The 2000 film hails from the director of The Exorcist and The French Connection.
Our TV movie pick for tonight (Wednesday, 4 September) is Rules of Engagement, the 2000 war legal thriller directed by legendary filmmaker William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection, To Live and Die in LA).
It stars Samuel L. Jackson as Col. Terry Childers, a 30-year US Marine veteran and decorated officer with combat experience in Vietnam, Beirut and Desert Storm.
Despite this experience, he finds himself on trial by the country he served for so long after a rescue mission at the US embassy in Yemen goes terribly wrong.
“For his attorney, he has chosen Marine Col. Hays Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones), a comrade-in-arms who owes his life to Childers,” the plot synopsis reads.
With a screenplay by Oscar-winner Stephen Gaghan (Traffic), Rules of Engagement also stars Anne Archer (Fatal Atraction), Ben Kingsley (Sexy Beast), Blair Underwood (Longlegs), Bruce Greenwood (House of Usher), Guy Pearce (Memento) and Philip Baker Hall (Boogie Nights).
And the late and great’s Friedkin’s typically muscular direction combined with the excellent cast makes this film worth seeking out for fans of legal thrillers in which brilliant actors deliver big speeches and shout over each other in court.
Rules of Engagement is airing on TV tonight on the channel Legend at 9pm.
It is also available to watch for free on the streaming service Plex.
Here are the other movies on TV tonight:
Fury – Film4 – 9pm
The Brad Pitt World War II drama recently called one of the ten best war movies of all time.
Jaws 3 – ITV4 – 10pm
Dennis Quaid stars in this shark sequel that was released in 3D in theatres.
What We Did on Our Holiday – BBC One – 10.40pm
David Tennant, Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly star in this British family dramedy from the creators of sitcom Outnumbered.
Last Passenger – Legend Xtra – 10.55pm
In this breakneck UK thriller, a group of passengers – including a doctor (Dougray Scott) and his son – on a night train from London gradually come to realise that the driver of the vehicle has a dark plan for everyone onboard.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard – Film4 – 11.40pm
Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, again, do their thing in this watchable if forgettable action comedy.
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- Dark sci-fi thriller underappreciated in cinemas streaming on Netflix now
- A great war action thriller movie is on TV tonight
- Netflix has just added a heist action thriller with a great cast
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