Rules of Engagement
Starring:Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson
Studio: Paramount
Product Type: DVD
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about staging harrowing action sequences, and if you don't believe that, you've never seen The French Connection or To Live and Die in L.A. He comes through niftily in this film as well, with an opening Vietnam battle sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the story, and then with the central moment in the film: a rescue mission involving Marines extricating the American ambassador from an embassy surrounded by hostile protesters in Yemen. Unfortunately, Friedkin can't do much about the implausible plot that follows, in which the Marine commander, played by the always-terrific Samuel L. Jackson, is accused of slaughtering innocent civilians (who actually were shooting at him and his men). He must rely on an old Marine buddy--a lawyer played by Tommy Lee Jones--to get him through the jury-rigged court martial. But the central premise--that an evil presidential aide would perjure himself and destroy evidence simply to maintain good relations with U.S. allies in the Middle East, rather than defending a highly decorated Marine colonel who risked his life--is inevitably hard to swallow. And the ending is even flimsier. --Marshall Fine
Average customer rating:
- Leaves the wrong message
- A Lot of Nothing
- Important questions, disappointing answers
- Subtexts
- Rules of Engagement
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Rules of Engagement
Starring: Anne Archer , Kim Delaney , Bruce Greenwood , Philip Baker Hall , and Samuel L. Jackson
Director: William Friedkin
Manufacturer: Paramount
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- The Negotiator
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- U.S. Marshals (Special Edition)
ASIN: B00003CXGV
Release Date: 2000-10-10 |
Amazon.com
Director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about staging harrowing action sequences, and if you don't believe that, you've never seen The French Connection or To Live and Die in L.A. He comes through niftily in this film as well, with an opening Vietnam battle sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the story, and then with the central moment in the film: a rescue mission involving Marines extricating the American ambassador from an embassy surrounded by hostile protesters in Yemen. Unfortunately, Friedkin can't do much about the implausible plot that follows, in which the Marine commander, played by the always-terrific Samuel L. Jackson, is accused of slaughtering innocent civilians (who actually were shooting at him and his men). He must rely on an old Marine buddy--a lawyer played by Tommy Lee Jones--to get him through the jury-rigged court martial. But the central premise--that an evil presidential aide would perjure himself and destroy evidence simply to maintain good relations with U.S. allies in the Middle East, rather than defending a highly decorated Marine colonel who risked his life--is inevitably hard to swallow. And the ending is even flimsier. --Marshall Fine
Customer Reviews:
Leaves the wrong message.......2007-07-01
I don't understand why the filmmakers were trying to convince everyone that Samuel L. Jackson's character couldn't have violated the rules of engagement. The opening scene sets his attitude pretty well when he blatantly kills a Viet Cong prisoner to encourage the enemy commander to call off his unit which is killing everyone in Tommy Lee Jones's platoon. While the plot is different, the atmosphere of old, beat-down, used-up has-beens reminds me of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. The problem lies in the ending.
I think it could have been a good movie, but it lacked a key ingredient. I lost that suspension of disbelief that makes it necessary to enjoy the movie. I will illustrate this point next, but beware...
SPOILER AHEAD...
When the old Viet Cong commander who stopped the attack on Tommy Lee Jones's platoon shows up in the court room to testify, I was stricken with how unlikely that would be. When he testified that Samuel L. Jackson murdered his radio operator to force him to call off the attack, I figured it was a done deal. Regardless of all the emotion brought forth by Tommy Lee Jones's defense, which sounded good, but didn't change the facts, the whole time I'm watching this I'm thinking "guilty, guilty, guilty." I was sure they weren't going to convict the main character, I was just wondering how he was going to get out of it. The ultimate defense was Tommy Lee Jones asking the Viet Cong commander if he would have done the same if that had been his friend's platoon being killed. Of course, the guy says "yes." So the viewer is supposed to believe that makes it ok? Since when did the American military hold the values of the Viet Cong up to such high admiration that they condoned flat-out murder, point-blank, in the head, to an unarmed prisoner? This is just too unbelievable.
A Lot of Nothing.......2007-01-12
This movie goes from Dumb, to Dumber, and finishes with Dumbest.
