2000, 2 hrs 10 min., Rated R for scenes of war violence, and for language. Dir: William Friedkin. Cast: Tommy Lee Jones (Colonel Hays Hodges), Samuel L. Jackson (Colonel Terry Childers), Guy Pearce (Major Mark Biggs), Bruce Greenwood (National Security Advisor William Sokal), Blair Underwood (Captain Lee), Philip Baker Hall (General H. Lawrence Hodges), Anne Archer (Mrs. Mourain), Ben Kingsley (Ambassador Mourain).

Rules of Engagement is a film about men doing manly things in the face of trials and tribulation from warfare: honor, loyalty, integrity, politics and the truth. It's not a standout in the genre of military trial films like, say, A Few Good Men, but there is enough to merit a viewing.

The picture's not just about men, either. There is but one woman who says maybe 20 words. ROE is by men, for men and all about the testosterone that flows through the U.S. Marine Corps and the male gender in general.

Samuel L. Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones never "call in" a performance and despite some heavy-handed scenes where the emoting is a little thick, one can't help but like both of their characters and get a kick out of the macho "rah-rah" themes.

Jackson plays Colonel Terry Childers, a lifetime Marine who has been awarded every medal save for the Congressional Medal of Honor. On a mission to the U.S. Embassy in Yemen under his command, the troops find themselves under heavy fire from the moment the choppers land. In the heat of the moment, he orders his men to fire on the raging crowd below, many of whom are women and children, killing about 80 people. Were these innocent victims, or were they armed to the hilt by terrorists?

Jones is Colonel Hays Hodges, a substandard lawyer in the Marine Corps less than two weeks from retirement. Hodges was saved in Vietnam by Jackson, and is guilted into defending him in order to repay that debt. One of many film cliches used by ROE, Hodges also lives in the shadow of his father, retired General Lawrence Hodges, played by the always solid Philip Baker Hall.

As the Marine lawyer representing the government's case against Jackson, Guy Pearce's Major Biggs is not much of a stretch from the role he played in L.A. Confidential, as the law enforcer taking on an unpopular role as someone who believes stridently in his cause. That's not to say he doesn't do a good job, which he does, I'm just hoping such a talented actor isn't already being typecast after so few pictures.

Warning to those who easily get queasy at the sight of blood. There are many shots of bloodied casualties for shock value, and for the most part it works. If the audience isn't a bit disgusted by the sight of a dead kid or a wounded one with a limb missing, then make sure you still have a soul.

Because of those sights, however, it makes it difficult for the viewer to support our hero. When the Marines initially encounter the Yemeni protestors, I was upset that they didn't shoot the snipers on sight. Then, however, after annihilating the crowd (no spoiler here, it's in the trailer and all ads for the film), we're given reason to doubt every character's motivations throughout. In a military film, I need to be able to root for someone, and Jones' lawyer isn't the character I'm talking about.

I was really disappointed by the ending. In part it's a happy Hollywood finale, but then we're left with what amounts to reading an epilogue from a novel. I want to see people get what's due, not read about it.

Would I recommend Rules of Engagement? Maybe. If you like courtroom dramas, and are a fan of Jackson and/or Jones as well as big-budget Hollywood offerings, then you'd probably enjoy the film. If you're looking for a better-than-average movie, there are others I would rather you see first.