Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Tense but shallow military drama heavy on violence, language
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Rules of Engagement
What's the Story?
Toward the end of a long and illustrious career in the Marines, Col. Terry Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) is sent in command of a rescue mission to the U.S. embassy in Yemen. The mission to evacuate the ambassador and his family goes south, and the platoon loses three Marines and gets pinned down. Childers orders his troops to fire on the rioting crowd, killing women and children. The backlash at home is intense, and Childers is court-martialed for murder. He asks his buddy from the Vietnam War, Col. Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones), to defend him. Hodges is by no means the best lawyer available, but Hodges will leave no stone unturned to help his friend. Will Childers be the scapegoat, or will justice be done?
Is It Any Good?
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT presents extreme graphic violence designed to shock and horrify, and it certainly succeeds in doing that. Unfortunately, even older teens who can handle the gore and prolific swearing won't be left with much to think about. The strong cast is serviceable but never really transcendent. The plot provides a lot of tension, and there's a fair amount of suspense over Childers' fate, but it isn't enough to sustain interest. The story takes on a lot: a disastrous battle in Vietnam, a rescue mission in Yemen gone bad, a long-term friendship, an investigation, a court-martial, politicians saving their careers. But the attempt to provide breadth only shortchanges depth and leaves the viewer mainly frustrated by the sense that there was a better movie in there somewhere.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about graphic violence in movies. How does what you see in this movie compare to others you've seen? Does it help tell the story? How does it make you feel?
Were you surprised by the outcome of the court-martial? Why, or why not?
Were the events and the actions of the characters realistic? What was easy to believe could really have happened? Was anything hard to believe?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 30, 2001
- On DVD or streaming : October 10, 2000
- Cast : Tommy Lee Jones , Samuel L. Jackson
- Director : William Friedkin
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : Paramount Pictures , Seven Arts Productions , Munich Film Partners and Company
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Friendship , History
- Run time : 128 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Scenes of war violence; language
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Winner
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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