Important questions, disappointing answers.......2006-07-23
The charisma of Tommy Lee Jones & Samuel L. Jackson & the gripping theme of this film make it quite watchable. Hard not to be taken in. I rented it; I'm not sorry. Would I buy it? No.
In the last analysis, it's a cynical and manipulative film, not least because the final captions suggest it is a true story -- and I see from some basic internet research that it is not.
Also, it mericilessly milks a number of stereotypes: some of them concern the Yemeni characters; others Vietnam; the relationship between the black and white characters; the main characters' relationships with their families (the lawyer with his overshadowing father, estranged wife, and pacifist son; the colonel Childers with the Marine Corps, the flag, and his non-existent family). Finally, this is a gripping film that does not do justice to its underlying themes, which include a racial aspect that goes entirely unexplored.
Today -- July 22, 2006 -- there are desperate issues in the world that could have been illuminated by a film like this one. They are not, which may explain why Secretary of the Navy James Webb, who reportedly originally worked on the concept, ultimately withdrew. These are questions -- when does war become murder? what counts as torture? what as innocence? how complicit must civilian populations be before they become targets themselves? -- that are too important to be left to films as un-self-conscious as this one.
Subtexts.......2006-07-02
On the surface this film is a pretty good courtroom drama.
Underneath, however, the director seems to have a couple of other themes going. One thing that stood out to me is that the film is full of people who are "caught between a rock and a hard place". Right from the start, where Childers has to choose between following the rules of war or saving his best friend. He has a similar choice on the wall in Yemin - fire into the crowd or let the attack on his people continue. I think he knew at that moment that his career was in the crapper. Jones' character said as much during the trial: "Whatever happens here, this man will never command marines again". The "bad guy" national security advisor was in a bind: do what is best for America's interests or back up the colonel? The ambassador had to make a hard choice: lie on the stand or lose his job, his status, his reputation? Even his wife had to decide whether to tell the truth or stand behind her husband's story. Biggs, the prosecutor, got caught up in it - he started out with the intent to prosecute what he was convinced was a legitimate case, then got tossed a 'hot potato' by the NSA right in open court. Childers' second-in-command, Captain Lee, had to decide whether to tell the truth or back his colonel. And so on.
The court-martial itself seems to pit logic against emotion (shades of Star Trek!). The differences are clearest in the closing arguements - Biggs is the Joe Friday "just the facts" type; he presents the panel with A. this happened, then B this happened, and so on. Hayes' whole arguement is based on emotion - and then, finally, the jury is left with yet another hard decision.
I found the movie very interesting in terms of what is going on with the characters - a lot of films are like this, if you look a little deeper, there's more there than the surface story.
Rules of Engagement.......2006-06-26
Dramatic-- Tommy Lee Jones was a little short from his previous performances. Still good movie for sticking up for the little guy
Average customer rating:
- No Bull
- Thought-provoking documentary
- Tendentious but unforgettable
- This same corrupt government...
- Congress rips them up!
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Waco - The Rules of Engagement
Starring: Dan Gifford , Jack Harwell , Dick J. Reavis , James D. Tabor , and David Thibodeau (II)
Director: William Gazecki
Manufacturer: New Yorker Video
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ASIN: B0000DIJOO
Release Date: 2003-12-09 |
Amazon.com
What happened at the Branch Davidian compound in Mt. Carmel, Texas, in 1993? Why did 4 federal agents and 86 civilians lose their lives? The powerful documentary Waco: The Rules of Engagement asks these and many other difficult questions, and the answers are deeply disturbing, even for the most cynical. Using interviews, news footage, testimony before Congress, and infrared photographic analysis, the film relentlessly chips away at the government's story that David Koresh and his followers were a dangerous cult involved in strange sex and drug practices who were preparing to slaughter their neighbors and that they immolated themselves à la Jonestown, rather than give themselves up peacefully. Nearly every element of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' and the FBI's cover-up is exposed as fraudulent and the viewer is left wondering when, if ever, justice will finally be served. Warning: There are a few minutes of extremely graphic footage of the burnt bodies of the Davidians; though this is sickening, it seems less so than the tragic mistakes made by law enforcement officials. --Rob Lightner
Description
Shaking the foundation of democracy, the shocking revelations behind the tragic series of events outside Waco, Texas that killed four federal agents and 76 men, women and children of the Branch Davidian religious sect has finally been exposed. Winner of an Academy-Award® nomination in light of its incredible discoveries, Waco: The Rules of Engagement brings forth devastating evidence of federal law enforcement gone tragically wrong. It dares to suggest the ATF provoked war with a group whose apocalyptic religious beliefs and rumored manufacturing of illegal weapons made them easy targets for an inevitable abuse of its members' civil and human rights. Waco: The Rules of Engagement will change forever the way the world thinks and talks about the tragedy at Waco and, most importantly, it will renew our commitment to the basic precepts of tolerance and freedom upon which American society is built.
