I had heard dismal reviews for Samuel L. Jackson's latest military-drama, Rules of Engagement, but with nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon, I ventured to the local megaplex (really mega - 30 theaters) and saw it. I was ready for something similar to other courtroom dramas, but was pleasantly surprised when Rules presented a new and unique view with added elements that really helped further the story-line along.

Rules follows Colonel Terry L. Childers (Jackson) through what seems to be a routine mission of evacuating the U.S. embassy in Yemen. When things go wrong, Childers orders the firing of his group of marines into a crowd consisting of not only armed men, but also women and children. The end result: 183 dead - and 183 charges of murder are brought upon Childers. Knowing his livelihood is on the line, Childers calls upon his good friend (and recently retired) Colonel Hayes Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones) to represent him. Rules basically follows the trial and all the hardships Hodges and Childers endure, but what separates it from the rest of this genre of movies, is the other parts, not just the trial.

Rather than just focus on the trial and the opening and closing arguments, Rules takes time to set up the relationship between Childers and Hodges and also presents a vivid portrait of what Childers had to endure in Yemen. All along, we are on the side of Childers knowing he was right and even siding with him if he was wrong. Unfortunately, Rules does fall into the trap of many movies of this type with all the clichés and common elements we have come to know - the one bad guy against everyone else, the coward whose story changes, and the young attorney making a name for himself. The biggest problem, however, is the way the plot seems to fall apart. With destruction of evidence along with perjury (all of which make no sense for the particular characters to do), the movie degrades significantly. The movie was going very well up until the point where it has to take extravagant steps to explain its actions. Any time a movie needs to explain what happened or why in depth, it really hurts. Rules was going just great with some riveting action scenes, but then all was lost before the trial even began - the trial wasn't bad at all.

Rules of Engagement is a captivating drama with its fair share of suspense. The action scenes are fun and very intense, but the plot falls apart in the middle. Jackson and Jones turn in good performances, but their careers are obviously declining. A good popcorn flick, Rules offers movie-goers a good one and a half hours with about half an hour in the middle of absurdity.

Genres: Drama, War, Thriller
Rated: R
Runtime: 123 minutes
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