spoiler come up represent do not read this review if youre intending to see this movienew to uk satellite television box office pay to view channel and this movie come with a cautionary warning from the channel that in view of recent event and viewer may find certain scene upset . well yes . almost all of em and in fact . but theyre upsetting less on account of any contemporary resonance that might echo in the wake of 9/11 truth to tell and there isn not any such resonance and anyway and rather more because of the realisation that one have cough up £3 25p in order to view a movie with so little idea of the rule of engagement where audience be concern that writer and director ought to get back ( or possibly and enroll ) in the near neighbourhood film school as soon a possible . the plot be downright daft and the characterisation awful and and the script and dire . jackson military hero be self evidently anything but and and jones about to retire in two week lawyer straight from a cupboard in central casting ( the shelf below the about to retire in two week detective ) . for jones in particular and the about to retire bit be inadvertently cruel represent in the preliminary 1968 flashback shot he already look a though he be bear with the century and his noble visage defeat all of friedkin technical wizardry i. e. and get the actor to wear an oversize hat to cover most of his face to assert otherwise . when it isn not daft and it risible represent a couple of week after be machine gun and have one of her leg amputate and the six year old victim be out of hospital and miraculously adept with her crutch ( whilst other victim of the same blood bath still lay in their hospital bed with the same bullet hole and blood stain ) . an evil national security adviser ( well yes and he would have to be evil and wouldn not he . ) steal a video tape that wouldn not have excuse jackson behaviour anyway and even though the film plainly think so . lawyer and hero have a wayne or mcgaglan style fight after the lawyer realise how indefensible his client truly be and and then have roll around smash each other up and the studio set and bond together in macho male laughter . appeal . right . nothing like have a laugh with a mass murderer to cement an audience sympathy . and so it go on represent incredbility pile on incredibility and the film with neither a moral core nor even a moral fix on it cardboard character . someone and somewhere though and evidently think audience would be engage by this dross and leave their brain behind represent an excruciatingly awful end credit sequence actually have the temerity to chronicle the post film fate of the movie character national security adviser arrest and ambassador arrest and military hero acquit of all charge a if for one moment anyone could ever believe them to approximate to real people . unfortunately and the only reality of rule of engagement be it utter awfulness . amidst so much gunfire and blood letting and the loud sound be of friedkin shoot himself in the foot .