Customer Reviews:
No Bull.......2007-02-06
This documentary feeds you no bull. No hype. Simply the truth. While the "official" line is full of holes...this documentary gives us a clear picture of what happened at Waco... From the missing tapes, to the missing front door of the compound, this video reveals to you things that the ATF doesn't want you to know!!
Thought-provoking documentary.......2007-01-27
I'd seen this movie before, but wanted it on DVD. It's one of those interesting documentaries that make you wonder what really happened. I took most of their "facts" with a grain of salt. Though I think the movie raises enough questions to make you want to check into it further. The filmed government hearings alone are enough to make you want to know more. So it's worth watching, just to get somebody else's view of what happened.
Tendentious but unforgettable.......2007-01-20
First, the flaws. The (very dramatic)FLIR section--purporting to show that the Davidian compound was fired upon by the government's forces during the catastrophic fire--has been shown to be meritless. Interviews and testimony have been edited so as in some cases to misrepresent the opinions of those shown and quoted. The dishonesty, incompetence, and venality of the US government and its agencies in this ghastly, sickening tragedy are glaring enough that there's no need to distort the truth in order to get the point across.
Nonetheless, what happened to the Davidians was so horrible, and this film is so powerfully made, that it will haunt you.
This same corrupt government..........2006-10-09
Has killed alot more people in Iraq than Waco. Ours and theirs all for some made up excuse about "Weapons of Mass Destuction" and Religous Zealots. Sound familiar? The only problem the war is taking us down a terrible path.
Congress rips them up!.......2006-06-24
This video will show you hands down the corruption of the government. Unlike 911, this was not covered up very well at all. A lot of evidence was avaiable.
I was VERY VERY amazed by this one, but not at all shocked.
Average customer rating:
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The Rules of Engagement - The Complete First Season
Starring: Rules of Engagement
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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All Sony Pictures Titles
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ASIN: B000RXZL0O
Release Date: 2007-09-04 |
Average customer rating:
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Samuel L. Jackson Ultimate Collection (Coach Carter / Shaft / Rules of Engagement)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Shaft
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- A Time to Kill
- 187
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- Deja Vu
- The Good Shepherd (Widescreen Edition)
ASIN: B000BNX4MM
Release Date: 2006-01-10 |
Customer Reviews:
Shaft is the Man.......2006-12-09
The story starts out exciting enough, with Shaft (Jackson, sporting tough goatee and bald head, really looks the part), investigating a killing in a bar. He questions one guy (Christian Bale), who has blood on his hands and whom he jails based on an accusation by one of the bar girls witnessing the fight. There are so many action scenes here that there is not enough space to list them. A man gets thrown out of a window, a young black man gets beaten with a pipe (First part of movie as described above). Richard Roundtree has a guest appearance as a detective trying to induce Shaft to come into business with him, which happens at the end. The whole plot centers on Bale, and Shaft trying to get him convicted, despite the political connections of the young man, as he slips in and out of the legal system. At the end, it is the young black man's mother who shoots him down, as the police are escorting him to jail. The plot, the photography, the acting by everyone is great. I have seen it four times now.
Mr. Singer
Average customer rating:
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Samuel L Jackson Ultimate Collection (Coach Carter / Shaft / Rules of Engagement)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
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ASIN: B000MGBLT6
Release Date: 2007-03-06 |
Average customer rating:
- Perfect gift.
