I’m a big fan of the cinematic works of William Friedkin, and one of his lesser-discussed pictures is Rules of Engagement, which was released in 2000 during that time when Paramount was cranking out mid-budgeted military/cop-procedural/court-room programmers with lots of production polish and big-stars.
Written by Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana) from an original story by politician/author James Webb, the Rashomon-esque narrative centers on an squadron of U.S. soldiers who find themselves in a hostile situation at the American Embassy in Yemen, where a large number of civilians are killed during a violent protest that quickly escalates into a freakish nightmare.
This is a square-jawed and bloody film, and there’s a point at which the narrative comes to a halt so that co-stars Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson (both of whom are super intense in this film) have a knock-down, drag-em-out fist fight because, well, that’s what this macho story requires.
The superb supporting cast includes Guy Pearce, Bruce Greenwood, Philip Baker Hall, Ben Kingsley, Anne Archer, Blair Underwood, Dale Dye, Nicky Katt, Ryan Hurst, and Gordon Clapp. Look out for some great cinematography by William Fraker and Nicola Pecorini (wonder what the deal was that required a dual effort…!) and a hard-charging score by Mark Isham, who is one of my favorite composers.
This film would pair very well with Friedkin’s The Hunted, a similarly underrated meat and potatoes actioner that would be tough to get made today on the same level. Critics weren’t too kind to Rules of Engagement, but it still did solid box-office, and has become a routine item on cable and the movie channels throughout the years; I’ve seen this one too many times to accurately count.
According to Friedkin’s biography, the original script was developed by Webb and producer Scott Rudin, with Friedkin not getting along with Webb during the creative process, which resulted in Gaghan being hired to re-write the project.
Webb wasn’t pleased, and he attempted to block the production from gaining cooperation from the Department of Defense, but apparently saw the finished film and called Friedkin to express his satisfaction. Rules of Engagement is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and via various streaming providers.
Review by Nick Clement
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