Putting political issues out of the picture, I found RULES OF ENGAGEMENT a fascinating film experience. Oscar winning director William Friedkin gives us an opening scene in Vietnam which is disturbing in its violence and intensity. And then he takes us to Yemen, where a supposedly peaceful demonstration gets out of hand and over 80 "innocent" women and children are slaughtered, the order given by decorated Colonel Terry Childers. As the viewers can attest, the demonstration is far from peaceful and Childers' decision utilizing the rules of engagement is a logical, if tragic, one. What makes the movie such a powerful entity is the magnificent performances of Samuel L. Jackson (probably one of his best performances) as Childers and gruff Tommy Lee Jones as the lawyer who defends him against the murder charges. Both actors seize their roles with a marked intensity and are fascinating to watch as they embody their characters with the valor, doubt, and fierce belief in themselves. Guy Pearce (Memento, Count of Monte Cristo) is excellent as Biggs, the soldier who serves as the prosecutor. The rest of the supporting cast is good too: Bruce Greenwood, Philip Baker Hall, Ben Kingsley, Anne Archer and Nicky Katt. I would think it would be hard to decide what to do in a case like this, and seeing how duplicitous and deceitful the government is once again portrayed, it would be hard call. But Childers saw the crowd below him shooting at and killing four of his men. What else could he do?
Above average, intensely felt movie.

A "heroic" american saves his country men from oh so "violent" "terrorists" by massacring them. The american government then tries to scapegoat him because it cares for its image in the arab world (yeah, right). The racist garbage in this film shows the true colors of americans. If they really want to see murderous and barbarian terrorists who want to violently massacre civilians, they only need to look as far as the nearest mirror.

Good ol' GIs defend the flag and cut down the towelheads AND the duplicitous government that got them in the mess. It's basically an apology for the murderous farce that was Somalia and is part of Hollywood's campaign to rehabilitate the US Army for the great unwashed, while having a crack at the Clinton White House (whose pictures you see on the embassy wall). Awful but worth seeing for its tricks and deceits.

Ha,ha,ha... I cann't understand why americans ask stupid question such as why Muslims want to kill them. This film is the answer.

Great movie if you want to see 'wogs' getting shot by good 'ol downhome rootin tootin all american 'heroes'. A load of old tosh if you want historical accuracy or a reasoned balanced view of the world outside the US borders. Oh well, keeps the patriots happy I suppose.