- Best and Most Fun Marriage Advice
|
THE GOLDEN RULES: Secrets Of Marriage From Couples Married 50 Years Or More
Manufacturer: TGR Media, LLC
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
DVDs Under $14.99
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Product Features:
- Full-length dvd featuring The Golden Rules video clips and discussion among young couples
- Bonus video clips from The Golden Rules Couples
- www.thegoldenrulesofmarriage.com
ASIN: B000MJYBIG |
Product Description
The secrets of a happy, long-lasting relationship from couples who have experienced all the highs and lows that come during a lifetime together. The Golden Rules Couples are the true experts on marriage.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect gift........2007-02-14
Picking-out the perfect gift for your pals getting married is tough. This will make your job easier. Funny. Wise. Touching. My friends loved it.
Best and Most Fun Marriage Advice.......2007-02-12
I bought this DVD at my friend's recommendation and never intended to show it to my husband. I learned so much about what is really important and essential in a successful marriage that I ended up showing it to my husband who thought it was as great as I did. The best part is that it's fun, too. We laughed and even got teary eyed and had fun while remembering what is most important in our lives together. I now think it makes the best engagement or marriage gift.
Average customer rating:
- Leaves the wrong message
- A Lot of Nothing
- Important questions, disappointing answers
- Subtexts
- Rules of Engagement
|
Rules of Engagement [Region 2]
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones , Samuel L. Jackson , Guy Pearce , Ben Kingsley , and Bruce Greenwood
Director: William Friedkin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Thrillers
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Archer, Anne
| ( A )
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| ( C )
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Dye, Dale
| ( D )
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Greenwood, Bruce
| ( G )
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Hall, Philip Baker
| ( H )
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Jackson, Samuel L
| ( J )
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Jones, Tommy Lee
| ( J )
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Katt, Nicky
| ( K )
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Kingsley, Ben
| ( K )
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McGonagle, Richard
| ( M )
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Pearce, Guy
| ( P )
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Underwood, Blair
| ( U )
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Friedkin, William
| ( F )
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ASIN: B000058CAZ |
Amazon.com
Director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about staging harrowing action sequences, and if you don't believe that, you've never seen The French Connection or To Live and Die in L.A. He comes through niftily in this film as well, with an opening Vietnam battle sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the story, and then with the central moment in the film: a rescue mission involving Marines extricating the American ambassador from an embassy surrounded by hostile protesters in Yemen. Unfortunately, Friedkin can't do much about the implausible plot that follows, in which the Marine commander, played by the always-terrific Samuel L. Jackson, is accused of slaughtering innocent civilians (who actually were shooting at him and his men). He must rely on an old Marine buddy--a lawyer played by Tommy Lee Jones--to get him through the jury-rigged court martial. But the central premise--that an evil presidential aide would perjure himself and destroy evidence simply to maintain good relations with U.S. allies in the Middle East, rather than defending a highly decorated Marine colonel who risked his life--is inevitably hard to swallow. And the ending is even flimsier. --Marshall Fine
Customer Reviews:
Leaves the wrong message.......2007-07-01
I don't understand why the filmmakers were trying to convince everyone that Samuel L. Jackson's character couldn't have violated the rules of engagement. The opening scene sets his attitude pretty well when he blatantly kills a Viet Cong prisoner to encourage the enemy commander to call off his unit which is killing everyone in Tommy Lee Jones's platoon. While the plot is different, the atmosphere of old, beat-down, used-up has-beens reminds me of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. The problem lies in the ending.
I think it could have been a good movie, but it lacked a key ingredient. I lost that suspension of disbelief that makes it necessary to enjoy the movie. I will illustrate this point next, but beware...
SPOILER AHEAD...
When the old Viet Cong commander who stopped the attack on Tommy Lee Jones's platoon shows up in the court room to testify, I was stricken with how unlikely that would be. When he testified that Samuel L. Jackson murdered his radio operator to force him to call off the attack, I figured it was a done deal. Regardless of all the emotion brought forth by Tommy Lee Jones's defense, which sounded good, but didn't change the facts, the whole time I'm watching this I'm thinking "guilty, guilty, guilty." I was sure they weren't going to convict the main character, I was just wondering how he was going to get out of it. The ultimate defense was Tommy Lee Jones asking the Viet Cong commander if he would have done the same if that had been his friend's platoon being killed. Of course, the guy says "yes." So the viewer is supposed to believe that makes it ok? Since when did the American military hold the values of the Viet Cong up to such high admiration that they condoned flat-out murder, point-blank, in the head, to an unarmed prisoner? This is just too unbelievable.
