Rules of Engagement (2000, DVD)

Opening Scene
It s the year 1968 in a place called Vietnam. Terry Childers and Hays Hodges are leading their troop when they spot a Vietnamese troop just a ways ahead. They decide to split up, each taking a troop around the Vietnamese troop to catch them off guard. After a flip of a coin deciding the fate of each one, they take off. Childers group begins to receive fire. After a few casualties, he captures the Vietnamese commander just as Hodges group begins an intense battle. Childers threatens the Vietnamese solider to call off his troop attacking Hodges. When the man does not respond, he shoots and kills one of his soldiers, which persuades him to stop his soldiers, but not before every man in Hodges troop is dead and Hodges himself is wounded.


Main Characters

Colonel Terry Childers, played by Samuel L. Jackson, is the leading character. A man who has dedicated his life to the Marines, respected as a great military leader, finally comes to face his worst fear. He gets charged with breaking the military s rules of engagement and may have to take the fall for doing what he was taught to do. He has no family, no friends outside the force, and no love life most of his life has been spent in combat zones and commanding troops.

Tommy Lee Jones plays the role of Hays Hodges, whose life was saved by his close friend Childers. Hodges, too, has spent the majority of his life dedicated to the Marines, although he was married, now divorced, and has a distant son. After the Vietnam War, he served as a military court lawyer, which his father was excellent at. Feeling he would never amount to his father and losing his wife, he went through a battle of his own with drinking. Now about to retire from the service, he faces the biggest case of his career to which he cannot turn down.

Ben Kingsley portrays Ambassador Mourain. He serves as the Ambassador to the Yemen Embassy. The Yemenis hold many demonstrations and protests outside the Embassy, however one a scheduled protest day, the crowd turns rather hostile, which scares the Ambassador into calling for troops and helicopters to evacuate him and his family. He seems a very decent and respectable man, but when he realizes the tables might get turned and the finger may be pointed on him, his only goal is to make sure he is protected.

William Sokal, played by Bruce Greenwood, acts as the National Security Advisor. When he learns of what happened in Yemen, he is, of course, incredibly angry. Afraid of a possible war with Yemen and losing Embassy s elsewhere in the Middle East, he wants Childers to take the fall regardless of anything else. Even when he is presented with the only piece of evidence the might prove Childers to be innocent of the charges, he goes to great lengths to make sure no one else knows about the tape and to make sure those who do know about it will not tell.

Guy Pearce plays the role of Mark Biggs, who is the lawyer against Childers. A young on the move type lawyer who hasn t lost a case yet. An honest man, he states to Sokal that he will not try the case on bad evidence. He believes in the merits in the case against Childers, but wants a fair trial. After men on his team suggest going for the death penalty, he refuses. Biggs works hard, but plays fair.


Plot
Twenty-eight years after the Vietnam War, Hodges retirement is about to go through. At a party in his honor, Childers comes to visit his old friend. They have a heart-to-heart talk catching up on things with one another. Childers reveals he finally got his command. The scene changes to USS Wake Island in the Indian Ocean where Childers receives his orders take his troops to the American Embassy in Yemen, where the demonstration crowd may be getting rowdy. He is mainly to go and show the presence of American troops, but also, if necessary, to evacuate Ambassador Mourain and his family. Upon arriving in Yemen, there is an enormous crowd chanting outside the Embassy walls, which seems relatively calm. After the troops arrive, the crowd becomes more hostile. Snipers on building tops take shoots at the Embassy, people from the crowd throw large rocks towards windows and security cameras, and men trying to break down the door. The Ambassador is scared and eager to leave before the helicopters even land. The troops move in to the Embassy, Childers finds the Ambassador hiding under a desk. Once he states he is ready to leave, the family is evacuated. After they are safely gone, Childers goes back to find three men in his troop dead. Eventually he orders fire onto the crowd below from the roof of the Embassy. Eighty-three Yemen s were killed many were women and children.

Back in Washington Childers is charged with numerous counts against him, including murder. No weapons were found in the crowd when it was investigated the day afterwards. Although many people believe there was a cover-up, even a terrorist act was suggested, there is no proof. Childers goes to Hodges and asks him to represent him in court. Although Hodges believes he needs a better lawyer, Childers insists he wants him, and he cannot refuse.

Mark Biggs and his team, including National Security Advisor William Sokal, begin to build a case against Childers to present to the Court-Martial. Hodges tries to find evidence to protect Childers, but fails in doing so even after a trip of his own to Yemen. The men in Childers troops were in a different location on the roof and did not see what Childers claims to have seen. Meanwhile, the evidence against him seems to pile up. There was one videocassette left intact after the destruction on the Embassy, which Sokal does not want anyone to see. Does it prove Childers innocence of the charges against him? Will the one man who can testify on Childers behalf tell the truth, the whole truth, on the stand? An extensive trial lies ahead for everyone involved. What really happened in Yemen?


My Thoughts
Based on a true story, Rules Of Engagement is a thought provoking account of what extent officials will go to trying to protect themselves and their jobs. The beginning of the movie has a few good action scenes, although the majority of it is drama. I love court drama movies, and I was hooked on this after watching the previews for this. Upon the release date at the theatre, I was there. And when it was out on video, I bought myself a copy. The acting is great, especially from Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson. From the start to end the movie draws you into their military life and the problems each face. After the movies end, you ll find yourself thinking of the reality of these situations. Yemen has for a long time been considered a training ground for terrorists activity, and many military and executive officials have been caught covering up facts to protect themselves. This movie brings it all together in a way anyone can enjoy. Have fun watching!

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