Tom Chandler - Richard McGonagleRichard McGonagleRichard Francis McGonagle is an American actor and voice actor.McGonagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Hildagard Virginia and William Francis McGonagle....
as Judge Col. E. Warner - Baoan ColemanBaoan ColemanBaoan Coleman is an American actor. He had a supporting role in Rambo: First Blood Part II. He has also had smaller roles in other films including Rules of Engagement , and was the voice of Vietnamese immigrant Mr. Hyunh in Nickelodeon's Hey Arnold! animated series.-External links:...
as Col. Binh Le Cao - Nicky KattNicky KattNicholas Lea "Nicky" Katt is an American actor known for his role as unorthodox teacher Harry Senate on David E. Kelley's Fox drama Boston Public.-Career:...
as Hayes Lawrence Hodges III
Critical reception
Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives the film a score of 37% based on reviews from 93 critics and reports a rating average of 5 out of 10. It reported the overall consensus, "The script is unconvincing and the courtroom action is unengaging." At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 45 based on 31 reviews.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee states that it is the largest Arab American grassroots civil rights organization in the United States. According to its web page it is open to people of all backgrounds, faiths and ethnicities and has over 40 chapters in 24 states and members in all...
described it as "probably the most racist film ever made against Arabs by Hollywood".
External links
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/arabic/news/newsid_726000/726498.stm