A Lot of Nothing.......2007-01-12
This movie goes from Dumb, to Dumber, and finishes with Dumbest.
Important questions, disappointing answers.......2006-07-23
The charisma of Tommy Lee Jones & Samuel L. Jackson & the gripping theme of this film make it quite watchable. Hard not to be taken in. I rented it; I'm not sorry. Would I buy it? No.
In the last analysis, it's a cynical and manipulative film, not least because the final captions suggest it is a true story -- and I see from some basic internet research that it is not.
Also, it mericilessly milks a number of stereotypes: some of them concern the Yemeni characters; others Vietnam; the relationship between the black and white characters; the main characters' relationships with their families (the lawyer with his overshadowing father, estranged wife, and pacifist son; the colonel Childers with the Marine Corps, the flag, and his non-existent family). Finally, this is a gripping film that does not do justice to its underlying themes, which include a racial aspect that goes entirely unexplored.
Today -- July 22, 2006 -- there are desperate issues in the world that could have been illuminated by a film like this one. They are not, which may explain why Secretary of the Navy James Webb, who reportedly originally worked on the concept, ultimately withdrew. These are questions -- when does war become murder? what counts as torture? what as innocence? how complicit must civilian populations be before they become targets themselves? -- that are too important to be left to films as un-self-conscious as this one.
Subtexts.......2006-07-02
On the surface this film is a pretty good courtroom drama.
Underneath, however, the director seems to have a couple of other themes going. One thing that stood out to me is that the film is full of people who are "caught between a rock and a hard place". Right from the start, where Childers has to choose between following the rules of war or saving his best friend. He has a similar choice on the wall in Yemin - fire into the crowd or let the attack on his people continue. I think he knew at that moment that his career was in the crapper. Jones' character said as much during the trial: "Whatever happens here, this man will never command marines again". The "bad guy" national security advisor was in a bind: do what is best for America's interests or back up the colonel? The ambassador had to make a hard choice: lie on the stand or lose his job, his status, his reputation? Even his wife had to decide whether to tell the truth or stand behind her husband's story. Biggs, the prosecutor, got caught up in it - he started out with the intent to prosecute what he was convinced was a legitimate case, then got tossed a 'hot potato' by the NSA right in open court. Childers' second-in-command, Captain Lee, had to decide whether to tell the truth or back his colonel. And so on.
The court-martial itself seems to pit logic against emotion (shades of Star Trek!). The differences are clearest in the closing arguements - Biggs is the Joe Friday "just the facts" type; he presents the panel with A. this happened, then B this happened, and so on. Hayes' whole arguement is based on emotion - and then, finally, the jury is left with yet another hard decision.
I found the movie very interesting in terms of what is going on with the characters - a lot of films are like this, if you look a little deeper, there's more there than the surface story.
Rules of Engagement.......2006-06-26
Dramatic-- Tommy Lee Jones was a little short from his previous performances. Still good movie for sticking up for the little guy
Average customer rating:
|
Rules of Engagement a Hero Should Never Have to Stand Alone
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Action & Adventure
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
DTS
| Fully Loaded DVDs
| Features
| DVD
| Video
Product Features:
- Widescreen Collection
- Dolby Digital
- Behind The Scenes featurette
ASIN: B000NEDC7G |
Product Description
Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson star in a forceful,powerful,thoroughly convincing film.
Widescreen Collection...
Special Features....
A Look inside exclusive cast and crew interviews...exclusive behind the scenes featurette...commentary by director William Friedkin...Dolby Digital...English 5.1 Surround....English Dolby Surround...French Dolby Surround...English Subtitles...Interactive motion menus...scene selection
![Rules of Engagement [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/21Q4PNJAXAL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- Leaves the wrong message
- A Lot of Nothing
- Important questions, disappointing answers
- Subtexts
- Rules of Engagement
|
Rules of Engagement [Region 2]
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones , Samuel L. Jackson , Guy Pearce , Ben Kingsley , and Bruce Greenwood
Director: William Friedkin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
Thrillers
| Mystery & Suspense
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Archer, Anne
| ( A )
| Actors & Actresses
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Similar Items:
- The Negotiator
- Basic
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- The General's Daughter
- U.S. Marshals (Special Edition)
ASIN: B00005B3P5 |
Amazon.com
Director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about staging harrowing action sequences, and if you don't believe that, you've never seen The French Connection or To Live and Die in L.A. He comes through niftily in this film as well, with an opening Vietnam battle sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the story, and then with the central moment in the film: a rescue mission involving Marines extricating the American ambassador from an embassy surrounded by hostile protesters in Yemen. Unfortunately, Friedkin can't do much about the implausible plot that follows, in which the Marine commander, played by the always-terrific Samuel L. Jackson, is accused of slaughtering innocent civilians (who actually were shooting at him and his men). He must rely on an old Marine buddy--a lawyer played by Tommy Lee Jones--to get him through the jury-rigged court martial. But the central premise--that an evil presidential aide would perjure himself and destroy evidence simply to maintain good relations with U.S. allies in the Middle East, rather than defending a highly decorated Marine colonel who risked his life--is inevitably hard to swallow. And the ending is even flimsier. --Marshall Fine
Customer Reviews:
Leaves the wrong message.......2007-07-01
I don't understand why the filmmakers were trying to convince everyone that Samuel L. Jackson's character couldn't have violated the rules of engagement. The opening scene sets his attitude pretty well when he blatantly kills a Viet Cong prisoner to encourage the enemy commander to call off his unit which is killing everyone in Tommy Lee Jones's platoon. While the plot is different, the atmosphere of old, beat-down, used-up has-beens reminds me of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. The problem lies in the ending.
I think it could have been a good movie, but it lacked a key ingredient. I lost that suspension of disbelief that makes it necessary to enjoy the movie. I will illustrate this point next, but beware...
SPOILER AHEAD...
When the old Viet Cong commander who stopped the attack on Tommy Lee Jones's platoon shows up in the court room to testify, I was stricken with how unlikely that would be. When he testified that Samuel L. Jackson murdered his radio operator to force him to call off the attack, I figured it was a done deal. Regardless of all the emotion brought forth by Tommy Lee Jones's defense, which sounded good, but didn't change the facts, the whole time I'm watching this I'm thinking "guilty, guilty, guilty." I was sure they weren't going to convict the main character, I was just wondering how he was going to get out of it. The ultimate defense was Tommy Lee Jones asking the Viet Cong commander if he would have done the same if that had been his friend's platoon being killed. Of course, the guy says "yes." So the viewer is supposed to believe that makes it ok? Since when did the American military hold the values of the Viet Cong up to such high admiration that they condoned flat-out murder, point-blank, in the head, to an unarmed prisoner? This is just too unbelievable.
A Lot of Nothing.......2007-01-12
This movie goes from Dumb, to Dumber, and finishes with Dumbest.
Important questions, disappointing answers.......2006-07-23
The charisma of Tommy Lee Jones & Samuel L. Jackson & the gripping theme of this film make it quite watchable. Hard not to be taken in. I rented it; I'm not sorry. Would I buy it? No.
In the last analysis, it's a cynical and manipulative film, not least because the final captions suggest it is a true story -- and I see from some basic internet research that it is not.
Also, it mericilessly milks a number of stereotypes: some of them concern the Yemeni characters; others Vietnam; the relationship between the black and white characters; the main characters' relationships with their families (the lawyer with his overshadowing father, estranged wife, and pacifist son; the colonel Childers with the Marine Corps, the flag, and his non-existent family). Finally, this is a gripping film that does not do justice to its underlying themes, which include a racial aspect that goes entirely unexplored.
Today -- July 22, 2006 -- there are desperate issues in the world that could have been illuminated by a film like this one. They are not, which may explain why Secretary of the Navy James Webb, who reportedly originally worked on the concept, ultimately withdrew. These are questions -- when does war become murder? what counts as torture? what as innocence? how complicit must civilian populations be before they become targets themselves? -- that are too important to be left to films as un-self-conscious as this one.
Subtexts.......2006-07-02
On the surface this film is a pretty good courtroom drama.
Underneath, however, the director seems to have a couple of other themes going. One thing that stood out to me is that the film is full of people who are "caught between a rock and a hard place". Right from the start, where Childers has to choose between following the rules of war or saving his best friend. He has a similar choice on the wall in Yemin - fire into the crowd or let the attack on his people continue. I think he knew at that moment that his career was in the crapper. Jones' character said as much during the trial: "Whatever happens here, this man will never command marines again". The "bad guy" national security advisor was in a bind: do what is best for America's interests or back up the colonel? The ambassador had to make a hard choice: lie on the stand or lose his job, his status, his reputation? Even his wife had to decide whether to tell the truth or stand behind her husband's story. Biggs, the prosecutor, got caught up in it - he started out with the intent to prosecute what he was convinced was a legitimate case, then got tossed a 'hot potato' by the NSA right in open court. Childers' second-in-command, Captain Lee, had to decide whether to tell the truth or back his colonel. And so on.
The court-martial itself seems to pit logic against emotion (shades of Star Trek!). The differences are clearest in the closing arguements - Biggs is the Joe Friday "just the facts" type; he presents the panel with A. this happened, then B this happened, and so on. Hayes' whole arguement is based on emotion - and then, finally, the jury is left with yet another hard decision.
I found the movie very interesting in terms of what is going on with the characters - a lot of films are like this, if you look a little deeper, there's more there than the surface story.
Rules of Engagement.......2006-06-26
Dramatic-- Tommy Lee Jones was a little short from his previous performances. Still good movie for sticking up for the little guy
![Rules of Engagement [Region 2]](http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/2197Spo-FqL.jpg)
Average customer rating:
- Leaves the wrong message
- A Lot of Nothing
- Important questions, disappointing answers
- Subtexts
- Rules of Engagement
|
Rules of Engagement [Region 2]
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones , Samuel L. Jackson , Guy Pearce , Ben Kingsley , and Bruce Greenwood
Director: William Friedkin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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Archer, Anne
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Clapp, Gordon
| ( C )
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Dye, Dale
| ( D )
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Greenwood, Bruce
| ( G )
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Hall, Philip Baker
| ( H )
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Jackson, Samuel L
| ( J )
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Jones, Tommy Lee
| ( J )
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Katt, Nicky
| ( K )
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Kingsley, Ben
| ( K )
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McGonagle, Richard
| ( M )
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Pearce, Guy
| ( P )
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Underwood, Blair
| ( U )
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Friedkin, William
| ( F )
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( R )
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Similar Items:
- The Negotiator
- Basic
- Men of Honor
- The General's Daughter
- U.S. Marshals (Special Edition)
ASIN: B00005KGMY |
Amazon.com
Director William Friedkin knows a thing or two about staging harrowing action sequences, and if you don't believe that, you've never seen The French Connection or To Live and Die in L.A. He comes through niftily in this film as well, with an opening Vietnam battle sequence that sets the stage for the rest of the story, and then with the central moment in the film: a rescue mission involving Marines extricating the American ambassador from an embassy surrounded by hostile protesters in Yemen. Unfortunately, Friedkin can't do much about the implausible plot that follows, in which the Marine commander, played by the always-terrific Samuel L. Jackson, is accused of slaughtering innocent civilians (who actually were shooting at him and his men). He must rely on an old Marine buddy--a lawyer played by Tommy Lee Jones--to get him through the jury-rigged court martial. But the central premise--that an evil presidential aide would perjure himself and destroy evidence simply to maintain good relations with U.S. allies in the Middle East, rather than defending a highly decorated Marine colonel who risked his life--is inevitably hard to swallow. And the ending is even flimsier. --Marshall Fine
Customer Reviews:
Leaves the wrong message.......2007-07-01
I don't understand why the filmmakers were trying to convince everyone that Samuel L. Jackson's character couldn't have violated the rules of engagement. The opening scene sets his attitude pretty well when he blatantly kills a Viet Cong prisoner to encourage the enemy commander to call off his unit which is killing everyone in Tommy Lee Jones's platoon. While the plot is different, the atmosphere of old, beat-down, used-up has-beens reminds me of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. The problem lies in the ending.
I think it could have been a good movie, but it lacked a key ingredient. I lost that suspension of disbelief that makes it necessary to enjoy the movie. I will illustrate this point next, but beware...
SPOILER AHEAD...
When the old Viet Cong commander who stopped the attack on Tommy Lee Jones's platoon shows up in the court room to testify, I was stricken with how unlikely that would be. When he testified that Samuel L. Jackson murdered his radio operator to force him to call off the attack, I figured it was a done deal. Regardless of all the emotion brought forth by Tommy Lee Jones's defense, which sounded good, but didn't change the facts, the whole time I'm watching this I'm thinking "guilty, guilty, guilty." I was sure they weren't going to convict the main character, I was just wondering how he was going to get out of it. The ultimate defense was Tommy Lee Jones asking the Viet Cong commander if he would have done the same if that had been his friend's platoon being killed. Of course, the guy says "yes." So the viewer is supposed to believe that makes it ok? Since when did the American military hold the values of the Viet Cong up to such high admiration that they condoned flat-out murder, point-blank, in the head, to an unarmed prisoner? This is just too unbelievable.
A Lot of Nothing.......2007-01-12
This movie goes from Dumb, to Dumber, and finishes with Dumbest.
Important questions, disappointing answers.......2006-07-23
The charisma of Tommy Lee Jones & Samuel L. Jackson & the gripping theme of this film make it quite watchable. Hard not to be taken in. I rented it; I'm not sorry. Would I buy it? No.
In the last analysis, it's a cynical and manipulative film, not least because the final captions suggest it is a true story -- and I see from some basic internet research that it is not.
Also, it mericilessly milks a number of stereotypes: some of them concern the Yemeni characters; others Vietnam; the relationship between the black and white characters; the main characters' relationships with their families (the lawyer with his overshadowing father, estranged wife, and pacifist son; the colonel Childers with the Marine Corps, the flag, and his non-existent family). Finally, this is a gripping film that does not do justice to its underlying themes, which include a racial aspect that goes entirely unexplored.
Today -- July 22, 2006 -- there are desperate issues in the world that could have been illuminated by a film like this one. They are not, which may explain why Secretary of the Navy James Webb, who reportedly originally worked on the concept, ultimately withdrew. These are questions -- when does war become murder? what counts as torture? what as innocence? how complicit must civilian populations be before they become targets themselves? -- that are too important to be left to films as un-self-conscious as this one.
Subtexts.......2006-07-02
On the surface this film is a pretty good courtroom drama.
Underneath, however, the director seems to have a couple of other themes going. One thing that stood out to me is that the film is full of people who are "caught between a rock and a hard place". Right from the start, where Childers has to choose between following the rules of war or saving his best friend. He has a similar choice on the wall in Yemin - fire into the crowd or let the attack on his people continue. I think he knew at that moment that his career was in the crapper. Jones' character said as much during the trial: "Whatever happens here, this man will never command marines again". The "bad guy" national security advisor was in a bind: do what is best for America's interests or back up the colonel? The ambassador had to make a hard choice: lie on the stand or lose his job, his status, his reputation? Even his wife had to decide whether to tell the truth or stand behind her husband's story. Biggs, the prosecutor, got caught up in it - he started out with the intent to prosecute what he was convinced was a legitimate case, then got tossed a 'hot potato' by the NSA right in open court. Childers' second-in-command, Captain Lee, had to decide whether to tell the truth or back his colonel. And so on.
The court-martial itself seems to pit logic against emotion (shades of Star Trek!). The differences are clearest in the closing arguements - Biggs is the Joe Friday "just the facts" type; he presents the panel with A. this happened, then B this happened, and so on. Hayes' whole arguement is based on emotion - and then, finally, the jury is left with yet another hard decision.
I found the movie very interesting in terms of what is going on with the characters - a lot of films are like this, if you look a little deeper, there's more there than the surface story.
Rules of Engagement.......2006-06-26
Dramatic-- Tommy Lee Jones was a little short from his previous performances. Still good movie for sticking up for the little guy
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